Best Florida Beaches
Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda Key is the only natural beach in the Keys. The park's 524 acres include dunes, coastal mangroves and hammocks. Pristine, sandy beaches with mild, clear water. All visitors are required to pay an entrance fee. Once inside the park, visitors have access to all park buildings, beaches, and more. At the park you will find rentals of kayaks and snorkeling gear and offers of boat trips to the reef for snorkeling excursions.
Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Beach is known as one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world. When it comes to family beach spots, Siesta Public Beach in Sarasota is hard to beat. It continually makes several of America’s Top 10 lists of best beaches. If you're staying on Siesta Key, there are plenty of public access points to the beach. If you're not there are over 800 parking spaces available but you better get there early if you want one. Siesta Key beaches are free and public. Beach activities include parasailing, fishing, dolphin tours, sunset cruises and boating. Lifeguards are on duty year round. Beach facilities include playground, concession stands, picnic areas, restrooms and tennis and volleyball courts.
Fort Walton Beach
As part of Florida's Emerald Coast, Fort Walton Beach has 24 miles of powder-soft beaches and clear emerald-green waters. This area is considered to be one of the top five shelling destinations in the world. Southern Living readers voted Fort Walton Beach the "#1 Family Destination and the Best Beach in the South" three years in a row.
St. Petersburg / Clearwater Beach
Home to Caladesi Beach, ranked America’s #2 beach in 2006 and home to Fort De Soto Park, ranked America’s #1 beach in 2005. Fort De Soto has more than seven miles of beaches. You will also find camp grounds, boat docks, nature trails, fishing piers, a canoe trail, and more. Caladesi Island State Park is ideal for swimming, shelling, fishing, picnics, skin and scuba diving and nature study. Caladesi is only accessible by boat. Clearwater Beach has loads of activities including jet ski rentals, swimming, sandcastle building and Pier 60, a family entertainment complex right on the beach.
