Skip the Big Beaches...Try a Lesser Known Shoreline

When non-natives think of Florida, they imagine a state of nothing but Mickey Mouse and beaches. And when they think of beaches, they picture Dayton, Clearwater, South Beach (Miami), and Panama City...full of bikinis, packed with people, beach volleyball, celebrities, lots of skin, surfers, and the list goes on and on.  As a native, I'll agree.  Those beaches are great...for tourists.  Those beaches are the epitome of the Florida tourist, party beaches, but if you want the real Florida beach, you've got to head where the crowds aren't.

Here are a few of the best...and our favorites

Anna Maria Island (Holmes Beach, Coquina, Bradenton beaches)

This is where my mom always took us when we were kids.  I never understood why this was her beach of choice, but as I got older, it was obvious.  This place is completely un-touristy. Unlike Clearwater Beach, you don't spend half the day looking for parking or walking a mile from your car to the beach or paying $30 to park in a private lot near the beach.  No, the beaches of Anna Maria have plenty of free or super cheap parking, and if you don't want to drive from your hotel/motel, then take the trolley...it goes to the BEACH!!!  How cool is that!?!?  

Aside from the parking, the beaches of Anna Maria also look completely different. It's not a beach in the middle of a touristy town with high rise hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and dinner cruises.  These beaches still have trees, and there are NO HIGH RISE HOTELS! Most, if not all, of the beaches along the island are still lined by huge Australian Pines, providing shade for picnics and naps.  

If all of this isn't enough, and probably, because of the lack of touristy crap, the beaches of AMI are still fairly low key...no blaring music, no massive crowds, no chance of your kid getting lost in a sea of sun bathers, swimming without bumping into the person next to you...

This is the beach we go to for a simple day out with the kids.

Manasota Key (Englewood Beach & Stump Pass State Park)

This was another family favorite as a kid.  When we took our annual family vacation to the beach, it was always to Englewood.  Back in the day, there were no high rise hotels, most of the island was either private resorts or private homes, and not a single restaurant on the water.  Today, nearly 30 years later, it's still the same.  The public beach is still relatively small, the shoreline is still lined with trees, private resorts, and private homes, and the closest restaurant is across the street from the public beach.  At the very south end of the key (island), Stump Pass State Park allows you to kayak the bay side and swim

in the Gulf on the other.  Like Anna Maria, there are no crowds, no wild parties, and no loud music. Instead, you have absolutely blue water, white sand, families, and lots of peace and quiet. And for the adults in the group, because so much of the island is private (homes & resorts), you can have your cooler of Coronas and Sangria on the beach without a single problem...as long as you clean up your bottles & cans.

Still in the same neighborhood, but a little north of Manasota Key is Casey Key and Venice. While I haven't stayed in either, my friends do and claim that it's the exact same way...quiet, relaxing, and uncrowded.

AKA...The Sandbar

Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande & Little Gasparilla Island) 

When McDonald's gives away free breakfast on testing morning, parents line up around the block. People love free stuff. If something is free, everyone lines up.  If you actually have to pay for something, it tends to keep a certain crowd

away.  That is Gasparilla Island.  What makes Gasparilla Island and Little Gasparilla so popular and fabulously private is that it is not free.  You actually have to pay to get on the island or you have to have a boat to get on the island.  For a great many people, that's an instant turn off.  HOWEVER, that also keeps out the garbage.  That $6/car toll is the key to the island staying perfect.  Well, add to that the fact that you aren't allowed to park along the side of the road, there are no chain hotels, no chain restaurants, and no beach front bars, so the whole island breathes an air of privacy.  Little Gasparilla is nearly the same...no hotels (all private homes & rentals), no restaurants, no bars, and if you don't have a boat, no entry.  There are no roads to Little Gasparilla, so the crowds are non-existent.

For the boaters & kayakers, one of the best parts of the island areas is the sandbar.  The sandbar between the two islands is heaven. The perfectly clear, blue water is between ankle and knee deep (depending on the tide), full of shells, starfish, sea urchins, and the occasional sting ray, and just at the edge, it's not uncommon to see dolphins and manatees swimming by.  When we want a day away, Jeremy & I paddle out, park our chairs, and chill out until the beer runs out or the tide comes in.

Egmont Key & Anclote Key

No these two aren't side by side.  They aren't even close to each other. Both are considered Pinellas County, but one sits at the northern end and the other at the mouth of Tampa Bay on the southern end.   However, they both have something similar to offer...privacy.  Both are only accessible by boat--private or ferry. Anytime you have an island that's only accessible by boat, and as we know, boats aren't free, the island and its beaches will be quiet, natural, and peacefully wonderful.  Both Egmont and Anclote are state parks,which means there's a bit more to offer than just a quiet beach. Egmont Key is home to Fort Dade, built and used during the Spanish American War, and a lighthouse.    Anclote Key, on the other hand, is a preserve.  There are no provisions whatsoever on the island, which means if there is

something you might need or want while on the island, you better plan to take it...this includes food and water!

Getting to and hauling your own stuff might be a pain and an inconvenience, but what you get in return is pure paradise.