Synonymous with beaches, Florida has the longest sandy coastline in the contiguous United States at 825 miles (1,328km), and you're never more than 60 miles (97km) from the soft stuff. From unspoilt white sands full of wildlife to sun-soaked shores hosting exciting concerts, festivals and more, these are the most beautiful beaches in the Sunshine State.
St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied colonial city in the US, so it’s no surprise that it also has the oldest beach in the country. South of the ancient city, St Augustine Beach is a short drive from Castillo de San Marcos and bumps up against Anastasia State Park, where coastal birds make their roosts. This serene stretch of shoreline is watched over by the St Augustine Lighthouse across the Salt Run lagoon.
Though this 20-mile (32km) patch of protected shoreline does have a beautiful beachfront, it’s what’s beneath the sands that’s the headline act. The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect one of the most significant loggerhead sea turtle nesting sites on the continent. Summertime is nesting season, while early autumn offers the opportunity to watch adorable hatchlings make their way to the ocean waves.
You can't really have a discussion about Florida’s most beautiful beaches without mentioning Clearwater Beach. This sparkling shoreline on the Gulf Coast is regularly ranked one of the best beaches in the state, the country and even the world. Pier 60 is abuzz with activity, especially at sunset, though one of the best times to visit is in April to see the elaborate sand structures built during the annual Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival.
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Even if your pockets are empty, you can’t help but smile while lounging on Municipal Beach. Located on the glamorous island of Palm Beach, your seashell search will have you cross paths with some of the most extravagant mansions, estates and luxury hotels in the state. Ritzy Worth Avenue is opposite the shoreline, and visitors can shop at glitzy boutiques and sip on craft coffees while gazing at the same waves millionaires do every morning.
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Alongside the popular Peanut Island nearby, Phil Foster Park is another renowned waterside playground on the Intracoastal Waterway. This nearly-15-acre beach park sits beneath the Jerry Thomas Memorial Bridge, offering shade that eludes other beaches in the area. Views of Singer Island and Riviera Beach are charming, but the best views are under the water’s surface. No boat is needed to wade out into the snorkelling trail full of starfish and stingrays.
If you want a stretch of sand all to yourself, few in Florida are as isolated as Clubhouse Beach. A campground located in the Everglades National Park, it’s got an edge-of-the-world vibe that’ll let you leave your worries behind you on the seven-mile (11km) Coastal Prairie Trail. The bugs here bite, but that’s nothing a beach campfire can’t solve. With a starlit sky like few others in Florida, Clubhouse Beach is an undisturbed paradise.
Don’t be surprised if you see Sally selling seashells by the seashore on Sanibel Island. This 15-mile (24km) beachline is a seashell lover’s dream, particularly the patch known as Turner Beach. Many visitors bypass this beach or never reach it at all, leaving this gorgeous stretch of seaside ripe for shell spotting. With the Gulf providing such a scenic backdrop, you’ll have your fill of views here too.
Few would envision spending hours at a beach beneath a bridge, but Skyway Beach is no ordinary sandbar. Under the famed Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Skyway Beach is a dazzling spot to watch kiteboarders, cruise ships and seabirds make their way between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It’s less of a spot for sunbathing with the family and more of a launch pad for on-water activities, but it's picturesque all the same.
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Wave riders would be forgiven for thinking a certain other beach a few miles south is the best spot for surfing. But ask a local and they’ll tell you that the consistent crests off New Smyrna Beach, in the city of the same name, are home to the best surf in the state. Beautiful blue skies overhead, saltwater swells underboard: New Smyrna Beach is a great spot to get postcard-perfect shots of surfers carving up the Atlantic waves.
You can spot ships from most Florida beaches, but only the Space Coast has spaceship sightings. Cocoa Beach, which is also the name of the city it sits in, is one of the best places in the state to watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral. Even in the darkest hours, watching the sky above the surf light up in a fiery blast is enough to convince anyone that Cocoa Beach is a gorgeous sandy setting no matter the day or time.
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Known as the shark tooth capital of the world, Venice’s beaches are prime spots to take home some fossilised shark teeth. Caspersen Beach is one of the best spots for year-round hunting against a serene Gulf backdrop. With a playground, coastal hammock trail and fishing pier, the whole family can spend hours here having fun in the sun.
Fort Lauderdale is a city that welcomes the LGBT community, which is why areas of the shoreline like Sebastian Street Beach are popular for locals and visitors from all walks of life. This gay beach is a low-key, laid-back swathe of sand located between Las Olas Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard, offering instant access to dining and shopping without losing the stunning view of the ocean.
There are unspoilt beaches, and then there’s Caladesi Island State Park. It’s one of the few remaining untouched islands along Florida’s Gulf Coast and is only accessible via boat. No cars are allowed on the island, but you do have the freedom to explore every piece of the pristine beach. Hike the nature trail walk or kayak through the bayside mangrove forests when you’re not soaking up the sun.
Unlike the rest of the state, the Florida Keys do not boast miles-long stretches of sand, which makes Higgs Beach even more of a standout. It may not be as large as nearby Smathers, but it makes up for it with unique on-shore sites. Lush tropical plants, shallow turquoise waters and a Civil War-era fort surround a long pier and an African refugee burial site.
