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| Canaveral National Seashore's Apollo and Playlinda Beaches are incomparable. Unspoiled, easily accessible, uncrowded, and not mentioned at all on Condé Nast's list. |
Condé Nast recently released their list for the 10 Best Beaches in Florida. While we don't necessarily agree with the rankings this year they are all great beaches. Who better to critique the list and make some other suggestions than Florida natives? We are, and we have. We've added our own commentary to their top ten, and then made a few suggestions that they overlooked.
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The List
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| I went to college in Pensacola and did my Master's thesis on anthropogenic impacts on Santa Rosa Island. This beach is home to me. |
10. Pensacola Beach, and all of Santa Rosa Island from Fort Pickens in the west to Navarre in the east is surely the most spectacular and relatively unspoiled 40 miles of beach in Florida. The beaches are stunning and largely uncrowded except for near hotels and during special events (Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day). This seemingly endless expanse of snow-white sand and dolphin-rich waters is often cited as the crown jewel of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, an exquisite patchwork of barrier islands stretching 160 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. We whole-heartedly agree with this choice though we think it should be rated higher than #10.
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| Panama City Beach, Photo: Getty Images |
9. Panama City Beach, now that it is no longer the spring break capital of the world, this 17-mile stretch of powdery, white sands and emerald waters is splendid. But just an hour to the east, St. George Island is almost completely deserted and is even more dazzling. If you go to St. George instead, make sure to check out the nearby St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge and Tate's Hell State Forest. Also not to be missed is one of Florida's largest and finest 1st magnitude springs located relatively close to St. George's Island, Wakulla Springs State Park. Wakulla is one of the wonders of the natural world and a must-see on any Florida vacation.
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| St. George Island State Park deserted, magnificent white sand, solitude, perfection |
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| View from the 6th floor of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island more of my photos of this resort on instagram @majikphil |
8. Amelia Island. Old Florida is still alive and well on this barrier island northeast of Jacksonville. Pull up an Adirondack chair, swap the mojito for an old-fashioned ice cream cone, and watch the kids build sand castles and cavort across uncongested beaches. Stay at the Ritz-Carlton for an exceptional vacation experience while on Amelia Island.
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| Bahia Honda State Park, Photo: Florida State Parks |
7. Bahia Honda. The closer we get to the top of Condé Nast's list the odder the choices become. Bahia Honda, while stunning, is pretty inaccessible. It is a long drive from Miami, its beaches are dangerous (strong currents) and the coral "beach" can be something akin to walking on sharp rocks. Like the other keys (islands) it sits between the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Bahia Honda (Honda Bay) is a 524-acre beach park with some of the finest stretches of sand in the Florida Keys, if you can call it "sand." At mile marker 37 of the US1/Overseas Highway, Bahia Honda is an essential stopping point on any road trip between Miami and Key West. However, this is not your typical Florida beach.
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| Fort Jefferson, Photo: Getty Images |
6. Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park. This is the strangest choice of all the Condé Nast suggestions. It is hard to get to (60 miles from Key West) and rarely visited. Maybe a nice beach, but unrealistic for the average traveler. Why they love it? They say. . ."reached exclusively by boat or seaplane, the main island of North America's most inaccessible national park houses the c.1846 coastal Fort Jefferson—and some mind-blowing marine life off its beaches. Snorkel among sea horses and sea turtles, or head to the west moat wall in search of moray eels and nurse sharks." What they don't say is that this little excursion will cost you a bundle and take a full day away from your Florida vacation. Is it worth it? Yes, if you like history, forts, and instagram. No if your goal is to experience some of Florida's most spectacular beaches. If you decided to skip this one, check out some of our suggestions for more accessible spots that Condé Nast doesn't mention in their list (see our suggestions below),
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| Siesta Key, Photo: Expedia |
5. Siesta Key Beach, this incredibly wide beach along the Gulf of Mexico flaunts "the world's finest, whitest sand"—more than 99 percent pure quartz. I think Pensacola would argue that their sand is whiter and finer, but. . .whatever. Siesta Key is close to Sarasota and there are plenty of nearby places for lodging, but it is quite expensive.
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| Caladesi Island State Park North Island, Photo: Florida State Parks |
4. Caladesi Island State Park, near Clearwater, is another bizarre choice. This beach is accessible only by ferry from nearby Honeymoon Island State Park, and Clearwater is a hike from Tampa International Airport and even further from Orlando. Regardless, if you want to experience a largely untouched 3.5-mile-long island that feels like a giant sandbar, this is the place. Here, deep blue water meets radiant white sand with mounds of beautiful seashells. However, we think you'd be better off checking out New Smyrna Beach or Ponce Inlet in Volusia County, only 60 miles from Disney and with much easier accessibility.
