17 Best Beach Towns Along Florida’s Gulf Coast

Every tourist has famous Florida Beach Towns on their bucket list, and it is a worthy destination. Florida’s beach towns offer the most attractive, rewarding, and calm atmosphere for tourists to rejuvenate as well as have fun. The towns are notably small but well-endowed with earthly pleasure amenities.

Not all of Florida’s relaxing beaches at Miami – they are all over the state. Planning a vacation soon? These are the best beach towns along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Plan one’s trip and go all the way down to the Florida Keys.

17 Miramar Beach

Miramar beach is among the most charming beach towns on the Florida gulf coast. It is a classical enclave off the coast due to its scenic beach roads, resorts, and magnificent restaurants. In addition, it has beautiful condos with a sweeping view of the Gulf of Mexico. Ultra-modern facilities are ideal for family trips which are complimented by state-of-the-art shopping experiences. Silver Sands Premium Outlets is one of the biggest designer outlet spots in the States.

16 Bonita Springs, Florida

Part of Bonita Springs lies on Hickory Island, separating Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The city is in the Southwest of Florida and contains several beaches and parks. It also has a boardwalk and a swimming area dedicated to providing visitors with natural baths and extraordinary relaxed encounters. Tourists attest to why the city was named one of the top ten beaches.

Related: This Florida Key Is The Prettiest, With The Best Views

15 Saint George Island

Saint George Island is one of the most therapeutic towns in Florida, making it the ideal travel destination for families. It has unique restaurants and bars that tempt tourists to overspend. The town’s exotic nature seems forgotten, but the city is enjoying its natural beauty amazingly. One of the fascinating facts is that its location is pet friendly. St. George Island State Park offers the best hiking activities, water sports, birding, and swimming. Its luxurious resorts make it a critical attraction site for high-end clients.

14 Captiva Island

Captiva Island is situated approximately three miles from Fort Myers. Its vintage style and charming nature make it one of the most therapeutic beach towns on the gulf coast. People worldwide are curious to discover the nature of a town where no cars are allowed. Even though travelers come to the Island with the ultimate goal of disconnecting from the noisy world, they still find plenty of bars and restaurants for enjoyment. Mucky Duck restaurant and Bar is colorfully decorated to unravel a nautical feel. Due to its uncrowded nature and warm sandy beaches, Captiva Island is ideal for a family setting that, if lucky, will spot sea life, observe birds, and dance with dolphins.

Related: 8 Unique Things To Do In Destin, Florida

13 Cedar Key

Being the second-oldest town in Florida, Cedar Key preserves the heritage of the gulf coast. It harbors historic buildings and generational businesses built on the shore along the oceanfront. One of the fascinating reasons for visiting the city is to witness its enriching history. After being founded in 1849, the hurricane wiped it away less than a century later. Cedar trees regrew later, making it one of the most picturesque destinations on the gulf coast. The ultimate way to enjoy the city is through fishing, biking, and kayaking.

12 Madeira Beach

Considering the variety of activities and beauty in Madeira beach, it is undoubtedly one of the best gulf coast towns in Florida. Travelers can start by visiting John’s Pass Village and learn about the pirate who first referred to Madeira Beach as a home. The town harbors over a hundred restaurants and shopping centers. Foodies and wine lovers are well catered for since Florida Winery offers free tasting. Finally, beer enthusiasts can visit Mad Craft brewing company for a mind-blowing experience.

11 Tarpon Spring

History lovers cannot afford to skip visiting this enriched town on Florida’s Gulf coast. The city is rich in antique item shops, sponge shops, and art galleries. Some of the best Greek restaurants across the nation are found in this town. Tarpon Springs hosts the largest population of the Greek community, who go down the history as the propellers of civilization. Every historian and photographer would want to visit the place and learn about the epiphany celebration and capture moments of the Greek Seafood festival.

