Serene. Calm. Beautiful. Friendly rangers. Easy parking on an April Saturday. Clear water. Clean beaches. Amazing. read more

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Right now the snack, gift, and rental center is closed while they try and find another suitable place in the park. The recovery center has limited hours and closed on Sunday. Great place to launch a kayak, even an accessible ramp. Call, quiet, beach is beautiful. Lots of parking. read more

Lovers Key State Park - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Loved it! Went for two days. $8 a day is not bad. Parking is limited but we were able to sit away from most folks. Found lots of shells the first day. Water was. It clear enough for us to snort but that could be the season (April). We did spot a manatee too! read more

Lovers Key State Park - The beach - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

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Most of the time, I can't help but give five stars to state and national parks. This one has a long, wide, white-sand beach, a fine visitor's center with educational displays and helpful staff, and a variety of walking paths to see flora and fauna. I like the ability to get my daily pass via QR code. Thanks LKSP for a couple excellent visits. read more

If you want to experience one of the most beautiful, breathtaking and serene family, friendly places come to Lovers Key State park. Some of the most amazing Shelling we've had. Very family-friendly not a lot of crazy music and wilden out people. You get what you pay for! It's hard to get here and it's worth it! If you want a wonderful family friendly vacation go to Lovers Key State Park. read more

Beautiful Beach walk! Collected lovely shells, saw some Dolphins and watched the pelicans dive for fish! read more

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We rented a boat from Salty Sam's and stopped at this beach everyone raved about, Lovers key. Garbage in the water, a half dozen other boats with the same idea, though I will say we didn't feel crowded. Burs all over the beach, ouch! Yes the sand is white, but with a view of the highway bridge? No aquatic life to been seen there (very murky), though we saw dolphins up close on the ride there which was definitely cool. Maybe there are nicer stretches of it but hard pass on going again. read more

We were visiting the area with family and found this gem. Parking fee was a little confusing (to know how to show you paid) but take cash/credit. Wasn't too busy and it was beautiful! You can walk across the bridge or take the trolly. Next time we are renting chairs and shade to make it easier on us. read more

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Really clean beach, hurricane cleanup is still going strong. They didn't charge an admission fee. A convenient shuttle tram takes you from the parking lot to the beach. read more

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Fantastic less traveled beach, lots of parking, beach was not crowded. There is a trolley or you can walk about 1/2 miles to beach. This is due to the main pier no longer standing from hurricanes in 2024. They are still running on generators. read more

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Absolutely go to Lovers Key - beautiful white sand, a tram that takes you to the beach, outdoor showers and gorgeous shells.

We participated in the Friends of Lovers Key Earth Day Beach Cleanup on the Saturday before the 2024 Earth Day. There were only four other volunteers, so it was a small group. The park ranger provided us with all the tools for cleanup and we also recorded the types of trash we picked up. It was a very busy, beautiful and warm day on the beach. We concentrated on the estuary side and in the growth on the beach side. Admittedly, it was pretty clean! Each couple probably filled a bucket with trash. We found mostly plastic of all types, construction materials, wipes, a flip flop, and various types of paper. Let's all do our part to keep our beautiful beaches clean. Take out what you take in! read more

Beautiful park and beach! This beach has a smaller beach but offers so much, plus it isn't busy compared to most of the public beach's around the area. It's $8.00 for single axle vehicles to enter for the day which is reasonable parking compared to some pay per hour. The day I went was free because their registration system was down so she welcomed me as a guest which I appreciated. Once you enter you have a gift shop and bait shop that's open! The main bridge to the beach is closed so they are offering a tram service to and from the beach! It comes to the front/beach every 10 minutes so you never have to wait long. The lady running it is RAD and super funny. Once on the beach you have a huge gazebo and Hurricane Charlie's restaurant where you can order food, ice cream, umbrellas/chairs, paddle boards, tours, etc! The fun at this park is endless and it's simply beautiful. Fun for shell collecting and nice clean water. read more

Lovers Key State Park - Charlys - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

