Two of the best beaches in America are in Florida — perennial favorites on this annual list: St. George Island State Park and Caladesi Island State Park. See the other Florida beaches that have been selected over the years too.
Best Florida Beaches
This sandy campground near Jacksonville is a beach lover’s dream.
Travel and Leisure magazine calls New Smyrna Beach “Florida’s most underrated seaside city”. We think it is “Florida’s best little beach town.”
Florida Islands don’t come any better than Sanibel, but while that paradise recovers from Hurricane Ian, we think you’ll find lots to love in these 5 other destinations.
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park has reopened eight months after Hurricane Ian’s 10- foot storm surge blasted it. It has superb white sand and clear water.
The best Florida beach towns are cozy and quaint, reflecting an Old Florida ambience. Here are seven of our favorites, all small enclaves worth discovering.
Caladesi Island State Park off Dunedin is a pristine white-powder beach with clear water. It’s a perfect kayak destination & one of the top 10 beaches in the US.
This state park is so worth a drive to explore. It would take days to experience it all – a beautiful beach, a well-preserved Civil War fort, hiking, biking, wildlife, great camping.
Apalachicola is a charming, walkable small town full of history, good food & shops. It’s 20 minutes from the nation’s No. 4 beach on St. George Island.
Beaches in the Florida Keys aren’t as common as many expect, but there are some great beaches if you know where to go. We also include two new free parks with excellent swimming holes and amenities.
The historic Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge couldn’t be in a prettier spot. It tells the story of a wild Florida of tall ships and pioneers. It’s one-of-a-kind, the last surviving refuge for shipwrecked sailors, and it recently reopened.
Florida A1A stretches the whole length of the state’s Atlantic coast. But the can’t-miss part is this 30 miles in Northeast Florida. Here are the best stops along that route, some you might miss without our tips.
One of South Florida’s most scenic beaches, Deerfield Beach is a diamond in the rough.
These new Florida Keys parks take refreshing swimming holes popular with locals and upgrade them with picnic tables, kayak launches, restrooms and parking. Both of these new parks are perfect stops along the scenic Overseas Highway.
With the best beach in the Florida Keys, Bahia Honda is everyone’s favorite. We also love the park for its historic bridge, great beachfront camping and cabins.
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.
There are few parks in Florida with as much to offer as Pinellas County’s Fort DeSoto Park. And no park in the state, not even Everglades National Park, attracts as many visitors.
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.
Naples is a wealthy enclave with lush, tropical neighborhoods and lots of natural beauty close and accessible. Here’s a guide to things to do outdoors in Naples and surrounding areas.
Crandon Park Beach is the Miami you see in magazine ads. A picture-perfect beach, a beautiful model in a bikini holding a bottle of body cream. Or somesuch.
An Old Florida beach town with lots of charm, without high-rise condos or pesky parking meters. Join us for dining, camping, kayaking and enjoying all the things to do in Flagler Beach.
Canaveral National Seashore is quiet and peaceful with bountiful wildlife, and you can always find your place in the sand.
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park near St. Augustine has two sides — historic gardens amid ancient live oak trees on one side and a beach with fantastically shaped coquina rocks on the other.
This laid-back beach town isn’t famous, but it charms visitors with its funky Florida history, gorgeous beaches and a cute downtown with interesting restaurants and shops.
Florida’s underwater parks preserve exceptional bodies of water, from shipwrecks to spring-fed caves. They are among the most unusual parks in the US.
With a toddler to entertain, we began the search for great safe beaches, the best playgrounds and a place to see flamingos up close near our Fort Lauderdale home. Our mission was accomplished, and we share our five best finds.
Fall is a great time to visit Henderson Beach State Park as families wrap up summer vacations, but you’ll have to book way, way ahead for camping.
Egmont Key is romantic, remote and historic. Located in the mouth of Tampa Bay, accessible only by boat, it is home to an intriguing fort, gopher tortoises, beautiful beaches and more.
This state park fits my definition of a hidden paradise: A scenic kayak trail on a wild island that ends at a spectacular hidden beach you’ll have all to yourself. This little-known state park is accessible only by boat.
Tigertail Beach is for adventurers who love unspoiled beaches where you can walk for miles. You reach this beach by wading across a shallow lagoon. It’s full of seashells, wildlife and it’s a birding hot-spot.