My best Florida Gulf Coast beaches offer the cleanest sugar sand, most succulent seafood, best seashells, and most spectacular sunsets along the entire US Gulf Coast. I love Southwest Florida beaches and hope you do also.
I also list my choices for best Florida Gulf Coast beaches for families, best Florida Gulf Coast beach for sea shells, best Florida Gulf Coast beach for sunset celebrations, best Florida Gulf Coast beach for shark teeth, and more.
29 Best Florida Gulf Coast Beaches
My favorite Best Florida Gulf Coast Beaches are arranged geographically—from Key West, north up the Florida Gulf Coast, to Clearwater Beach. Also see these best Florida Panhandle beaches.
Sombrero Beach, Florida Keys
Our favorite Florida Keys beach is Sombrero Beach in Marathon, right in the middle of the 110-mile-long Florida Keys.
Sombrero Beach is Florida Keys Best Beach because it has the cleanest beach sand, a covered playground, two sand volleyball courts (fun for the kids if no one is playing), two bathhouses, a dozen picnic shelters, free parking, and excellent kayaking and snorkeling.
And getting to Sombrero Beach is one of my favorite Florida scenic drives.
Other favorite Florida Gulf Coast beaches in The Florida Keys include Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Smathers Beach, in Key West, Anne’s Beach near Islamorada, Harry Harris Beach in Tavernier, and the Bahia Honda State Park beaches (Calusa Beach and Sandspur Beach).
Keewaydin Island and Best Naples Florida Beaches
Our choice for best Florida Gulf Coast beach for sand dollars is Keewaydin Island beach—especially on weekdays.
On weekends, Keewaydin Island is packed with partiers and boaters. But weekdays on Keewaydin Island are peaceful, tranquil, and zen. Keewaydin Island is not connected to land so a boat is required to visit it.
McCool Travel tip: Because of its position, Keewaydin Island can also be magnificent for seashells—including lightning whelks, fighting conchs, and horse conchs. I suggest visiting on Wednesday or Thursday morning to find the most intact seashells and at low tide to find rarer seashells.
See also my favorite places to eat in Naples Florida.
Other choices for best Gulf Coast Florida beaches in and near Naples, Florida include Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, Vanderbilt Beach in Naples, and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples (for excellent trees to accompany sunset photos, see photo below).
Marco Island beach, although lined with large condo buildings, is an excellent Florida Gulf Coast beach for seashells.
Best Sanibel Island Beaches for Seashells
Called the “Seashell Capital of the World” and home of the National Seashell Museum, Sanibel Island naturally is the best Florida Gulf Coast beach for seashells and overall best US Gulf Coast beach for seashells.
But which Sanibel Island beach is best for seashells?
Lighthouse Beach Park is the easiest to get to and most popular Sanibel Island beach, but that means encountering the most people, most of them practicing the “Sanibel Stoop” while seeking their “Treasures From the Seas”—as the estimated 250 different seashell types found in Sanibel Island are called.
McCool Travel tip: visit Lighthouse Beach as early as possible before most of the shell seekers show up. 8am is probably too late to find the best shells.
Our preferred Sanibel Island beaches, and the best Florida Gulf Coast beaches for seashells, include Turner Beach, Bowman’s Beach, and Silver Key Beach.
Our favorite place to stay near Sanibel island is South Seas Resort.
Caspersen Beach
Just one mile south from the Venice Fishing Pier is one of the most unusual Gulf Coast beaches. Caspersen Beach looks unlike every other US Gulf Coast beach. Rather than the classic white, soft, sugar sand, Caspersen Beach has the dark and dense sand typical of the US northeast beaches.
But the biggest appeal of Caspersen Beach is hunting for teeth. Yes, teeth. Caspersen Beach is the best Florida Gulf Coast beach for shark teeth. Try your luck and let me know how your hunt goes.
McCool Travel tip: Venice Beach itself is one of my favorite US Gulf Coast Sunset Spots.
Siesta Key Beach
Speaking of US Gulf Coast sunsets, the best Florida Gulf Coast beach for sunset celebrations has to be Siesta Key Beach (aka Crescent Beach or Sarasota Beach). Every Sunday night, at least one hour before sunset, the magical Siesta Key Drum Circle starts forming.
And grows and grows and grows. And gets louder and more vibrant.
The Siesta Key beach drum circle crowd is a true melting pot, with hippies, Parrotheads, corporate CEOs, families, vacationers, locals; people of all social classes and attitudes. One of the most fun things I have seen here was a Girl Scout selling cookies to hula hoopers, drummers, dancers, and anyone milling about.
McCool Travel tip: other nearby smaller drum circles are at Nokomis Beach (Wed and Sat) and Englewood Beach (Sun).
Visiting Caspersen Beach and Siesta Key are Fun Things to Do in Sarasota.
Best Anna Maria Island Beaches
Ahhhh, Anna Maria island.
AMI is my choice for best Florida Gulf Coast beach. Also best overalll US Gulf Coast Beach. Anna Maria Island is simply my favorite beach! Can someone please send me a winning Powerball ticket so that I can visit AMI more often?
Anna Maria Island beaches are the best Florida Gulf Coast beaches because, to us (unscientifically), its sugar sand is the softest, cleanest, and whitest along the entire US Gulf Coast. And even in the peak snowbird winter season, the northern AMI beaches are some of the least crowded beaches on the Gulf Coast.
Sunsets seem more spectacular here and the seafood more succulent. At The Sandbar, one of my favorite Anna Maria Island Restaurants, request a table in the sand and let your feet savor the sugar sand while you have a refreshing drink and some seafood.
Head to Bean Point at the north end for the widest and wildest beaches. Head south to Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach and park under pine trees right next to the sand.
McCool Travel tip: drive a little further south from Coquina Beach, across the bridge onto Longboat Key, and visit the rugged area called Beer Can Island. There are usually sharks, dolphins, and manatees in the gorgeous water around Beer Can island.
Indian Rocks Beach
My favorite best Florida Gulf Coast beaches for families is Indian Rocks Beach. Indian Rocks Beach is part of Clearwater Beach but I enjoy it so much more because IRB is not lined with massive condo buildings.
With 27 beach entrances along its relatively quiet three miles of US Gulf Coast beach, Indian Rocks Beach is hardly ever crowded and families (or couples, groups, or solos) can enjoy a less hectic beach experience.
One of my choices for Best Grouper Sandwiches in Florida can be found at one of my favorite Indian Rocks Beach Restaurants. Come for the beach (and sunsets) but stay for the excellent seafood!
Thank you for reading my choices for best Gulf Coast Florida beaches.
Let me know if you have other favorite Florida Gulf Coast beaches—whether super popular ones like Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach, or Fort Myers Beach, or super secluded beaches like Cayo Costa or Anclote Key.
Please check out the Best Florida Panhandle Beaches, which covers Alligator Point on the eastern edge to Perdido Beach on the western edge and on the Alabama state border.
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