10 Anna Maria Island

It is located approximately two miles from Sarasota on the Gulf Coast. Disallowing huge developments on the land preserves its distinctive old-fashioned feel. Even though it’s a small town, Anna Maria Island offers travelers a wide range of activities. Taking a horse ride on the beach and diving at Bradenton Shipwreck is heavenly. Additionally, the city is home to dolphins, turtles, manatees, and a bird sanctuary, which comes in handy for photographers.

9 Siesta Key

Its shallow waters, white sand, and tropical feel make it a popular destination for individuals seeking to escape life’s daily grind. Plenty of restaurants, shopping malls, bars, and events offer travelers the opportunity to rejoin the world after rejuvenating their minds. Crescent beach is ideal for a family setting, and progressing towards limestone rocks to fish is allowed.

8 Sanibel Island

Off the coast of Florida stands the quietest, most charming, and most isolated beach town. Guests who visit this island town have the calmest time of their life, away from the noisy world. It’s an awesome pick for a family getaway. Boating and swimming on its white sunny beaches never get old, and neither does a walk in its surrounding lush tropical forest.

7 Seaside

Off of highway 30A in South Walton, people can find the beautiful small beach town of Seaside, which was designed to be one of the cutest regions in Florida. This gulf coast town is walkable, and it’s where the Truman Show was filmed. The atmosphere and architecture, along with the downtown shops, restaurants, and white sand beaches, are what distinguish Seaside. Visitors to the beach town are recommended to dine at Vue, located on 30A and recognized as the best waterfront sunset and dining in the region.

6 St. Petersburg

This beach town in Florida is known as the Sunshine City, and it can be easily reached from Clearwater and Tampa. St. Pete Beach, or St. Petersburg, is located on the Gulf Coast in Central Florida and is known as being one of the best beach towns in the state. Iconic white sand and turquoise Gulf of Mexico waters set the beaches in St. Pete apart from other ones. People visiting this beach town must also explore the hidden Sunken gardens, free murals across the downtown area, museums, beach bars, restaurants, rooftops, and breweries.

5 Henderson Beach State Park, Destin

One must not miss the beautiful Henderson Beach State Park, located on Florida’s Emerald Coast. The protected nirvana features innate beauty with a nature trail and 60 campsites. Turtles, dolphins, and birds, including brown pelicans and black skimmers, can be found here. This beach is located in Destin, which is known as the luckiest fishing village in the world.

4 Venice Beach

Tourists flock to Venice Beach in Florida for its pristine conditions. They can also benefit from various amenities, including concessions, a boardwalk, volleyball courts, a sail-shaped pavilion, and restrooms. People coming to Venice Beach will spot fossilized shark’s teeth on the shores of Venice Beach, known as the “shark tooth capital of the world.” These teeth can mostly be seen on Venice Jetty. Nestling turtles can also be spotted between May and October in Venice Beach.

3 Key West

Key West is one of the most famous beach destinations in Florida and marks the end of the road for those traveling down through Florida (although it doesn’t need to be the end of the journey – consider taking the ferry to visit Dry Tortugas National Park). The island is around four miles long and one mile long and is the southernmost end of US Route 1. From Key West, people are only 95 miles from Cuba.

Related: This Florida State Park Preserves A Lost & Forgotten Ruin (With A Compelling History)

2 Pensacola

Out on Florida Panhandle is Pensacola – the westernmost city of Florida. The Florida Panhandle is famous for being distinctly Southern in culture and flavor. It is a city of only 54,000 and is famous for its stunning beaches. Notably, Pensacola is the site of one of the oldest European settlements in what is today the USA. It was the site of a Spanish settlement even predating that of St. Augustine by 6 years (in 1559) – although the settlement was abandoned and not inhabited again until 1698.

1 Islamorada

Before holidaymakers get all the way to Key West, they should consider stopping at Islamorada. Islamorada is an incorporated village between Miami and Key West. It is spread out over five islands, namely Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key, and Plantation Key. It has a population of around 7,000 residents and is a great place to enjoy the tropics of the Caribbean.