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I've been to several FLSP's now and this may just be my favorite one so far. It was simply beautiful, lots of mangroves and winding paths. There's a gift shop and bathroom/ main area where you park, and they have a trolley out to the beach which is really nice because it'd be a pretty long walk otherwise. We spent most of our time on the beach, and even on a stormy day it was just stunning. There weren't many waves and the water was crystal clear really far out so it made for a great day to find shells, and there was no shortage of them to look at. I mean, in some areas they were literally just piled up like you would find snow piles in the north. Even found two whole, good-sized sand dollars! We walked all the way down to the end of the beach and back just looking around in the water and that was super fun and made the time fly by. At the end of the beach there's some woody parts that are fun to look at and previous visitors have kind of decorated them with shells and I thought that was neat. I took a lot of pictures of the water because the colors were just break taking and so defined. You can also see Sanibel Island and the bridge over it from Lovers Key, so many great views. There's an option to rent kayaks and paddle boards and go along the mangroves which I'd like to come back and do at some point. They have bathrooms and rinse stations, and a small restaurant right on the beach as well, which a lot of SPs don't have and it's nice to have everything you need yet it still feels mostly untouched by humans and it's so quiet compared to other beaches. Love love love!!! read more

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Went to Lover's Key Beach this morning which was my fourth time going. I was completely looking forward to spending the day here at the beach. Instead, we were lied to, over paid for parking & had to walk because tram service no longer takes you onto the beach. I went to the website to make sure all amenities I needed were still available and the times the park opened. The gates and ranger station was supposed to be open at 8, the gift/adventure shop was supposed to open at 9. When we first arrived there was no one at the ranger station but the gate was up to pull through. We then got to the parking lot and was instructed to pay for parking in a blue envelope and put the ticket on the dash by a ranger. When trying to pay, there was zero instructions as to the amount or who qualified for the certain prices listed. I have paid $4.00 to enter the beach prior because of my handicapped placard but the instructions didn't say for handicapped pay this...Then there was a QR code to pay that did not work so the only cash I had was a $10.00 bill. In fear of paying the incorrect amount and potentially having the car towed, I put the $10.00 in the envelope and put it in the required slot because a couple extra dollars is ok when we are going to enjoy the day at the beach I thought. Then we got on the tram to be let out half way before the beach without any indication that the tram no longer drops you off right at the beach. I would have brought my crutches to help me walk to the actual beach had I known I would have to walk over the final bridge. The tram driver also stated that there was a person at the beach for chair rentals which we need seeing we are from out of town. After walking over the bridge we got to the chair station to find all the chairs there locked up and no one in sight. We arrived there around 9:10 and found a sign for rentals at 9:30. No one showed up by that time either. Around 9:45, I called the gift/adventure shop to see if anyone was coming to rent chairs and I was told "yes, he's on his way and you should see the golf cart with the umbrellas when he gets there". That was a complete lie! No one was coming. I uncomfortably waited standing up in the hot sun until we left around 10:50. Other people were waiting too and multiple people left. I cannot sit on the ground or stand up for long periods of time. Another person called the store again to get almost the same story that the guy in the golf cart was on their way and you should see him coming. Which was another complete lie. We finally decided to leave because I was completely uncomfortable by this point. We walked back over the bridge to wait for the tram. When the tram came the driver said again that there is a person at the beach ready to rent chairs. I told him maybe he should not be telling people that because it wasn't true, no one was there. He tells me point blank "oh that's because he didn't show up to work today and missed his schedule". So I asked him well why are you telling people they are there because, I would not have waited two hours for someone that wasn't coming in. And why are the people in the shop lying by saying they are almost there and you should be seeing the golf cart when you know that no one is actually coming! I was ready to demand my parking money back but decided to just leave because I was even more angry and disappointed when we got back to the parking area to find the golf cart parked next to the gift/adventure shop with the umbrellas in it and no worker insight. I thought it best just to leave and not get in an argument with anyone. I found each interaction with the staff to be rude, inconsiderate of other peoples time, enjoyment and not understanding that people have limitations but want to enjoy themselves too. A simple chair and a cold water would have done that for me. By not being honest, I was extremely uncomfortable. If they were honest, I would have been understanding and made arrangements to come back another day. But now, I will never go back, I'm annoyed I over paid for parking and did not enjoy one minute at the beach. NOWHERE on the website did it update it's information about rental times, the tram not running to the beach, the lack of cold drinks at the concession or to bring correct cash amounts for parking. We would have planned to go somewhere that was more handicapped accessible with the amenities that non locals need in order to come to your park. I suggest you update your website to reflect your proper hours of operation, make sure your QR codes are in fact working with clearer instruction as to who pays what amount to park, make sure your employees arrive to work as scheduled or dispatch another employee temporarily to the area of need especially seeing the employees were informed that people were waiting and leaving because they were not there doing their job. All in all this was an extremely awful day and experience! read more