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| Blowing Rocks Preserve, Photo: The Nature Conservancy |
3. Blowing Rocks Preserve, north of Palm Beach, south of Port St. Lucie sports an ethereal, 100,000-year-old limestone shelf and crystalline waters. This Nature Conservancy-protected beach is located on Jupiter Island. It is a favorite nesting ground for loggerhead sea turtles. Can't argue with number 3, but if you're staying around Disney and heading north you'd be better off to check out Washington Oaks State Park just north of Matanzas Inlet and Marineland. Washington Oaks also sports 100,000-year-old limestone and coquina rocks, but also has extensive shady gardens, wide beaches, and few crowds. Sorry Condé Nast, we find some of your suggestions unrealistic.
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| Fort Lauderdale Beach, Photo: Fort Lauderdale Beach Best Western |
2. Fort Lauderdale Beach. Another odd choice. The sand is too dirty brown and the development too congested for a truly spectacular Florida beach vacation. But Condé Nast calls it "uncluttered stretches of sand, sparkling blue waters, upscale resorts, and mega-yachts." Yeah, we think they need to rethink this choice.
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| South Beach, @Nolan.Ritter Ok. We know. If you could be sure Nolan Ritter would be posing on the beach like this beneath a rainbow it'd be worth the traffic, expense, parking, and hike from the parking garage. But alas, there are no guarantees. You can see Nolan anytime on instagram, however, @Nolan.Ritter |
1. South Beach. Just a poor choice. Condé Nast loves it because of its Art Deco hotels, A-lister visitors, and best cocktails in the USA. They call it Florida's most famous beach (have they ever heard of Daytona? "The World's Most Famous Beach?"). South Beach, according to the mag is more about the "scene" than the warm waters and golden sands which they say are "instagram worthy." What they fail to mention is that the beach is hard to get to, as in fighting that traffic and trying to find parking. The sand is similar to Fort Lauderdale's, and while the glitterati and illuminati-wannabes may be found along this stretch of beach its no place for a picnic. If you're into $20 cocktails and being seen then definitely this is the place for you, but if you want a real Florida experience, go somewhere else. There is a rather famous nude beach just north of South Beach, Haulover Beach, located at 10800 Collins Ave., Miami Florida. From our experience the parking is easier at Haulover Beach and the sites are, well, maybe not suitable for instagram but certainly worthy of a second look.
We prefer:
Canaveral National Seashore on the Atlantic Coast
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| Canaveral National Seashore's only drawback, it closes early, 6:00 pm, year round due to budget cuts in Washington DC (sequestration) |
The most unspoiled 25+ miles of beach in Florida. Accessible by car from either Titusville or New Smyrna Beach, this beach has it all. Miles of deserted beaches, thick mangrove forests, even a ghost town on the Indian River Lagoon. Why would anyone go anywhere else? And Volusia County's beaches from Canaveral in the south to Ormond-by-the-Sea in the north are really the most easily accessible and spectacular along the Atlantic Coast of Florida. They are all wide, most have lifeguards, amenities nearby, and affordable lodging. I've traveled all of Florida's 1,350 miles (2,170 km) of coastline and Canaveral is my choice for an afternoon at the beach. After spending a lifetime in Florida and years studying the State's coastlines, my suggestion is as good as any.
Naples on the Gulf Coast
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| Naples Beach can be annoying (paying to park) and trying to find a parking space, but the water is beautiful, sand is soft and white, and the crowds are sparse away from parking areas |
How did Naples not get a mention? Again, it is more accessible and less crowded, plus it is close to plenty of amenities and lodgings not to mention Big Cypress National Park and Everglades National Park.
St. George's Island on the Northwest Florida Coast
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| Phillip playing in the sand |
On the Northwest Florida Coast, as we said, St. George Island is our choice but if we're just looking for a relaxing beach vacation then there is nowhere on Earth like Pensacola Beach.
St. Augustine to Matanzas Inlet on the Northeast Florida Coast, and Flagler Beach
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| Washington Oaks State Park, Photo: Florida State Parks |
On the Northeast Florida Coast St. Augustine to Matanzas Inlet is unspoiled, uncrowded and has exceptional beaches like Washington Oaks State Park. Continue south toward Ormond Beach and check out the evening sunset scene in Flagler Beach which is the new spot for the real glitterati who just want to have a good time without being mobbed (sorry South Beach).
