Are you looking for a beach vacation, may be in Florida? If so, then this blog post is for you. Whether it is north, south, east or west, we have some amazing beaches to share that are located throughout the Sunshine State. In the past, we have written full-length blog posts on some of these spots, but in this article, we also have included some of our other top spots.
Before we get into our favorites though, it is important for us to clarify what kind of a beach experience we enjoy. We love to visit relatively quiet beaches. We are less concerned with having a lot of amenities, such as bars and restaurants, than we are with peace and quiet. So, although the South Beach in Miami can be fun, it’s not really our kind of place!
The other thing to keep in mind, that the high and low seasons are different throughout the state. For example, the northern parts of the state (i.e., the Panhandle, Jacksonville, St. Augustine) are very busy in the summer and less busy during the winter. In the middle and southern parts of Florida, summer tends to be slower and winter is the high season. Typically, we plan our visits during the slower seasons.
So, if you like a more relaxed beach experience, read on to learn more about some of Florida’s best beaches!
Florida’s Panhandle
• South Walton County
We spent several weeks in South Walton County last winter. Even though we had lived in Florida most of our lives, we really had not spent that much time in this part of the state. We were really surprised about how much we liked this area of Florida.
In our article we discuss all of the beach towns located along 30A. These little beach towns all have their own personality and each offers something a little different. We have several favorites, including Seagrove Beach, where we stayed during our visit.
There are tons of things to do in the area and during the winter months the weather is generally cool and sunny, making ideal conditions for being outdoors. For a full review, read our article “30A- A Stretch of Paradise on Florida’s Emerald Coast”.
• St. George Island
St. George is a 28-mile, unspoiled barrier island located just off the coast of the Big Bend area of Florida. There are less than 800 full-time residents, so there are never big crowds. You will not find any chain restaurants, hotels or stores. But what you will find are miles and miles of gorgeous beaches, sparkling clear waters and an amazing state park.
Read more about this special spot in our recent article “A Day Trip to St. George Island”.
• Perdido Key
Perdido Key is another barrier island located near Pensacola in the western most part of the Panhandle. The island is 16 miles long and actually spans the border between Florida and Alabama. The eastern portion of the island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This area of Florida is well known not only for its beaches, but also for its miles of preserves where folks can hike, kayak, or spend time bird watching or viewing other wildlife.
We spent some time at a beach-front condo in Perdido Key a few years ago during the month of February. The beaches are lovely, and during the winter they were not at all crowded. Since Perdido Key is located very close to Pensacola, you will likely find a lot more locals on the beach and in the surrounding restaurants, especially on the weekends.
Accommodations in Perdido Key are made up of a few hotels and a lot of vacation rentals, especially high-rise condos. Rentals are available through VRBO and Airbnb, as well as many local vacation rental companies such as Perdido Resort Management, Luxury Coastal Vacations and Itrip Vacations Perdido Key.
As you may imagine, seafood is very popular here and there are tons of great restaurants all over the area. Two of our favorites are Cobalt the Restaurant (actually located just across the state line in Alabama) and the Flora-Bama Yacht Club located right on the water on the Intercoastal side of the island.
Florida Keys
• Key West
Admittedly, Key West is known for a lot of things, but world-class beaches are not one of them. The reason for this lack of stellar beaches is due to the fact that the world’s third largest barrier reef surrounds the Keys, including Key West. So, most of the beaches that are found there are actually man-made. However, Key West is such a great place to visit, and if you are there, you will likely want to visit a beach.
Our favorite beach can be found at Ft. Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. The fort was originally built as part of a series of forts constructed to offer protection to the southeastern U.S. coast. Today it is a historic site with self-guided tours available.
The beach itself is very clean and has restrooms, picnic facilities and even a small concession stand for snacks. You may want to arrive early because the beach does tend to get a little bit crowded since it is not a very large beach. In addition, the sand on the beach contains a lot of ground shells, so be sure to bring your flip flops.
The coral reef is right off the shore and it’s a great place for snorkeling. You may want to wear some water shoes while snorkeling or swimming to protect your feet from any sharp rocks or shells.
There is a small entrance fee to enter the fort, and you can find out more about the entry fee and the fort itself here. To find out more about Key West itself, read our blog post entitled “Key West – Island Paradise”.
