Florida beaches – everyone’s favorite thing, right? This month’s Saturday Morning Magazine features a guest blogger – David B McRee, AKA as the “Beach Hunter”. David knows his beaches and he’s written this story about five you never heard of. But put on your flip flops and get going. As David says, social media won’t keep these beaches off the radar for long.
Florida beaches – here are five you never hear of or perhaps been to
Florida beaches – Millions of beach-starved visitors come to Florida each year and make a beeline for the most heavily promoted beaches. If you prefer to avoid traveling with the herd, you’ll be happy to know there are still a few beaches and islands most people have never heard of, and chances are you haven’t either. In the age of social media this won’t last forever, so let me show you five beautiful beaches still off the beaten path, but fairly easily accessible to the public.
Cayo Costa Island State Park has seven miles of gleaming white beaches on La Costa Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The island sits at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, right across the inlet from Boca Grande. You can get to the island only by boat, but that’s no problem since you can take a ferry from several nearby islands. The beaches are uncrowded, strewn with shells, and as dark as deep space at night. The island appears much as it did in pre-historic times, with the added benefits of restrooms and drinking water. Go for a couple of hours, a full day, or camp for two weeks.
Access information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Cayo-Costa
Take the Tropic Star to Cayo Costa: http://tropicstaradventures.com/
Let Captiva Cruises take you to Cayo Costa: http://www.cayocostaferry.com/day-trips.html
Clam Pass County Park is located in Naples. It always amazes me how many people have never heard of Clam Pass. It is the smallest and perhaps most beautiful inlet on Florida’s Gulf coast. After you park your car, you’ll board a small tram that will carry you along a boardwalk through a thick mangrove forest. You’ll arrive beachside in a matter of minutes. A snack bar, restrooms and beach equipment rentals provide you with the essentials. Walk north on the beautiful white beach for 1,000 feet to scenic Clam Pass, or just enjoy the beach near the snack bar and boardwalk. The entrance is right next to the Naples Grande Beach Resort.
Access information: http://www.explorenaples.com/clam-pass-beach-park.phtml
Florida beaches – here is one for your “bucket list”
Dry Tortugas island beaches should be on the “bucket list” of any Florida beach lover. Named “dry” because they have no sources of fresh water other than collected rain water, these coral sand islands provide sanctuary for seabirds, sea turtles and a few lucky people in a remote Gulf of Mexico location seventy miles to the west of Key West. The main destination for humans is Garden Key, which is the home of Fort Jefferson, the focal point of Dry Tortugas National Park. Camp next to the beach under an island sky; put on your mask and snorkel to chase colorful reef fish around the Ft. Jefferson seawall; scan the sky and nearby islands for Bridled Terns, Sooty Terns, and Brown Noddies; explore the fort, relax in the calm, warm and crystal clear tropical sea, or just lay on the beach and do nothing. A fast ferry from Key West will transport you to the Dry Tortugas in a little over two hours.
Getting to the Dry Tortugas: https://www.drytortugas.com/
Juan Ponce de Leon Landing offers over a mile and a half of undeveloped Atlantic Ocean beaches roughly 4 miles south of Melbourne Beach’s Ocean Avenue. Located within the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, it’s far enough outside of town to keep crowds at bay, but it has restrooms and drinking water. This quiet beach is popular with egg-laying sea turtles, so you’ll find hundreds of turtle tracks and nests during nesting season. It’s perfect for some quiet time, surf fishing, surfing, a long walk, or serious beachcombing.
Access information: http://www.brevardcounty.us/ParksRecreation/South/PonceDeLeon/Home
Grayton Beach is an often overlooked real honest-to-goodness historic beach town overshadowed by the famous planned vacation communities of Seaside and Seagrove nearby on scenic Highway 30A. Grayton Beach has its own state park, pure white quartz beach sand, tall dunes, and water so clear it’s hard to stop taking pictures. It has no big resorts or tall condos, but here’s suggestion for a really cool place to stay: Hibiscus Coffee and GuestHouse on Defuniak Street. You’re welcome!
Access information: http://www.graytonbeach.com/
Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse: http://www.hibiscusflorida.com/
Love Florida beaches? Stay tuned. The Beach Hunter will reveal five more unknown beaches, coming up in the June issue of Saturday Morning Magazine.
Be sure to visit David’s Web site at: www.beachhunter.net and you’ll want to buy his book Beach Hunter’s Florida Gulf Coast Beaches Access Guide
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