Fort De Soto Park spreads across five connected keys at the mouth of Tampa Bay, pairing nearly three miles of soft white-sand beach with a Spanish-American War coastal fort. Climb the old gun batteries, then cast off the Gulf Pier or paddle the canoe trail through mangroves. Ferries run from here to undeveloped Egmont Key and Shell Key, and the park has its own beach dog park.
Highlights
Almost three miles of white-sand Gulf beach across 1,100-plus acresHistoric 1898 fort with mounted coastal guns you can exploreTwo fishing piers, the Gulf Pier and Bay Pier, each with bait and snacksFerries to undeveloped Egmont Key and Shell Key for shelling and snorkelingBeach dog park, paddling trails and the accessible Barrier-Free Nature Trail
Getting there
3500 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Clearwater's wide ribbon of ultra-fine white quartz sand meets calm, bath-warm Gulf water, with a walkable strip of cafes right behind it. Every evening the free Sunsets at Pier 60 festival fills the sand with buskers and makers before the sky goes pink. It is the easy do-everything Pinellas beach day: park once and stay through sunset.
Siesta Key Beach near Sarasota runs on sand that is roughly 99 percent quartz, so fine and white it stays cool underfoot even on a hot afternoon and squeaks as you walk. Spread a towel on the wide flats, swim the calm turquoise Gulf shallows, then ride the free trolley into Siesta Key Village for dinner. Drumming circles draw crowds to the soft sand at sunset.
St. Pete Beach fronts the Gulf with a long ribbon of white sand and some of Florida's most reliable sunsets, all under the pink, 1928 silhouette of the Don CeSar hotel. Swim the warm shallows, walk the quieter sands down at Pass-a-Grille, or join a dolphin watching charter from Merry Pier. Stay through dusk, when the sky over the water turns to color.
Clearwater's wide ribbon of ultra-fine white quartz sand meets calm, bath-warm Gulf water, with a walkable strip of cafes right behind it. Every evening the free Sunsets at Pier 60 festival fills the sand with buskers and makers before the sky goes pink. It is the easy do-everything Pinellas beach day: park once and stay through sunset.
Siesta Key Beach near Sarasota runs on sand that is roughly 99 percent quartz, so fine and white it stays cool underfoot even on a hot afternoon and squeaks as you walk. Spread a towel on the wide flats, swim the calm turquoise Gulf shallows, then ride the free trolley into Siesta Key Village for dinner. Drumming circles draw crowds to the soft sand at sunset.
St. Pete Beach fronts the Gulf with a long ribbon of white sand and some of Florida's most reliable sunsets, all under the pink, 1928 silhouette of the Don CeSar hotel. Swim the warm shallows, walk the quieter sands down at Pass-a-Grille, or join a dolphin watching charter from Merry Pier. Stay through dusk, when the sky over the water turns to color.
A roadless barrier island off Dunedin, reachable only by the ferry from Honeymoon Island or your own boat, which is exactly why its three miles of powder-white sand stay so quiet. Spread out on the wide Gulf beach, paddle the mangrove kayak trail, and work the shell-strewn flats most day-trippers skip. Just watch the last ferry back, or you are there for the night.
One of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, Myakka spreads 37,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, and hammocks along the slow Myakka River east of Sarasota. Climb the canopy walkway, the first public treetop trail in North America, suspended 25 feet up with a tower above the oaks, then board one of the giant airboats for an alligator-lined cruise on Upper Myakka Lake. Winter brings cooler air and crowds of wading birds.
Thrillist crowned this Seminole Heights brewhouse the best in Florida, and the barrel-aged imperial stouts are why people sleep in the parking lot for a release. The taproom runs 24 taps under a sprawling mural of tumbling chairs, with green picnic tables out front and label art from the same hands that paint the cans. Come for a pastry stout aged in bourbon, cognac, or whiskey barrels, stay for the theme nights.
