Which is the prettiest beach in Florida?

Between its Gulf shores and Atlantic coastlines, the best beaches in Florida have no shortage of powder-fine sand, national and state beach parks, marine biodiversity, and scenes that are both cocktail- and kid-friendly. From the siren song of South Beach and the unexpected surf town of New Smyrna to the natural wonders of Dry Tortugas National Park and Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, here are our picks for the 21 best beaches in Flordia—from the Panhandle to the Keys, each with its own distinct personality. 

Prepare to throw down a towel, soak up the sun in South Florida, and explore the excitement surrounding both land and sea.

This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

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  Courtesy Caladesi Island State Park

  Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin

  This untouched, 3.5-mile-long island feels like a giant sand bar reserved for the lucky few who visit. It dazzles with its pristine environs—vast stretches of radiantly white sands, cerulean waters, beautiful seashells, and prolific bird life. Access the island by ferry from nearby Honeymoon Island State Park or enter on foot via neighboring Clearwater Beach from the south (a major hurricane in 1985 dredged up enough sand to create a link between Caladesi and Clearwater). Even better? The more adventurous can kayak their way to Caladesi, renting from local outfitters on Honeymoon Island.

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  South Beach, Miami

  Beautiful people, flashy cars, skimpy bathing suits, Art Deco architecture: It’s all here on the 2.2-mile white sand stretch that makes up Florida’s most famous beach. The busiest—and most touristy—section runs parallel to Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets), so locals tend to hang around the quieter patches south of Fifth Street. In this area, South Pointe Beach is particularly popular, thanks to minimal development (read: less shadows from high rise hotels) and easy access to the walking trails and sunset views within adjacent South Pointe Park. Near the 12th Street lifeguard stations, rainbow flags mark the gay beach where you’ll find a sea of Speedo-clad, sculpted bods. 

  Hotel beach clubs dominate the shoreline from 15th Street to 22nd Street, but there’s still plenty of space for anyone to throw down a towel. To truly take in the pulse of South Beach, consider staying at The Betsy - South Beach, 1 Hotel South Beach, SLS Hotel South Beach, or The Setai Miami Beach—all 2021 Readers’ Choice Award winners.

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  Clearwater Beach

  This Gulf Coast beach is a magnet for tykes and tots (and their parents), thanks to its clear, shallow waters, pillow-soft sands, playground, and Beach Walk Promenade, ideal for bike rides and rollerblading. When sun fatigue strikes, consider a respite inland at Clearwater Marine Aquarium to ogle the spectacular dolphin complex, home to multiple rescue dolphins, plus sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, and nurse sharks. Stay for the nightly, festival-style sunset celebration at Pier 60, where street performers delight as the sun sets.

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  Marco Island Beach

  The western perimeter of Marco Island is marked by stunning, wide white-sand beaches idyllic for ambles and shelling. At low tide, wade out to sandbars to collect sand dollars and other sea treasures. Toward the north of this barrier island, Tigertail Beach Park is popular for its tidal lagoon, where paddleboarders can take advantage of the ultra-calm waters. Further south, the beaches are busy with families vacationing at beachfront properties like JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort and Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa. They’re also busy with seabird activity, as Marco Island is a preferred nesting ground for least terns and black skimmers.

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  Fort Lauderdale Beach

  Forget what you think you know about Fort Lauderdale: The Pabst Blue Ribbon-strewn sands, Hawaiian Tropic oil slicks, and packed motels of yesteryear’s spring break capital have gone away. Now, uncluttered stretches of sand, sparkling blue waters, upscale resorts, and mega-yachts are rewriting this beach’s story. Billions in economic development have gone into erasing the Where the Boys Are vibe, restructuring Fort Lauderdale Beach as an unfussy yet refined alternative to neighboring Miami’s beaches.

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  Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne

  This mile-long, undeveloped beach on the southern tip of Key Biscayne regularly receives accolades as one of the top beaches in the country, and it’s not hard to see why. The quiet shores and light waves are idyllic for languid days. But there’s also an extensive network of biking and walking trails with superb Miami skyline views worth exploring. Take a peek inside the Cape Florida Lighthouse (South Florida’s oldest, built in 1845), and look to the horizon for a glimpse of Stiltsville, a collection of historic homes that appear to float atop Biscayne Bay. Consider combining a trip to Bill Baggs with a stay at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami, a luxe yet unpretentious island retreat nearby with its own 1,200-foot-long golden sand beach.

