Airlie Beach itself is small — the real attractions are offshore. The town centre is a half-kilometre strip along Shute Harbour Road, with the Lagoon at one end providing a stinger-free public swimming pool right on the foreshore. From the marina at Abel Point, sailing tours and dive boats leave daily for the Whitsundays — most visitors come for Whitehaven Beach, the powder-silica beach on Whitsunday Island that is consistently ranked among the best in the world, and the fringing reefs of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
For walks and views, Conway National Park climbs into the rainforest above town, and the short Honeyeater Lookout track delivers a panoramic outlook over the Coral Sea. The Bicentennial Boardwalk runs along the foreshore from the Lagoon to Cannonvale. North of the marina, the Whitsunday Sailing Club sits at the edge of the bay, while sunset drinks at one of the foreshore bars look directly out over the islands.