You?ll want to make an escape to these summer getaways The height of summer has us dreaming of escapes: shady mountains and forests, languid lakes, and miles-long coastlines.
If you can?t make an escape of your own, the next best thing is a little armchair travel. From cozy cabins and desert oases to stately cottages and houses on the beach, the best getaways stay with you far longer than summer. Here are a few of our favorites.

Photo by Carlos Chavarría

Karen Curtiss, Stinson Beach, California
Stinson Beach, California?s beach and local hiking trails were what initially drew architect Karen Curtiss and her family to the oceanside town, but a 1958 kit home convinced them to make it their regular getaway.
Dubbed the ?Thanksgiving House? because of the the family?s wish to have a place where they and their friends could have Thanksgiving together, the home sits on a quiet, secluded site at the end of a winding drive, and offers plenty of space, indoors and out, for gatherings.
Photo by Drew Kelly

Chad DeWitt and James Cook, Sea Ranch, California
When Chad DeWitt and James Cook found their dream home 113 miles north of Oakland, California, in pedigreed Sea Ranch, it seemed to good to be true. Sea Ranch, a design enclave like no other, is a circa-1960s planned community along a short stretch of the Sonoma Coast. At 684 square feet, the cottage was one of the model homes that architects Joseph Esherick and George Homsey creat...