My husband and I went to visit Lover's Key State Park and were not disappointed. We drove up and paid the $8 daily entrance fee (per vehicle) and then proceeded to drive through and around the park until we got to our designated parking lot (given to us by the man at the front gate). We found a nearby trail that looked pretty neat and decided to hike on of their trails called, "Black Island Trail". We ended up walking on the beach and exploring the area. The many views along with the beaches were all very beautiful. We also took a ride on their free trolley which goes back and forth from the beach main entrance and the parking lot. Also, we discovered that there are so many different cool things to do at this state park (i.e.: guided tours, kayak/paddle-boat/canoe rentals, hiking, bicycling, beach access, swimming, sunbathing, shelling, fishing, wildlife watching, geocaching, etc...). So cool and a great idea to have available for visitors. After our wonderful visit to Lover's Key State Park, we made the decision to purchase an annual pass for $60. The neat thing that we found out about the pass is it lets us into not only Lover's Key State Park but most other Florida State Parks as well. I can't wait to go back to Lover's Key State Park with my friends and family to explore some more. Definitely recommend!! read more

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Gorgeous, scenic, and relaxing. Five stars for this State Park, it has everything you could want in an outdoor destination. I took my parents and my boyfriend on a kayak tour, and we absolutely loved it! Despite the warning that we would very likely not see manatees in November here, several swam right by us and came to check us out. One even swam right under my kayak - which was the coolest things ever! The mangroves were gorgeous, and the tour guide was genuine, knowledgeable, and fun. He explained all about the different types of mangroves, the different creatures we encountered, and more that we should be on the lookout for. After the kayak tour and dropping into the adorable gift shop, my mom and I walked down the short and scenic path to the beach. The beach was gorgeous, not exactly what I expected right next to mangrove-laden areas. I easily could have spent a week relaxing here. TIP: Get your Florida State Parks passport and get a stamp when you visit. That's what helped me find this gem in the first place! read more

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Okay park. Trails are a little boring. Didn't see any wildlife except for a couple nesting tortoises. Being in season now, the park was full, so we had to park outside and walk in. Still have to pay, even when you walk in. read more

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Beautiful setting, you can either choose the short .5 mile walk to the beach or jump on the tram. The drivers were friendly and quickly to get you from point a to b. Beautiful beach with additional swimming in the channel. Gently waves and nice shallow water for families. Highly recommend! read more

My favorite thing about my visit to Lovers Key State Park was the display of sea shells they have along the boardwalk to the beach. I snapped some pictures to help me identify all the shells I had collected during my stay on the island. Otherwise, I was a little disappointed. Sometimes its just an off day and I think this was one of those days for me! I had researched the park and was looking forward to a walk among the mangrove trees or maybe some kayaking or biking, but nothing turned out the way I thought. The fact that we were greeted by a very grumpy, inhospitable entrance attendant didn't help either Looking back, I think I was the only one among my friends who wanted to be there in the first place. Word of advice: leave your reluctant friends at the hotel pool. Second of all, go early and take advantage of the guided kayak tours. You won't be kayaking alone, you won't need your reluctant friends and the guides say the wildlife is more active in the cool of the morning than the heat of the day. We did spend a little time on the beach, but if you are from out of town (we were) and don't have all the trappings like awnings, umbrellas, chairs and coolers, some of the romance of hanging out on the beach can be lost. But even with all that said, I'm glad I went and I would LOVE to return on my own terms! read more

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Great park with lots to do. 8 bucks to get in. Trams back and forth to the beach but the walk isn't bad. We did one day on the beach and one day kayaking. Beach was really nice with plenty of room. Rangers pretty much left you alone. Didn't see one all day. Kayaking was lots of fun. 2.5 out and another to get back. Plenty of exercise to be had but know your limit as five miles is a long way! It was a bit pricey at $70 for a tandem. Overall this is a great park with lots to see and do. Spend the morning kayaking then the afternoon on the beach. read more

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Everyone here is so nice! The tram was great. I wish there were healthier and colder options for food. The beach itself is low key but the shells are not fun to walk on. I wasn't expecting the whole beach to be purely shells instead of soft sand. read more

