Florida Beach Vacation Guide- Best Beaches in Florida

Florida Beach: Whether you want a family-friendly beach, a dog-friendly beach, a great surf spot, or a quiet place to relax and swim, here’s a guide to some of Florida’s favorite beaches.

With so many beautiful beaches in Florida, choosing one can be tough (unless you’re lucky enough to visit them all). So, we’ve made a list of some favorite Florida beaches based on your interests.

• Family Beaches: Great spots for both adults and kids.
• Dog-Friendly Beaches: Places where your dogs can enjoy the sun and surf with you.
• Surfing Beaches: The best surf spots for pros and beginners alike.
• Secluded Beaches: Peaceful and romantic places away from the crowds.
• Sporty Beaches: Perfect for activities like jet skiing, fishing, boating, and scuba diving.

Best Florida Beach For Family

Hollywood Beach- Best Florida Beach

Families love this destination for its safe, clean shores. Hollywood Beach is a Blue Wave Clean Beach, recognized by the Clean Beaches Council. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, a car-free brick path lined with shops, restaurants, and hotels, runs along the palm-lined Atlantic beach and is perfect for biking, jogging, rollerblading, pushing strollers, or riding tricycles.

For swimming and sunbathing, visit Hollywood North Beach Park, which offers concessions, a picnic area, fishing, volleyball, and an observation tower. For a break from the ocean, check out Charnow Park, a beachfront park on the Broadwalk with shaded seating, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, and an interactive fountain. You can also take the kids to Castaway Island at Topeekeegee Yugnee Park, a water park with slides, concessions, and a separate pool for toddlers.

Panama City Beach– Best Florida Beach

Panama City Beach in Florida has some of the most beautiful beaches (Florida Beach) with emerald-green waters and sugar-white sand. Located on the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay, it’s known for being affordable for families and offers many water activities like jet skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and shipwreck exploring, even pirate ship cruises! Spend a day at St.

Andrews State Park, which has a stunning white-sand beach and a pristine barrier island called Shell Island, accessible by water shuttle. The park offers family-friendly activities like boating, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and camping. Nearby attractions include Coconut Creek Family Fun Park and Gulf World Marine Park.

Siesta Public Beach– Best Florida Beach

This beach is on Siesta Key, an island in the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota. It’s known for its clear, warm, calm water and fine, white, powdery sand that stays cool in the sun. The water is shallow near the shore, and lifeguards are on duty year-round. Stay all day and enjoy one of Florida’s most beautiful sunsets.

The beach has many family-friendly amenities like food and drink, restrooms, showers, umbrellas and beach chairs for rent, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, a ball field, a playground, picnic tables, and grills. Siesta Village, a charming area with restaurants and shops, is a short walk from the beach. Note: The beach hosts the famous “Drum Circle” at sunset every Sunday, where kids will love dancing, listening to music, and watching the belly dancers.

Pet-Friendly Florida Beaches

Brohard Paw Park and Dog Beach

Brohard Paw Park in Venice is a great spot for dogs, located on a beautiful beach. It’s one of four Sarasota County parks where dogs can play off-leash. A wooden boardwalk leads to the only beach in the county where dogs can swim, run, and roam in the sand without a leash. The beach is clean with clear, calm water, and there are plenty of shells and fossilized shark teeth for everyone to enjoy. The adjacent paw park is grassy and fenced, with shaded picnic tables, benches, dog drinking fountains, a separate area for small dogs, plastic bags for picking up after your pet, and plenty of trash cans.

Key West Dog Beach– Best Florida Beach

This small beach is a favorite for Key West dogs. Located at the corner of Waddell and Vernon avenues, next to Louie’s Backyard restaurant and bar, this tiny stretch of coast lets dogs chase balls and play in the sand off-leash. Key West is a pet-friendly place. Check out Higgs Beach Dog Park, which isn’t on the beach but has lots of shade, a small-dog area, and water fountains. Walk around the island city and you’ll see dogs with their owners at outdoor bars and restaurants (and even inside some) and water bowls outside storefronts.

Bayview Dog Park and Beach- Best Florida Beaches

Pensacola is another dog-friendly destination in Florida. The Bayview Dog Park and Beach is a one-acre site where dogs can play in the park and swim in the water (Bayou Texar) off-leash. The park is fenced and has water fountains for both dogs and humans, a separate small-dog area, pooper scooper stations, plenty of shade, trash cans, benches, picnic tables, and a dog-washing station.

It’s clean, well-maintained, and popular with dogs and their owners, especially on Saturdays. The Scott Complex Dog Park in Pensacola is also one acre and has the same amenities as Bayview. Additionally, the city has the Navy Point Walking Trail, a 2.5-mile paved trail on Bayou Grande that welcomes dogs.

Catch-a-Wave Beaches in Florida 

The Space Coast- Best Florida Beaches

The Space Coast, running from Titusville to Sebastian Inlet on Florida’s East Coast, has many great surf spots. At the southern end, Sebastian Inlet State Park is popular for its consistent surfing break. Surfers catch waves at “First Peak” next to the north jetty and “Monster Hole” on the south side of the inlet. Cocoa Beach, especially its pier, is another favorite surf spot and hosts several surfing competitions.

Cocoa Beach is also home to the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, open 24 hours a day, and world champion surfer Kelly Slater. Other top surfing beaches on the coast include Satellite Beach, Melbourne Beach, the Indialantic Boardwalk, and Playalinda Beach, which is part of Canaveral National Seashore.