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  Bowman’s Beach, Sanibel Island

  Easily accessible off the main Sanibel-Captiva Road yet remarkably undeveloped, this family-friendly beach lacks the crowds of neighboring stretches but promises all the pastel-hued sunsets, excellent shelling, and gentle waves for which Sanibel Island is known. It’s also one of the best beaches in Florida for windsurfing, sailing, and even canoeing, thanks to inland waterways to the west of the beach. However, our favorite pastime here is a barefoot walk through the white sand, admiring the Gulf views and picking up more shells than we can carry along the way.

• Courtesy Visit St. Pete/Clearwater

  Fort De Soto Park, Tierra Verde

  With a whopping 1,136 acres spread across five islands, this beach park impresses with its powdery white sands, nature trails, and patchwork of mangroves, ideal for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. It’s not uncommon to see bottlenose dolphins skirting the shoreline and manatees bobbing up and down in the water. Families should head to the sprawling natural tidal pool on the park’s North Beach, an excellent spot for kids to collect seashells and splash around. Those traveling with Fido can explore the quarter-mile Dog Beach, where dogs have free reign over the Gulf’s cerulean waters. This swathe is part of a larger “Paw Playground,” which also houses two grassy dog parks (one for larger pooches, another for smaller), water fountains, and hoses to rinse off the sand.

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  Blowing Rocks Preserve, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island

  Natural splendor takes center stage at this Nature Conservancy preserve on Jupiter Island. The beach is anchored by an ethereal 100,000-year-old Anastasia limestone shelf—the largest on the Atlantic coast—and the greater, untouched surrounds are considered a major success story in native coastal habitat restoration. Don’t expect to sunbathe and chill here; do expect to stroll the mile-long beach, marvel a glimpse of natural Old Florida, view sea turtle tracks in the sands, and perhaps catch a shot of water plumes through the rocks, which are known to reach as high as 50 feet.

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  Haulover Beach, Miami

  In the northern reaches of Miami Beach, 177-acre, county-run Haulover Park includes Florida’s oldest officially recognized public nude beach. Folks of all shapes, sizes, and sexes converge on this welcoming, clothing-optional beach, which, on most days, unofficially divides into three sections: one for families, one for non-families, and another for LGBTQ+. Halouver’s 1.4-mile beachfront also has a designated dog beach located between lifeguard houses 2 and 3, where four-legged friends can roam off-leash and run, roll, play fetch, and go for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, thanks to the current of the Haulover Inlet, this particular beach sees some of Miami’s more impressive swells, attracting bodyboarders and novice surfers.

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  Bahia Honda, Florida Keys

  Sitting at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico is a 524-acre beach park with some of the finest stretches of sand in the Florida Keys. At mile marker 37 of US-1/Overseas Highway, Bahia Honda is an essential stopping point on any road trip between Miami and Key West. There are both secluded and more trafficked spots for sunbathing and excellent opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and snorkeling. On the beach, be sure to look up: The largest intact section of Henry Flagler’s elevated overseas railroad is an eye-catcher.

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  Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge

  About mid-state along Florida’s east coast, Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is 20.5 miles of beach and shoreline habitat, situated between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach and designated for sea turtle conservation. It happens to be the world’s most significant area for loggerhead sea turtle nesting and North America’s most significant area for green turtle nesting. Secure your spot far in advance to participate in naturalist-led nighttime turtle walks during nesting season (June-July annually) with Friends of the Carr Refuge. During this time, you’ll witness the spectacle of a nesting sea turtle laying her eggs, covering her nest, and returning to the ocean. Once the hatchlings start emerging from the nests in August and September, embark on a guided daytime dig turtle watch to view hatched sea turtle nests.

