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Speaking of Florida

The Gulf Coast of Florida is home to the finest white sand beaches, arts, theatre, shopping, family fun, water sports, adventure, eco tours, fishing, boating, and golfing. Great museums, attractions, festivals and events are everywhere along the Gulf making it one reason so many people vacation in Florida year after year.

Destin
Sarasota
Siesta Key
Lido Key
Bradenton Beach
Anna Maria Island
Bradenton
St. Armands
Venice
Ft. Myers
Ft. Myers Beach
Sanibel Island
Captiva Island
Naples
Marco Island

We have vacation rentals in all these areas and they provide so many great activities each have article after article written about them. Please search our main page using the search box and you will find more information about each area posted regularly.
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Best Beach for Shelling: Sanibel Island (800-237-6444, www.FortMyers-Sanibel.com)
With more than 400 varieties of shells, Sanibel Island is so popular with shell seekers that it holds an annual three-day Sanibel Shell Fair and Show in the spring and has a name for the shell seeker’s posture: “The Sanibel Stoop.” Sanibel is equally respected for its beauty and the community’s commitment to preserving it.

Best Beach to Find Sharks Teeth: Venice Beach (800-522-9799, www.sarasotafl.org)
Venice Beach is the spot for finding fossilized shark’s teeth from thousands of years ago. The beach concessionaire even rents out metal mesh scoops to aid in the process. Small teeth, the size of a Chihuahua’s, are easy to find while walking along the shoreline and larger teeth by snorkeling along a ridge just offshore.

Best Beach to Watch a Sunset: Naples Municipal Beach & Fishing Pier (800-688-3600, www.paradisecoast.com)
Naples Municipal Beach & Fishing Pier (built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock) shines as an all-time sunset favorite. When the sun begins to set low on the western horizon, beachgoers, fisherman, locals and tourists fill the narrow pier in anticipation of the daily show as the sun melts into the Gulf.

Best Beach for Kids: Siesta Public Beach (800-522-9799, www.sarasotafl.org)
When it comes to family beach spots, nothing tops Siesta Public Beach in Sarasota – gradual slopes, shallow waters, lifeguards, a playground, gentle waves, fine white sand and translucent waters. It continually makes several of America’s Top 10 lists of best beaches based on sand, water quality and facilities.
Best Party Beach – Lynn Hall Memorial Park, Ft. Myers Beach
No question about it. If you want to party, mix, and mingle with other party animals, and generally hang out in a Key West type atmosphere of beach bars, dive restaurants, tacky souvenir shops, tourist-oriented boutiques, and an assortment of hotels, motels, and “less modern” beach houses, Fort Myers Beach is your kind of place. Traffic is congested, so walking may be your best bet. There is also a trolley that will take you around the island.

A walk out on the Ft. Myers Fishing Pier will give you a great view of the beach. Ft. Myers beaches tend to have a lot of coconut palms, which lends a very graceful and tropical air to a beach that used to be referred to as the “Redneck Riviera.” This is not truly a Gulf Beach, but is a beach on San Carlos Bay. This is a huge open bay, but is shallow enough that it prevents surf from pounding the beaches. Also, the water isn’t usually very clear here because of the tannin stained waters of the Caloosahatchee River that empty into the bay. Sanibel Island is visible on the horizon to the north.

Best Snorkeling Beach – Crescent Beach, Siesta Key
Not many people know about this little secret. I probably shouldn’t tell you. The best shallow-water snorkeling on the Gulf Coast is right here on Siesta Key at a place called Point-Of-Rocks.

While 99 percent of the beaches in Florida are pure sand and shell, this spot has an outcropping of flat limestone rock that covers several acres of shallow water. Fish congregate here to feed, which makes for some very interesting snorkeling. The water here is usually exceptionally clear and calm, and crowds are light.

Most Romantic Beach – Blind Pass Beach, Sanibel
Although any beach on Sanibel or Captiva could fall into the “most romantic” category, Blind Pass beach, at the now filled-in pass that once separated Sanibel from Captiva gets my vote for several reasons. First, it is all the way at the north end of the island, which is a long way from anywhere and gives a feeling of truly being away-from-it-all.

Second, parking is very limited at this beach, so crowds are kept to a minimum. There are no other public accesses nearby, and not much on the beach as far as buildings are concerned, so it’s a pretty quiet beach–great for long walks.

Third, there are a number of small cottages on the beach here with that Old-Florida charm–perfect for a romantic getaway or a quiet honeymoon.

Fourth, there are several charming restaurants in this tiny little beach resort community that are just perfect for couples wanting time to themselves.

Fifth, you are just a short drive from Captiva. You have to spend at least one day walking around Captiva and enjoying the most unique island experience in Florida. If you really want a quiet get-away without having to “rough it,” come during September, after Labor Day Weekend. You’ll feel like you have the place all to yourself.

Best Family Beach – Manatee County Public Beach
Truthfully, there are many great family beaches on the Florida Gulf Coast. I choose Manatee County Public Beach as the best because it is on the most family friendly island AND is a great family beach. I should know, I grew up on this beach. This beach and the island it’s on are still family oriented. The beach is located west of the City of Bradenton, at the western end of Manatee Avenue (Highway 64). The sand is beautiful and white, the water is calm, clean, and shallow enough to be kid-friendly. The beach is protected by lifeguards and there are restroom facilities, outdoor showers, a gift shop, a pier to walk on or to fish from, a picnic area, and of course there is the Cafe On The Beach when you get hungry.

Anna Maria is a residential community that caters to a wide range of visitors from all over the world. It is a quiet island without high-rises, big hotels, or nightlife. The focus is on relaxing and enjoying the beach and the community.

There are plenty of restaurants, from seafood to Italian and Indian cuisine and everything in-between. From Manatee Public Beach you can walk all the way to the north tip of the island if you care to (many do) in about 2 hours. If you need some adventure, go parasailing, take a charter fishing trip or a tour boat to Egmont Key. People who vacation on Anna Maria Island keep coming back year after year.

Best Beach Overall – Siesta Key Public Beach
I can’t help but keep coming back to this beach. It’s only 15 minutes from downtown Sarasota, parking is free, it has a snack bar and restroom facilities and is a short distance from Siesta Village where there are plenty of great island restaurants for lunch or dinner (bathing suits are considered proper attire in many restaurants as long as you have a shirt and at least a pair of flip-flops on your feet). The sand is the softest, whitest sugar sand you will find anywhere and the beach is very wide.

This beach is protected by lifeguards and attracts fairly heavy crowds on weekends and holidays. The beach is very flat and is a popular beach for walking. You can even ride a bike and push baby strollers on the hard-packed sand near the water.

The water is shallow and slopes gently into deeper water. Normally the water is cleaner and clearer here than anywhere else in the area. For walking, swimming and just lounging around, Siesta Key Public Beach is the number one pick.