• Dry Tortugas
The Dry Tortugas are located about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the home of Fort Jefferson, famous for its imprisonment of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was charged with conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
The islands can be reached via private boat, public ferry or sea plane. The Fort itself is amazing and is in fact the largest masonry building in the Western Hemisphere! However, the beach there is small, but gorgeous. Snorkeling there is terrific. Afterall, it is in the middle of the ocean!
We recommend visiting Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas as a ‘bucket list’ activity. But if you go, spend some time at the beach!
You can find out a little more about the Dry Tortugas in the same article in which we covered Key West.
• Key Largo
At the top of the Florida Keys is the largest island of the chain, Key Largo. The island is 33 miles long and is connected to the mainland of Florida via two bridges. Key Largo, just like the rest of the Keys, is all about the water. Swimming, snorkeling, boating and fishing are the most popular activities.
One of the most popular spots in Key Largo is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park offers many water-related activities, including guided boat trips for snorkeling and diving in its famous undersea park, some 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.
The beach at Pennekamp actually consists of 3 small beaches, and like the rest of the Keys they are not all that grand. However, if you do not want to spend the time or money to take the boat trip to the undersea park, you can snorkel right off the beach and it is amazing. We saw all sorts of sea life such as parrotfish and other tropical fish, anemones and even came face-to-face with a barracuda – all in about 5 feet of water. So, while the beach itself is not so spectacular, the snorkeling here is, and that is why we loved the beach at Pennekamp!
East Coast
• Vero Beach
In July 2021, we wrote an article devoted to our stay at the Disney Vacation Club Resort, located on the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach.
Vero Beach is one of our two most favorite beach spots in Florida and we have stayed here many, many times. Even if you do not stay at the Disney Resort, Vero Beach has all sorts of lovely accommodations available for short and long-term rentals. The vibe in Vero Beach is quite relaxed. There are not a lot of hotels located on the beach, and most of the accommodations are private condo rentals. Therefore, the beach is never crowded, especially between the months of April and November.
If you are interested in Vero Beach, take a look at our article “Disney’s Vero Beach Resort”.
• Jacksonville Beach
Owing to the fact that the Jacksonville area was first settled by the Spanish in the mid-1500’s, this area is often called Florida’s “First Coast” or “Historic Coast”. No matter what it’s called, this area of Northeast Florida is chock-full of long stretches of beautiful beaches, totaling some 22 miles!
Jacksonville Beach is actually comprised of several other beach communities including Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach. For the most part, these communities are linked together and its difficult to see where one ends and the next one begins. Despite their proximity, each community has a slightly different vibe. We stayed in Jacksonville Beach, just south of the famous Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier. During the heart of summer, this area is really hopping. However, during most of the rest of the year, things slow down a bit. The beach, as well as the many shops and restaurants are much more accessible during the slower months.
The thing that we really loved about Jacksonville Beach is just how wide the beach is in this area. Because of how large it is, it never feels crowded. And, if you want to ride a bike or go for a run, this beach is simply perfect.
You can find just about any type of accommodation, including chain hotels, Mom and Pop motels, low and high-rise condos, as well as private homes. If your accommodation is not directly on the beach, it is no problem because there are many points of public access all along the beach.
There is also no shortage of great restaurants, but we have two that we really like. The first is the Aqua Grill, located in Ponte Vedra. The other, our absolute favorite, is the Dockside Seafood Restaurant. This is not a fancy restaurant by any means, but the food is amazing. We always make it a point to stop in at this restaurant, even if we are just passing through the Jacksonville area.
• St. Augustine Beach
Most everyone has heard of St. Augustine, the oldest city in the contiguous United States. St. Augustine is a wonderful, historic place to visit and we highly recommend it. The old town is usually very busy, but its well worth fighting a few crowds to take in the unique historic and cultural sites.
Once you have visited St. Augustine, you may be looking for a quiet spot to relax and the beaches surrounding St. Augustine offer the perfect repose!
