Main Beach Named Best Beach in America

While Memorial Day weekend may not be starting out with beach weather, Main Beach is apparently the beach to be when the sun is shining.

The ocean beach in East Hampton Village is the number one beach on the 23rd annual Top 10 Beach List from "Dr. Beach," Stephen P. Leatherman, a coastal expert and professor at Florida International University.

Coming in second was Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, and St. George Island State Park in the Florida panhandle was third.

Main Beach, the only village beach with a pavilion, has been slowly creeping on the list the past few years. In 2011, it was ranked fourth and in 2012, it was ranked third. For the full list, click here.

"We're humbled and honored to receive that designation," Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said on Friday, adding. "It's a feather in our cap".

"All of us who have the benefit of using the beach for the past several seasons realize how pristine and beautiful it is," he said.

The mayor said the added exposure may bring more tourists. Asked if that is welcomed, he said, "In the total scheme of things, I don't think it can hurt. You share the wonderful things with others," he said.

Of course, you still need a permit to park there -- and that runs non-residents $325, if they're lucky to nab one of the 2,900 that are sold.

"The idyllic beach is frequented by the rich and famous who so highly regard their beach that Leatherman has sen even super models picking up litter washed ashore from the sea," a statement from the Laboratory of Coastal Research said.

Leatherman notes that the beach was eroded during Superstorm Sandy in October, but that it has recovered well. He also mentions the "great teams of lifeguards" who patrol the beach.

"Dr. Beach" uses 50 criteria to evaluate beaches, including water and sand quality and environmental management.

Next year, "bonus points" will go to beaches where smoking is prohibited. Smoking is already banned within 50 feet of the deck of the pavilion, concession stand, and shower areas at Main Beach, thanks to a law the village board passed in April 2011.

Winners, like Southampton's Cooper's Beach, are retired from the list.