In fact, most of Floridas more than 1,300 miles of coastline are well in the clear when it comes to red ride. Underrated Places to Visit in Florida If You Want to Avoid Crowds This one sounds like a winner all around. Just do keep an eye on the FWCs daily sample map for changing conditions, keep calm, and beach on. For something a little more sophisticated, hit. St. Pete Beach. Must-visit beaches include South Inlet Park (a fishing hot spot that's rarely crowded)and the nearly 40-acre Red Reef Park, which offers superb swimming, snorkeling and surf fishing conditions. "Investigators say Mallett began struggling while attempting to swim to a second sandbar about 150 feet offshore of the beach near Gulf Shores Drive in Destin around 2:15 p.m.," the post continued . Since there aren't many public beaches in Islamorada, beachgoers should consider an oceanfront resort with beach access for a guaranteed a spot on the sand. The Canaveral National Seashore is a 40-mile stretch of undeveloped Atlantic Coast beach that runs from the Kennedy Space Center north to New Smyrna Beach. You can also get your Intracoastal dining on at Guanabanas, a shady, tropical restaurant that feels a little like eating on Disneys Jungle Cruise. Follow him on Instagram, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Florida is crawling with spring breakers from March until May. The sand isnt the prettiest, but theres lots of it. Note: Many of the most popular beaches on Florida's Gulf Coast are suffering from severe red tide outbreaks. Veros also home to one of the coolest breweries in the state at American Icon, a brick beer palace set in an old power plant. The Stingray Shuffle: How to Avoid Being Stung by Florida Stingray It's always Florida, isn't it? Because the 1,080-foot pier is adorned with various lights, anglers often come here at night to fish. Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Siesta Beach features 8 miles of white quartz sand and crystal-clear water, plus dining, shopping and nighttime entertainment. Come with U.S. News on a tour of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston. The Sandbar and Kitchen lets you enjoy your meal right on the sand, and Espaa is the beachs best place for tapas. But while the arrival of sargassum on beaches isn't unusual at this time of year, the enormous seaweed mats cleaving off the belt and washing ashore on the beaches of Florida and Mexico recently . The Hutchinson Shores Resort has a pretty nice restaurant at Drift Kitchen and Bar if you dont want to go far. Floridas entire east coast is also in the clear, so take your pick of great beach towns now, everywhere from Vero Beach and Fort Lauderdale north to the Space Coast and the Jacksonville Beaches. There are no restrooms or structures of any kind. While the crowds are small, so is the public parking. It boasts 13 miles of beaches, roads framed by oaks dripping with Spanish moss, and the best collection of Gilded Age mansions in the state. Sunset Beach is located on the south end of Treasure Island, a beach community at St. Petersburg. This beach is so remote that you'll have to travel on a ferry and boat to get here! 1. Stretches of sand worth exploring include the beaches of Okaloosa Island, which feature a fishing pier, a boardwalk and stunning sunsets. , a beachside OJ shop with an attached taqueria. Terry Ward lives in Tampa and has been covering Florida adventure, family, outdoors and luxury travel for various major publications since 2000. With plenty of exciting activities to occupy your time Destin boasts multiple adventure parks this Florida mainstay has everything you need for a memorable beach vacation. Red tides wreak havoc on Floridas beachesas is the case right now on the states Gulf Coast around the Tampa, St. Pete and Sarasota, where people are protesting the still-unfolding disaster thats leaving beaches and canals laden with dead and dying marine life. And since natureand historyin Florida so often give way to condosand more condos,this underdeveloped island is a rare chance to see what the Florida of old was like. Address: 948 Beach Rd, Sarasota, FL 34242. Higher levels of concentration may be present on beaches where there is no cleanup, such as state . Want to avoid red tidewhich beach is best? - Tripadvisor That beach shouldnt have people allowed to go near it between the sharks and surfing deaths. The top three are again mostly Florida beaches. Nature/Adventure Destinations In Florida/Avoiding Spring Breakers The 20 Best Beaches in Florida - Travel + Leisure Park officials are targeting 2023 for reopening the entire park. The problem here is parking. Best Time: October is the best time to travel slowly through Florida. Know your airline's carry-on luggage size restrictions before you fly. It is one of the best state park beaches for families, with its shallow water and mild currents. Malaria is circulating again in the US. For those who want to feel like they had to work for those treasures, these are the spots to make your fossil hunting more challenging. Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. It can be reached via a stunning hiking trail that will leave you sweaty, sun-kissed, and achy enough to tempt you to dive into the water. So, if you want to survive your vacation, pick any state other than Florida. Any powder hound worth their salt knows the legend of Japow: A place that accumulates so much snow each year that people have to dig down to find their roads, and where snowboarders routinely don a snorkel to deal with the face shots. See on Instagram. Holiday weekends draw a crowd, and sometimes the parking lots fill up. There are only two parking lots that fill up fast on the weekends. But if youre ready to do away with old stereotypes and experience the more refined side of the South, try Amelia Island on for size. Travelers will find popular stretches of sand like June White Decker Park and Crystal Beach by the town's resorts and vacation rentals, but for a more laid-back atmosphere, sunbathe on Henderson Beach State Park's Appalachian quartz sands. If you would like to avoid a crowd, then skip the weekends and charter a boat for midweek. It's a serene retreat, renowned for fishing and its pier, 1,545 feet long and 30 feet tall. Depending on your skill level, your guide might also let you gallop into the water, and the whole ride runs through Frederick Douglass Memorial Park. Best 10 Florida Beaches to Avoid CrowdTravel And Tour World Rated 4 stars out of 5. Though the names arent all that original, dinner at either. - 6p.m. Come with U.S. News on a tour of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston. is a great spot for frozen drinks and a lively crowd. Why You Need To Go: The water clarity is reported as moderate here, and while the beach is clear of debris, keep an eye out for some jellies in the water. I have been here a number of times and have never seen more than a handful of people on the beach. Of course there are many other things to do away from the coast in St. Pete, Tampa and Sarasota to keep you busy, if you still want to visit the area. Its score is 8.14. This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content. At one point, it was named the best beach in the country by the famed Dr. Beach. , a local favorite set in an old grocery store. Vero is one of the beaches in Florida where Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles like to lay their eggs. Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list. And if theres anything that can really throw a wrench in a Florida beach dayand, far worse still, do incredible harm to our abundant wildlife and gorgeous coastlineits a red tide bloom, which is in fact more akin to a plague and happens when harmful concentrations of a specific type of algae occur at levels that are higher than normal. Late fall is one of the best times to visit Universal Studios, above, or Disney World in Orlando because of comfortable temperatures. And dont forget about Floridas spectacular springs, either, where youll never have to worry about a red tide threat, since it doesnt occur in freshwater. However, we're not the only ones who think so. But their lack of access makes up for a lack of crowds. Avoid traffic delays before you hit the road by using the interactive traffic gridlock map for not only Florida travel, but across several states. Explore the rare coastal dune lakes at nearby Deer Lake State Park and youll find the rosemary plants for which the area is named. If you want to avoid the tourist crowds (and the inflated tourist prices), November is the calmest month, followed by September and October. Even on summer weekends, you can usually find a patch of sand to call your own. But sometimes, even with all that coastline, its hard to find a place for a little quiet day at the beach. Alligator Lake, Little Redfish Lake, and the largest is the Western Lake. During late summer through fall, the hatchings will make an appearance on their march to the sea. This pristine island is on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida, about an hour's drive from Orlando. In fourth place, though, is that lovely New Smyrna Beach with ten surf zone fatalities. Lets dive into some of the factors that earned these beaches their spots on the list. Mud Keys is a short 30-minute boat ride from the marina in Key West. To tour the fort, youll need to purchase a $15.00 ticket, which can be purchased in advance online, or with cash at the fort. There are three public beaches, with restrooms. Only Spending Time at the Beach While there's no doubt that Florida's beaches are world-class, failing to venture beyond the coast and deeper into the state's vast array of offerings is. The white sand beach is stunningly beautiful and the Gulf of Mexico waters are normally less wavy than beaches on the Atlantic side of the state. Most noteworthy is the resident population of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that call the lagoon home. The Best Time to Visit Florida for Fewer Crowds, Better - Travel We are here to tell you that there are still plenty of state parks and secluded beaches in Florida that are off the well-worn tourist map.