This week and next week will see the biggest crowds at Florida’s major Spring Break destinations.
Best Florida Beaches
Best Beaches in Florida
Florida Rambler’s full catalog of stories about our favorite Florida beaches, many of them hidden treasures where you can find solace and sun, surf and sand, or excellent fishing. Family beaches to play and hidden gems you can only reach by kayak.
Browse our beach stories below…
Honeymoon Island: Spectacular natural beach with charming Old Florida history
Honeymoon Island in Dunedin has a big, natural beach where you can get away from people, but also offers a cafe and bikes and kayaks to rent. Its history involves actual honeymooners drawn here during the Great Depression in a real estate scheme.
Anna Maria Island is a delightful Old Florida beach town
Visiting here, I found myself happy that places like Anna Maria Island survive — a low-rise beach town with quaint cottages and a spectacular beach. Daytrippers will be happy to learn they can skip the weekend traffic and parking hassles with an affordable ferry service from Bradenton.
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West hidden gem
Like a lot of visitors, for years I had overlooked Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park on my visits to Key West because it is tucked away out of sight. But the historic fort and great beach are worth discovering.
Lovers Key State Park bounces bounces with beach, trails and visitor center ready for visitors
Lovers Key State Park is a treasure in Fort Myers Beach. You can kayak a mangrove-lined trail and stroll an unspoiled 2.5 mile beach. The park has recovered from Hurricane Milton and its devastating storm surge a year ago.
Stump Pass Beach State Park reopens 11 months after Hurricane Milton
Discover a less well-known string of islands — Gasparilla Island, Don Pedro Island and Manasota Key. Each holds a spectacular state park with top beaches.
John D. MacArthur Beach Park: Perfect blend of kayaking, snorkeling, beach
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park has almost two miles of beach, lined with sand dunes covered with native vegetation. A summer treat: There can be good snorkeling from the beach.
Cayo Costa: A wild island with spectacular beach you can visit by boat
Cayo Costa, a wild island with nine miles of pristine beach, can be reached for day trips and there are two companies that offer cruises. The lucky few who visit can explore a slice of paradise.
Surf fishing is a fun family outing — or a quiet escape
There’s no better time for surf fishing than late summer and fall, when the mullet run down the coast. Here’s the gear you need and how to fish from shore.
Discover Hobe Sound’s ‘secret’ wild beach and wildlife refuge
Secret beaches are the stuff of vacation dreams. But I found one — more than 5 miles of wild, broad unspoiled sandy shore, lined with thick native vegetation and without a condo or T-shirt shop in sight.