The Beach

Grab your bathing suit—we’re heading to the beach as Americans heard it more than a century ago. Through “By the Beautiful Sea,” “On the Beach at Waikiki,” and “In the Beautiful Seaside Air,” we’ll explore how the shoreline became a destination for recreation, romance, tropical fantasy, and good old-fashioned people-watching. Along the way, we’ll meet Billy Murray, hear the sound of Hawaiian steel guitar, and discover how the modern beach vacation was already taking shape by the 1910s.