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  Amelia Island

  Discover classic family fun on this barrier island in the state’s northeast reaches, with 13 miles of coastline and 40 public access points. Unfold a beach chair (or get cozy in a lounger), swap the cocktail for an ice cream cone, and watch the kids build sandcastles and cavort across uncongested beaches. Wheelchair users will appreciate the ADA-compliant Mobi-mat draped over the boardwalk ramp at the Main Beach access point, providing a safe way to reach the sand. Three upright beach wheelchairs and one Mobi floating beach wheelchair can be reserved in advance from the Atlantic Recreation Center so wheelchair users can continue to have fun in the sun.

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  Henderson Beach State Park, Destin

  A series of 30-foot white sand dunes underscore the natural beauty of this Panhandle beach. It’s one of the most picturesque stretches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, an exquisite mosaic of barrier islands stretching 160 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. Note that this beach park isn’t just popular with humans—it’s also a favorite nesting ground for green and loggerhead sea turtles, a known hot spot for dolphins, and a feeding ground for brown pelicans and black skimmers.

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  Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota

  This incredibly wide beach along the Gulf of Mexico has what it calls the world’s finest, whitest sand (it’s more than 99 percent pure quartz, which keeps it cool even under blazing temps), and there’s plenty of it to go around. It is not the drama-filled splash ground portrayed on MTV’s popular reality show Siesta Key, but rather a kid-friendly expanse teeming with sand sculpture artists, hippies, and families basking in the sun.

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  Jupiter Dog Beach

  Expect paw prints of every shape and size along this off-leash beach in northern Palm Beach County. At two and a half miles long (from Beach Marker #26/Marcinski Road to Beach Marker #57 at the Carlin Park property line), it is the largest dog-friendly beach on the East Coast. Doggie bags are provided at multiple sites on the beach, and four-legged beachgoers are expected to abide by the beach’s social code of conduct: behaved, obedient, and well-socialized.

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  Grayton Beach State Park, South Walton

  On land, this Gulf Coast beach impresses with more than 400 acres of fine, white sands and a wildlife-rich coastal dune lake, a geographical feature unique to a handful of destinations on Earth. Under the sea, snorkel or scuba dive at 58 feet deep around dozens of larger-than-life works at the Underwater Museum of Art, the nation’s first permanent underwater sculpture exhibit—and part of South Walton’s more extensive artificial reef program. New installations are added annually, branding this an extraordinary gallery you’ll want to visit multiple times.

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  Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

  Reached exclusively by seaplane (with Key West Seaplane Adventures) or ferry (on the Yankee Freedom III), the main island of North America’s most inaccessible national park houses Fort Jefferson, a circa-1846 coastal fortress, and some mind-blowing marine life off its coast. Snorkel among seahorses, sea turtles, and rainbow-hued tropical fish, or head toward the west moat wall in search of moray eels and nurse sharks. There’s limited shade and facilities, so bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

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  John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

  The best way to experience the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States is a trip to this popular state park, which extends three miles into the Atlantic Ocean from its Key Largo shoreline. Strap on a snorkel and wade into the water at Far Beach for a quick fix of marine biodiversity. Or go deeper with an organized snorkeling tour (currently operating at five per day) or twice-daily diving tours.

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  New Smyrna Beach

  When one thinks of surfing in America, towns along the California and Hawaii coastlines quickly come to mind. But Florida has a surf scene, too. Case in point: this East Coast surfers’ paradise, which promises prolific breaks, thanks to some massive rock ledges four to five miles offshore. Hang ten or simply immerse yourself in the surf culture of this small stretch of Florida, which often receives accolades as one of the top surf towns in the U.S.

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  Mid-Beach, Miami

  A raised boardwalk separates the beach from hotel-lined Collins Avenue between 23rd Street and 46th Street, an area collectively referred to as Mid-Beach. Home to Miami’s most stylish hotels, like Freehand Miami, Faena Hotel Miami Beach and Nobu Hotel Miami Beach—which ranked, respectively, as the three top Miami hotels in the 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards—this area caters to a cool crowd that considers South Beach passé. Anticipate a lounge-y vibe, both day and night, with plenty of beach and pool clubs to choose from, as well as Miami’s most buzzed-about nightlife.

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