Top 12 Best Beaches in Florida

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10/21/2024

most beautiful beaches in florida for tourist

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00:00Holy guacamole Florida, the sunshine state, the beach paradise state, surrounded by water.

00:13We spent the last two summers exploring Florida's coastline with our travel trailer in pursuit

00:17of the most beautiful beaches we could find from the Gulf Coast and Panhandle all the

00:22way down to the Florida Keys and back up the Atlantic Coast.

00:32Florida's got a lot of sandy and shelly coastline, over 650 miles worth, with a combination of

00:39boardwalks, fishing piers, numerous state parks, incredible bridges, insane views, loads

00:49of water sports and activities, and abundant wildlife.

00:53Now I'm starting to sound like one of those travel infomercials.

00:55In the last couple years we weren't able to go to every single beach in Florida, but we

01:00sure hit a lot of them.

01:03So here are our favorites that we've been to and we're basing our criteria on quality

01:08and fineness of sand, water clarity, water temperature, busyness, how populated was it,

01:15was it overly saturated with tourists, surrounding views, and included costs like parking fees,

01:24state park entry fees, etc.

01:26Alright, let's get into it and see why Florida gets over 120 million visitors each year.

01:32Starting with number 12 on the list, South Beach.

01:39South Beach is iconic as it's the most famous section of Miami Beach.

01:43Yes it's busy, touristy, and can get a bit rowdy sometimes, but the beach is also huge

01:52and goes on for miles.

01:54So if you like people watching and being close to the action, and having a good blend of

01:58the party scene and active beach time, this is a solid choice.

02:10Navarre Beach.

02:11If you're looking for those crystal clear swimming emerald waters, and a much quieter

02:15scene than it's neighbor Destin, then look no further than Navarre Beach.

02:19This compact beach community is stunning, the homes are beautiful, the sand is super

02:24fine, parking is easy, you get to go over this nice bridge to get there, and there are

02:29far less tourists.

02:39Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.

02:41Better known as just Fort Taylor.

02:43This is our first state park on the list, and a beautiful one that also includes a historic

02:47fort.

02:48It's a great place to snorkel, lounge, picnic, or rent beach chairs.

02:53We think it's the best beach in Key West.

02:55The entry fee starts at $7 for two people, but it's well worth it.

03:02Dude that just feels unreal.

03:04Everyone just brings their hammock here, there's one right there, one over there.

03:12Captiva Beach.

03:13Clean, main, and pristine.

03:16Captiva has much better sand than it's nearby neighbor, Sanibel Island Beach, which is more

03:20known for it's shells.

03:22They're both great, but parking can be a bit of a drag, so just get there early and be

03:26prepared to pay a pretty penny for a spot.

03:29The area feels resort-y and attracts a higher end crowd with it's tennis facilities, shops,

03:34and luxury feel.

03:36Definitely worth checking out.

03:50St. Augustine Beach.

03:51If you're looking for an awesome beach on the Atlantic side to drive your truck on,

03:55fish on, or just hang out on, St. Augustine is a great choice.

04:00It's located on Anastasia Island not far from the historic city of St. Augustine.

04:05And also check out it's nearby neighbor, Bolano Beach.

04:08It's in an even quieter coastal community and is only 20 minutes away.

04:13And there's plenty to do in the area.

04:19Cape Florida Key Biscayne Beach.

04:21If you want to avoid the craziness of Miami, then drive on over to the secluded Key Biscayne

04:26Beach.

04:27The beach is as relaxed as it gets with a beautiful lighthouse to go along with.

04:30Just like bath water.

04:32Always breezy there too.

04:48We in Destin!

04:51Crossing the bridge to Destin blew us away.

04:53I get why this place is so popular.

04:55It's a wealthy area and everything is a bit pricier, but free beach parking was surprisingly

04:59easy to come by.

05:00And the water truly is as emerald as they say in this beautiful part of the panhandle.

05:15Hell yeah!

05:16Look at this freaking view!

05:23Bowman's Beach.

05:24If you're an avid seasheller, then this might be the mecca for you.

05:28Sanibel Island is known for it's shells and this beach is great for an all day spot because

05:33it offers lots of amenities.

05:35It's a picturesque beach with calm waves, but the one downside is parking is pretty

05:39pricey at $5 an hour.

05:40Look at all the shells!

05:41Wow!

05:42So many!

06:03Hollywood Beach.

06:06Coming in at number 4, we've got Hollywood Beach with it's old Florida feel.

06:10The palm lined brick promenade of Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is a great place for a relaxing

06:15stroll.

06:16Or a good workout sesh.

06:20Or if you want to just chill, grab a drink on the strip and enjoy the view.

06:28Bahia Onda State Park Beach.

06:30Located on an island in the Florida Keys, this beach comes with one of the most spectacular

06:34views that we've ever seen.

06:36It costs $8 to enter and the sunsets there are worth staying for.

06:39The bridge definitely adds a unique dynamic to your typical coastal views and it easily

06:44cracks the top 3 in our opinion.

06:46It's considered one of the best beaches in the United States.

06:50Top rated.

06:51So check it out.

07:03Siesta Key Beach.

07:04Voted the number 1 beach in the US by TripAdvisor in 2020 and consistently top 3.

07:10Frankly I'm not surprised.

07:11This beach stays cool even in the hot sun since it's sand is 99% quartz.

07:17That being said, it also reflects more intensely to offer a more severe sunburn.

07:21So lather up.

07:22Olivia stepping up her volley game with those shades dude.

07:25What up bro?

07:28It goes on for miles and has the best permanent volleyball nets we've come across in Florida.

07:33Even the parking lot is huge and free but still fills up quick on summer days.

07:38I would say that it was beachy packed but it was still a beautiful place.

07:42It was busy today for sure.

07:55At number 1 we've got Henderson Beach State Park.

07:58In Florida there's a lot of talk of crystal clear water but for some reason the blue green

08:03sparkling water and powdery white sand just hits different here and makes that $8 entry

08:09fee quickly forgotten.

08:11It's quiet enough even on busy days as they limit the number of people into the park so

08:15best to get there early in peak season.

08:17And you can also camp here and bring your rig if you book enough days in advance.

08:25Made it to paradise.

08:26And some honorable mentions that we also enjoyed, Sombrero Beach and Marathon down in the Florida

08:31Keys.

08:32Nice relaxing beach, great place to fish and with free parking.

08:42Pensacola Beach right down the road from Navarre Beach.

08:45It's a resort community on the Gulf Coast barrier island of Santa Rosa.

08:49Solid white sand beach and it's part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

08:59And Fort Walton Beach.

09:00If you want a quieter vibe in the panhandle Fort Walton's got that tranquility and small

09:05town feel.

09:06It's got a nice pier, volleyball courts, and lots of beach.

09:13As you can see Florida's got some heavy hitters and there's still a lot we haven't seen but

09:17have saved in our pipeline for next year.

09:19So if there's any beach you recommend that we didn't mention please let us know.

09:24And we can't forget a big thanks to our Patreon peeps for keeping us on the road.

09:30We very much appreciate it.

09:31Love ya!

Top 12 Best Beaches in Florida

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