We went geocaching in this Florida state park. The trails were awesomely maintained. Fine white sand and about eight feet wide. There were many looping trails and we saw lots of critters. Geckos, marsh rabbit, and tiny crabs. The lithe was lush and wild looking. We did find our geocache and recorded it in the app. I can't tell you about it or where we found it. That's your adventure. read more

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This is a beautiful beach in my opinion. There aren't big crowds that go here. Parking is a little difficult, but that probably helps keep out the riff raff. I love going at low tide and looking for critters and shells. If they are alive, DO NOT take them home! You can look at them, but don't kill them. read more

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Beautiful scenery but super busy in the afternoon. Things to know: Parking is limited so expect to walk if you don't get a spot near the tram stop. Be patient when waiting for the tram. It's 1 tram picking up and dropping off. There is an option to walk to the beach (about .5 mile). Lots of shells on the beach so wear footwear. Overall, great spot for shelling and sunbathing. read more

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What a great park! The very wide, long beach is beautiful and clean, the water as well. It's a beautiful place to hike (watch out for alligators though). Could really use a good restaurant on the premises though; there's a burger food truck and an ice cream truck but a sit-down place would be a great addition. Convenient trolley from parking lot. read more

Lovely day with 80 degree temps and low humidity...Lots of Birds, white sands,,, Loved It! We were there on a Sunday afternoon after taking a 10 am cruise on Estero Bay. This is a perfect place to come to in the afternoon. Lots of sea gulls and younglings of sea gulls. Seemed like the adults were training the young ones in how to fish in the beach!! (See pictures)! The white sands and the Gulf waters were phenomenal. We walked up and down the beach taking in the sights.Very Relaxing!! Just be careful if you go swimming. There are no life guards on duty here! We will be back again! read more

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I've been to a lot of beaches in the area and by far this was one that presented the most hassle, Enter at the north end, and you can park for free, but it's $2 admission using the honor system. Although, swimming is not allowed in this section as it indicates the water currents are too rough. Enter at the main entrance and you have to pay $8 for your carload. The park ranger said this is the best beach around--I totally disagree for the following reasons: -first, its not free. You have to pay admission. It rained during our stay and we were only there two hours. Not worth it. -you have to walk a good distance to the beach from the parking lot, perhaps 15 minutes, it's a pain when you're carrying beach chairs, towels, umbrellas, cooler, etc....unless, you take the tram to the south beach. -the beach had seaweed and they obviously had no interest cleaning it up, even for Independence Day weekend. -the sand was light colored but hard -the water this weekend (July 2019) was not clear at all, very green, but other surrounding beaches were clearer. -no showers or change rooms right at the main beach, just sand dunes. (You must take the tram to south end for those things) -dangerous; no lifeguards and signs everywhere warning of alligators. The only reason I can see people coming here is that it's a big quiet beach. You can easily spread out and have privacy. But personally, I don't like the look and feel of a deserted beach. read more

Lovers Key State Park - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

My wife and I were on vacation in Fort Myers Beach and she wanted to go see Lovers Key State Park and see the beach, hoping it was a little clearer than the north part of the island. It was a little clearer and nice and hot. They take you via tram to south beach from the parking lot and it seemed like there was an officer patrolling the parking lot, which was nice to see. They have a little food truck on the south beach and the tram driver was super nice. It looks like there could be some manatees in the canals on the way to beach. We went about 10 AM and the place started to really fill up about noon. We sat and floated in the Gulf for a couple of hours and my wife did some nice shelling. Nice little family friendly state park beach. Worth seeing. read more

Lovers Key is such a great park! Not only are the beaches beautiful, but there's ton of parking for a flat rate for the day. You can purchase snacks on the beach, rent kayaks/paddle boards/canoes, and see tons of wildlife. Both beach accesses have public restrooms, which is another nice amenity. Last year around this time, I went kayaking and we saw about 15 manatee. It was amazing!! I highly recommend this park. read more

Lovers Key State Park - Sand half dollar I found on Lovers Key beach - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

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The water was warm, the beach covered in shells. This was our first visit so next time we'll drive rather than take the Trolee bus, either bring an umbrella and chairs or rent them, and definitely bring a cooler with food and drinks. I could play in the smallish waves constantly hitting the beach for hours. Recommend a swim shirt and hat. There's no shade without an umbrella so the sun gets a little intense. Bathrooms available near the beach at the end of the tram line. A must visit beach! read more

