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!