Daytona Beach Area– Best Florida Beach

The beaches in and around Daytona Beach have sandy shores with a gentle slope, making them ideal for learning to surf. There are plenty of qualified surfing instructors and surf camps available, such as Daytona Beach Surfing School, Mimi Munro Surf Camps, and Surfari Surf Lessons and Camp, all located in Ormond Beach. Another attraction for surfers is that many beaches in the area allow driving, which makes it convenient to find the best waves.

It’s hard to pick just a few top surf spots in this region, but Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach, is renowned as one of Florida’s best surfing spots. New Smyrna Beach, a relaxed town further south from Ponce Inlet, offers world-class waves and hosts surfing competitions.

Jacksonville Beach- Florida Beaches

Northeastern Florida offers spectacular surfing along the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. Jacksonville Beach (Florida Beach) is lively and popular among surfers, especially near the Fishing Pier. Another great spot is “The Poles” (Mayport Poles), named after old pilings, near the Mayport Jetties, which are restricted due to a nearby naval base.

Huguenot Memorial Park, north of Jacksonville, is favored by regular surfers and kite surfers and is the only beach in the area where driving is allowed. Jacksonville hosts surf camps and competitions like the annual Super Surf Camp and Wavemasters Surf Contest. Northward, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are relaxed towns with long stretches of white sand beaches perfect for surfing.

Secluded Beaches in Florida

Caladesi Island State Park- Best Beaches in Florida

This barrier island near Dunedin has beaches known for their beauty and seclusion. Accessible only by private boat or special ferry, Caladesi Island State Park gained fame in 2008 when it was named “America’s No. 1 Beach” by Dr. Stephen Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach). Despite increased visitors since then, it remains a top choice for a romantic and memorable beach experience.

The park is natural and quiet, with pristine white shores that stretch endlessly. Besides swimming and sunbathing, visitors can hike nature trails through the island’s interior or paddle kayak and canoe trails among mangroves. Amenities include picnic areas, a marina, and a snack bar.

Lovers Key State Park- Top Beaches in Florida

The beach at Lovers Key State Park is perfect for romantic getaways and is quite secluded. It’s one of four islands that make up the park, near Fort Myers Beach. The 2.5-mile beach is pristine with white sand and calm waters. You can take a tram to the south beach, which has a gazebo, restrooms, and picnic area. Another option is a scenic walk across two bridges to the less developed middle beach. Access to the north beach is through a gate at Big Carlos Pass.

The park offers abundant wildlife viewing opportunities, from shorebirds to manatees, dolphins, and gopher tortoises. While the beaches are popular for shelling, swimming, and relaxing, the park also features over 5 miles of hiking and biking trails, a boat ramp, concessions, and rentals for bicycles, canoes, and kayaks. Private vendors offer boat tours and fishing trips as well.

South Walton- Must See Beaches in Florida

This destination covers 15 beach communities along Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast. About 40 percent of the area is owned by Florida and protected from development. Frommer’s recognized it as one of the top 12 destinations. The beaches here are stunning, with tall dunes, sugar-white sands, and clear emerald water. For a secluded experience, explore some of the area’s state parks.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach is considered one of Florida’s most pristine coastal areas. Its beach is quiet and sheltered, with white sands and dunes reaching heights of 25 feet. The park also features three coastal dune lakes where you can fish, bike, hike, camp, and bird-watch. Nearby is Grayton Beach State Park, consistently ranked among America’s most beautiful and untouched beaches.

Sporty Beaches–Best Florida Beach

Fort Lauderdale

For sports enthusiasts, Fort Lauderdale is the perfect beach destination. This stretch of the Atlantic Coast offers everything you need for a fun-filled day on the sand and in the water. The beach spans seven miles with warm water, soft sand, and waves ideal for activities like boating, windsurfing, jet skiing, kiteboarding, beach volleyball, and swimming.

After drying off, you can walk, jog, bike, or skate along State Road A1A and enjoy the city’s wave wall and beachfront promenade. Nearby, you’ll find shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes. For snorkeling and scuba diving, head to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, a charming village just north of Fort Lauderdale. There’s a reef only 100 yards offshore, making it easy to access fabulous underwater adventures right from the beach. Anglers will appreciate the fishing pier here too.

Fort Myers Beach– Best Florida Beach

Fort Myers Beach on the Gulf Coast offers something for everyone, whether you’re looking to relax in the sun or enjoy various activities. Along the shore, you can find rentals and services for jet skiing, parasailing, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, boating, and surf-biking. There are also charter fishing boats available for deep-sea fishing, and you can fish from the pier too.

Jet ski and boat charters offer dolphin-sighting tours. Skim boarding is popular, and certain parts of the beach have hard-packed sand suitable for biking. Families love the wide, gently sloping shoreline and miles of white sand. The busiest area is near the pier at the north end, where you’ll find Times Square with shopping, dining, and entertainment. The southern end of the beach is quieter.

Miami– Best Florida Beach

The Miami area has a vast coastline, covering the southeastern-most corner of Florida, with several beaches known for sports activities. Virginia Key Beach offers windsurfing and rentals for ultra-light seaplanes. Hobie Beach, also known as Windsurfer Beach on Key Biscayne, is popular for windsurfing, sailboarding, and sailing. It provides amenities like concessions, restrooms, showers, fishing, and allows dogs.

Crandon Park Beach, located on the northern part of Key Biscayne, is a favorite for swimming, featuring an offshore sandbar. It includes a marina, picnic areas, barbecue pits, concessions, and volleyball courts, with the Crandon Amusement Center nearby. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, situated at the tip of Key Biscayne, offers rentals for bicycles, beach chairs, umbrellas, hydro-bikes, and kayaks. The park features biking and hiking trails, canoeing, kayaking, concessions, showers, restrooms, a playground, picnicking areas, and fishing opportunities.

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