Florida Gulf Coast Beaches & Their Beautiful White Sand

The best gulf coast beaches? How can you differentiate? There are some differences depending on time of year and considerations for the beach towns adjacent to them. There are over 500 miles of shoreline on the gulf coast of Florid and most of it is white sand beaches.

Florida Beaches

Gulf Islands National Seashore to Panama City Beach

This art of the Florida panhandle is called the Emerald Coast. Pensacola Beach is here and Gulf Shores Alabama is just a hop, a skip and a jump away. Many of the tourist that visit the Emerald Coast are from Alabama and Georgia you can tell come time for Spring Break.

These beautiful beaches include Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Grayton Beach, Henderson Beach State Park and Navarre Beach. If you live nearby and it is in the summer months there is no need to drive any further. Destin is an amazing location with a lot to offer from fresh seafood, vacation rentals to sugar white sands for sun seekers.

The only downside to Destin are how bad traffic is at times and the fact that it gets so cold starting in October. The gulf stream is usually 40 miles offshore and that means even the ocean breeze lacks warmth. That is why the King Mackerel and other sport fish leave till spring.

Far Better Average Water Temperatures In The Gulf Of Mexico

The average water temperature in Central Florida goes up significantly. If you visit the Sunshine State in the fall or winter months you are far better off visiting from Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach southward. The beaches still have the beautiful turquoise waters and are more comfortable year round. Tampa Bay has so much to offer that it stands out with Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach. That would normally be enough but yet there is more than seven miles of good reasons along the gulf coast.

From Anna Maria Island to Marco Island, The Southwest Florida Beaches

Southwest Florida had a pretty tough go of it in 2023 thanks to the hurricane season. Fort Myers and Cape Coral have some of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine around them and they were somewhat disturbed. Maybe more shark teeth will be found along those white sand beaches in 2024 and beyond.

Sanibel Island is not far from Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral. Sanibel Island is another of the many barrier islands. Bowman's Beach is toward the north end which is a great place for bird watching and getting away from the crowds. Don't spend to much time on Sanibel Island or it may become your favorite beach.

Siesta Key and Siesta Key Beach Barrier Islands Paradise

Where you have sea turtles year round is usually a good sign. Siesta Key is an amazing beach to watch the sunset from and Siesta Key Village has all the shops and cafes you will want to visit. The kids will also find a decent playground. Not bad for a barrier island. It is also known for Sand Dollar Island.

Head South to Marco Island Warm Waters & Southern Tip

Marco Island has swimming, more than enough room for your boat and jet skis. The entire length of the west side overlooks the Florida gulf coast. This is a great beach for just about everything from doing nothing at all to spending the day with a rake looking for fossilized sharks teeth. My neighbor does that quite often. The gulf side of Florida has just about everything you would ever want, and then the best beaches. What are you waiting for? See you soon on one of the best gulf coast beaches.