Florida has so many beaches it’s hard to pick which one to visit. If you’re coming to Orlando for the theme parks and want to add a Beach day, where do you go? Do you go to the Atlantic side or the Gulf side? When you search for the best beaches in Florida you often see Clearwater Beach, Sanibel Island or Siesta Key. We asked a few locals and also looked at the tags on Instagram to try to find a new beach to share with you. We have written about a few different beaches so we highly recommend you check them out as well. We wrote about Treasure Island Beach (Gulf side) and the Cape Canaveral National Seashore (Atlantic side).
We read a lot of good things about Anna Maria Island on the West side of Florida and it was also mentioned to us a few times by different locals. Beaches are often very crowded in the summertime here in Florida, so we were expecting this location to be packed. We drove from Orlando on a Sunday and it took almost two hours to get there. It was recommended to go to the north side of the island because of how pretty the water is and how less crowded it tends to be in summer months. We drove through the cute beach town with colorful beach houses, shops, and souvenir stores. The island seemed to have heavy traffic so we did not know what to expect for parking once we found a spot. Most people stop as soon as they get on the island at the Manatee Public Beach, but we kept going.
We arrived at the northern tip of the island around 11AM and started looking for somewhere to park. After driving a few miles we found Bayfront Park by accident with plenty of parking, clean bathrooms and available pavilions. The actual beach had limited space in the sand, but the picnic tables were close enough that we just left our stuff at the tables. The beach had a few people on it, but nothing compared to other beaches we have been to in the area. The water was so crystal clear here that I would recommend it over Clearwater Beach! The park slowly started to fill up after lunch time, but it still wasn’t that bad. The park had a nice bike trail going through it with a bunch of trees for shade. I would highly recommend bringing lunch and staying for a while here.
We ended the day by getting a late lunch at The Ugly Grouper and ice cream at Joe’s Eats and Sweets. This beach should be on your list if you’re trying to decide where to go! It’s a short drive from Orlando and can be done in a day. We left our house around 9AM and we made it back around 530PM. There are so many beaches in Florida, we have only scratched the surface on where to go.
Do you have a favorite beach in Florida? If so let us know and we will go!
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