While visitors flock to Destin’s dreamy beach, locals in the panhandle keep Miramar Beach to themselves. There are fewer footprints on these soft white sands in the coastal town of the same name, despite there being homes, resorts and restaurants nearby. There's water as clear as the sky, and shoreline as fresh as the Gulf breeze. Don’t be surprised if you see a stingray or dolphin enjoying the equally immaculate sunsets with you.
Featuring the finest, whitest quartz sand you’ll find in Florida, Crescent Beach is arguably the best of Siesta Key’s three beaches. While not as popular as Siesta Beach, at least in terms of crowds, Crescent Beach makes up for its lack of amenities with Point of Rocks, a half-mile-long rock formation where pirates’ buried treasure is rumoured to rest. We can't promise chests of gold, but snorkel beneath the surface to see marine wildlife that's equally exciting.
Jutting out into Crystal River, Fort Island Beach lies at the end of the road that stretches from the city of Crystal River through the marshland. Though dozens of locals visit for the nightly sunsets, their numbers pale in comparison with other small spectators that enjoy the evening ritual. Thousands of tiny crabs leave their sandy little homes and head into the water while you’re standing in awe.
Loggerhead Key is the most remote part of Dry Tortugas National Park and features a lighthouse, loggerhead turtles and a lone, leisurely trail around the island. The term unspoilt might as well have been coined here, while the shallow, calm waters make it ideal for swimming. Wander along the beach to admire an endless horizon or swim a few yards into the tranquil waters to see the Little Africa coral reef formation.
Take a closer look beneath the waters of this cosy, wooded shoreline and you might see a friendly sea cow smiling at you. Crystal River’s natural springs are an epicentre for manatees. These protected animals frequent the waters around Hunter Springs Park in the winter time, so make sure you have your cameras at the ready.
While it may be within a half-hour drive of the modern city of Jacksonville, Big Talbot Island State Park’s beaches retain beauty from 20,000 years ago. This area, formed during the last ice age, has two unique beaches. Black Rock Beach features organic soil formations rarely found elsewhere on the planet. Nearby Boneyard Beach has a mile (1.6km) full of massive driftwood trees, bleached white by the sun and resembling skeletons.
Bringing classic midway vibes from the northeast down south, the Daytona Beach Boardwalk and Pier is the epitome of a heartwarming Florida family holiday. This free pedestrian throughway, in its namesake city, runs parallel to the shoreline, allowing both adults and kids to soak up the ocean views from atop a Ferris wheel. Snack shacks, gift shops and games galore fill a schedule with fun without ever losing sight of the hard-packed white sand.
With the popular Orange Beach as its interstate neighbour, Perdido Key Beach offers twice the fun on the Florida-Alabama border. This narrow strip of sand boasts the pure-white dunes and calm waters most beachgoers crave. Just watch out for the flying fish: every year, the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss draws an international crowd to see who can toss a dead mullet fish farthest across the stateline.
Much has been said about the beauty of the panhandle’s Gulf beaches. While seeing the sparkling white shoreline from a boat is unforgettable no matter where you sail, you’ll be joined by a few other friendly locals when you do so in Panama City Beach. Pods of bottlenose dolphins call these waters home and this is one of the best places to get as close as possible to them.
If you like long walks on the sand then Amelia Beach will spoil you. Its 13 miles (21km) of beach offers plenty of room to enjoy the pristine waters not far from the Georgia stateline. Sunrise is certainly the best time to take in uninterrupted views, but should you want to share the sunshine, you won’t have to stroll the sand alone. Horseback riding tours of the beach are a popular activity.
The icon itself: South Beach is one of the most glamorous destinations on south Florida's coveted coastline, and indeed the country. Causeways cut most of South Beach off from mainland Miami and the Art Deco architecture casts a colourful backdrop to the aquamarine waters. It’s a place that feels all its own: a playground for celebrities and ordinary people alike where beach volleyball and rollerblading reign.
The Gulf Islands National Seashore offers emerald waters and white beaches, but if you’re searching the skies for Blue Angels, there’s no better part of this protected area to spot them than Rosamond Johnson Beach. Named after a local soldier who died heroically in the Korean War, Rosamond Johnson Beach is a popular spot to watch the US Navy Blue Angels perform air shows against a spectacular beachfront setting.
St George Island probably doesn’t ring a bell as one of Florida's best-looking beaches, but it should. St George Island State Park is just one of the crowd-free beaches on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. The barrier island boasts 28 miles (45km) of shoreline, nine (14km) of them dedicated to this beach. It’s the second-largest beachfront state park in Florida.
Want to spend your holiday watching a stunning sunset over the Gulf with a drink in one hand and a fishing pole in the other? Then Naples Beach is the destination you desire. No fishing licence is required for visitors or locals to fish off the shoreline, allowing you to take your tackle box across 10 miles (16km) of sand until the red snapper, gag grouper and snook start biting.
Vero Beach has a handful of pretty places in the sand, but Sebastian Inlet State Park is extra special. Not only do you have miles of oceanfront to soak up, but an about-face is all that’s needed to spot the calm waters of the Indian River. Swim or sunbathe on either – or both – sides of this state park that’s also a local favourite for fishing, boating and camping.
If beauty is only skin deep, then Haulover Beach might be the most beautiful beach in the Sunshine State. Ranked as one of the top 10 nude beaches in the world, it has a clothing-optional section that bares all but is surprisingly family-friendly. On-duty lifeguards and a fabulous location make it a popular choice for two-piece, singlet and birthday suit wearing sunseekers of all ages.