As far as carnivals/parks go, I usually go to them when I'm at the shore, like when we're at Ocean City, NJ for vacation. I mainly to Skeeball, because one of the arcades down there has 10 cent Skeeball (11 games if you give it a dollar). It's a nice deal! Also an occasional round or two of Guitar Hero Arcade.

Honestly, I go to beaches more for the boardwalk fun, because I just don't like sand. I like the water and ambience, but the sand is just a pain and gets everywhere. XD