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| The newly trendy Flagler Beach Flagler Beach Pier On a Saturday afternoon this is where the crowd goes, there are dozens of beachside cafes and restaurants. |
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| Phillip at Washington Oaks State Park just north of Matanzas Inlet lugging 3 cameras, boots, not really dressed for the beach but what a beach it is. Stunning! |
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| Phillip, New Smyrna Beach, being interviewed by a Japanese Film crew for a documentary on Florida and shark attacks. |
Hottest Temperatures Ever, again
March 2016 was by far the planet's warmest March since record keeping began in 1880, and was also the warmest month relative to average of any month in the historical record, said NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). In the NOAA database, March 2016 came in a full 1.22°C (2.20°F) warmer than the 20th-century average for March of 12.7°C (54.9°F), as well as 0.32°C (0.58°F) above the previous record for March, set in 2015. This is a huge margin for breaking a monthly global temperature record, as they are typically broken by just a few hundredths of a degree. The margin was just a shade larger than NOAA's previous record for any month of 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average, set in February 2016. NASA also reported the warmest March in its database, with the departure from average in its analysis slightly less than that for February (1.28°C vs. 1.34°C).
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| Canaveral National Seashore unspoiled, uncrowded, all natural Apollo Beach near New Smyrna Beach |
The past six months (as measured by departure from average in both the NOAA and NASA databases) all set records for their respective months as the warmest since 1880. The impressive global warmth in recent months is due to the steady build-up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases due to human activities (global warming), plus a spike due to a large amount of heat being released from waters in the Eastern Pacific due to the powerful 2015-16 El Niño event. This event peaked in December, but the warmest atmospheric readings (relative to average) usually lag the peak oceanic temperatures by a few months. NOAA’s global surface temperature for the year so far (January-March 2016) is an astounding 0.29°C (0.52°F) warmer than the previous record, set in 2015.
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| Canaveral National Seashore unspoiled, uncrowded, natural and a little whiter and flatter the closer you get to the Cape Playalinda Beach |
March 2016 also marked the eleventh consecutive month that the monthly temperature record was been broken and the sixteenth consecutive month (since December 2014) that the monthly global temperature ranked among the three warmest for its respective month in the NOAA database. Both global ocean and global land temperatures were the warmest on record for any March. Global satellite-measured temperatures in March 2016 for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the warmest for any March in the 38-year record, and the third-largest warm departure from average any month, according to the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH). This is the sixth consecutive month the UAH database has registered a record monthly high.
Items made out of body parts of protected animals, including zebra, tigers and butterflies, are seen in a repository of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Denver after having been seized by US Customs. The trade in body parts of endangered species poses a huge threat to tigers and other endangered species. In this room, opened to visitors, some items are shown in order to educate the public on wildlife illegal trade. At the National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository in Denver, Colorado, a facility run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a staggering 1,269,451 items which have been seized by U.S. authorities in their fight against illegal wildlife trade are stored. More stores on @williamodaniels.
We've Read
@paulnicklen A coastal wolf of British Columbia waits patiently for the tide to fall so it can access seafood in the intertidal zone. These coastal wolves, whose diet consists of up to 80 percent seafood are a genetically distinct ecotype.
Land owned by the St. Johns Water Management District surrounding Gemini Springs in Volusia County could be used to develop 2,400 residences and 258,000 square feet of commercial space if the city of DeBary gets its way. Its a typical story in Florida. Land purchased for conservation is transferred for development. Gemini Springs is already ailing, adding that much concrete that close to the springs could be the end of Gemini.
For more info, visit
They may not look like it, but starfish are voracious keystone predators. Hunting primarily barnacle, mussels and crustaceans, the Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus) slowly devours it's victims by climbing on top of it and placing it's open stomach around its prey. Like any keystone predator, star fish are essential in maintaining balance to an ecosystem, prohibiting an organism to over run an area. In recent years scientists are seeing a significant decline in Ochre Sea Star numbers in the Pacific Northwest due to "sea star wasting syndrome". Decreased PH balance in our oceans has weakened the immune systems of star fish, making them more susceptible to this disease. As numbers decline, the pecking order and balance is slowly changing in the tide pools. Photo by @ladzinski (Keith Ladzinski)