If you travel north on A1A from St. Augustine, you will cross from the mainland to a barrier island and the village of Vilano Beach. Following A1A north from there, the island is just a small strip of land, mostly residential with some limited public beach access along the route. There are few if any hotels, so private condo or home rentals are the way to go. Depending on how far north you go, it can also be a bit of a drive to the grocery store in Vilano Beach and there are only a handful of restaurants toward the southern end of the island. But although there are not a lot of amenities in this area, the beaches here are beautiful and there are just not a lot of people, making it super quiet and relaxing.
If you travel south on A1A from St. Augustine, you will cross from the mainland unto Anastasia Island, home to St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach and Butler Beach. Unlike the northern extension of A1A, this area has a couple of accessible grocery stores and quite a few restaurants. A number of familiar chain hotels and resorts are also located on the beach, along with private rentals.
There are definitely more things to do on Anastasia Island, including a visit to Anastasia State Park, a beautiful park with pristine beaches, wildlife viewing, kayaking, picnicking and excellent camping facilities.
We like Anastasia Island for its relatively peaceful beach experience, along with easy access to restaurants, groceries and other shops.
West Coast
• Palm Island Resort
If you are looking for total peace and quiet in your beach vacation, then Palm Island Resort is the place for you. If we had to choose our absolute most favorite beach in Florida – this is the place. Located about 1.5 hours south of Tampa in Cape Haze, Florida, Palm Island has been our favorite beach destination for more than 30 years. The only way to reach the island is by private boat or a very short ride on a car ferry. Since access to the island is somewhat limited, you will NEVER find crowds at this resort. We cannot recommend this spot enough, and if you want to learn all about it, read our full post, “Palm Island Resort – The Perfect Social Distancing Vacation”.
• Sanibel and Captiva Islands
A lot of folks have heard of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, located off the coast, west of Ft. Myers. These islands attract people from around the world and for good reason. The white sand beaches and turquoise water make Sanibel and Captiva a very special place.
One of the best known features of these islands is the amazing quantity and variety of seashells that can be found there. Interestingly, the islands are part of a large plateau that extends like a shelf into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, Sanibel actually has an east-west orientation, unlike most barrier islands that have a north-south orientation. This unique positioning provides the perfect place to ‘capture’ seashells as they wash up on shore.
Sanibel is also home to the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge that was established to protect one of the United States’ largest mangrove ecosystems. Within the park visitors will find migratory birds, as well as those that make Sanibel their permanent home. Other wildlife that can be found there include raccoons, alligators, bobcats and even river otters.
A couple of our favorite restaurants on the islands are the Bubble Room located on Captiva. This restaurant has been around a long time and is a perennial favorite among tourists and locals. A bit newer are the Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille restaurants. They are part of a local chain that was started by a local author Randy Wayne White. We have visited the location on Sanibel and the one on Captiva. They were both equally good and we recommend either one.
We recommend visiting Sanibel and Captiva in the slower months of the year. There is basically one main road through the islands and it can get very congested during the busier months of winter.
• Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island is located just off the coast near Bradenton, Florida. Anna Maria is a sort of sentimental favorite for me, since I grew up in Bradenton and spent many hours there in my youth.
There are seven miles of beaches on the island and a number of public beaches. Our favorite is Coquina Beach, located on the southern end of the island. Coquina Beach is quite large, has amenities such as changing stations, concession stands, a lovely picnic area and, of course, beautiful white sand beaches. It is a wonderful place to spend the day. If you get there in the morning, you will feel like you have the place to yourself. The beach definitely gets busier later in the day, but it rarely feels crowded.
If you choose to stay on the island, you will find many different options including hotels, motels and private rentals. We recommend staying near the northern part of the island, as it tends to be more residential, and thus a little quieter.
Just like Sanibel and Captiva, Anna Maria Island is very busy during the winter months. The main road running north to south can be very congested. Avoid those crowds by visiting during the off season. The best times to visit include April, May, and September through early November.
Well folks, that’s it. These beaches are our favorites in the state. Keep in mind that these beaches are the ones that fit our personal preferences for relative peace and quiet. If you like a lot of activity, nightlife, bars, etc. then these spots may not be the place for you. There are tons of other spots in the state that may fit these preferences such as Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Beach, South Beach or Daytona. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these beaches. In fact, they are some of the most beautiful spots in the state. They just tend to be a lot more focused on events and nightlife, and that’s not really our inclination. The bottom line is that you need to choose the destination that works for you!
Until next time, safe travels!