Lovers Key State Park - Lovers Key State Park, May 11, 2024. - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Discovered this state park tucked off of the Bonita Beach beaten path. $8 granted our vehicle (8 people) access to the main parking lot situated in front of public restrooms, concessions, a long path to the beach and a tram stop. We had some difficulty finding a space at 1045a on a Wednesday but eventually scored a spot. If you own a sunshade, use it before locking up. The driver of our "tram," a truck pulling an aluminum trailer with bench seats, said they run every 15 minutes until park close. Once our octet boarded, we were treated to splendid views of nature and waterways. Some visitors reported gator sightings but we didn't see any. The ride ended at a section of 4 shaded benches in front of the public beachfront with restrooms and a sign displaying "free WiFi." Sweet!!! The sun was hot and bright but the beach wasn't too terribly crowded which made finding a spot easier, until we encountered the plethora of shoreline shells. The sight of us high-stepping while carrying our loads of beach gear to avoid getting foot cuts was surely entertaining, like a ritual hazing. I didn't get into the water but my kids said it was warm but higher in salt content than expected. As a result, we observed every child that arrived to the beach jump in, then dart back to their towels shouting "my eyes burn." After 3.5 hours of frolicking and taking in the Florida sun, we headed out to the rinse stations, ~75ft from the tram stop. While waiting, there seemed to be an influx of people accumulating which clearly wouldn't fit on the tram. When it finally arrived, we had to make a mad dash to board as common courtesy to those waiting the longest was ignored. read more

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Beautiful, affordable, and much better than staying in a motel on the beach, "a.k.a. Wyndham". Overlooking Estero bay is much more beautiful than the ocean. It is full of life other than human life. From our room on the 8th we saw dolphins, a manatee, all kinds of birds, and a no kidding gator. read more

Lovers Key State Park - Fly fishing in the bay. Awesome - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

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This park kept popping up in my search for nature experiences in Bonita springs, so I had to pay a visit. I only had a 2 hours to spend at the park, so I walked 2 miles of the Black Island trail and went to one of the ranger talks at the Welcome/Discovery Center. The trail was very relaxing and shaded and had a lovely butterfly garden, but there are not really any scenic views between the trailhead and shortcut 2. I liked that there were shortcuts of different trail lengths, so you have options of 1.2 miles, 2 miles, and 3. I also went to the Magnificent Mangroves talk (my favorite part of the visit) and learned a lot about the four majestic mangrove species in Florida. If I had more time I'd want to go kayaking and visit the beach, but I still enjoyed the walk and informative ranger talk. There is an entrance fee of $4 per single-occupant vehicle or $8 per car if more than 1 person. read more

This is a very beautiful and well maintained state park, near Fort Myers, Florida. We have visited the Lovers Key State Park a few times over the past few years, but most recently a few months ago. It's very easy to navigate to with the use of a GPS device or Google maps. There is plenty of parking and they can accommodate small and large vehicles. You can just walk the soft beach, relax under the trees, or by kayaking the local waterways. There is restrooms on site. You can walk to or ride the tram from the parking lot to the beach itself. read more

"Share a Shell Bridge" is what I think I overheard someone call it; the pedestrian bridge that goes from the tram drop off spot to the beach. Totally cool that you can find a nice shell on the bridge to take, and then you are encouraged to find a couple nice ones on the beach and put on the bridge when leaving. Pay it forward! Park was clean and a really nice place to visit. We wrapped up our vacation there yesterday by spending a couple of hours on the sand and the trails before heading to the airport. read more

its a nice beach. very windy... A LOT OF SHELLS. water is cold at the beach but there is this nice lake that has warmish water. the tram is nice but whatever. read more

Lovers Key State Park - A LOT OF SHELLS!!! - Beaches Near Me - Fort Myers Beach, Florida

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This was the best place I found in the island! Very calm and clear water, the sand was white and super smooth texture There's was not many people at all which made it extra nice for my husband and I to have a good time and feel like the beach was only ours. It's was a very relaxed and peaceful time read more

A beautiful beach to swim and visit in the Fort Myers area. The water is super clear and the sand is white and clean. The farther you walk along this beach the more secluded and quiet it becomes. This park also has some great trails to hike. This place is a great experience and is a must visit. read more

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This is a really nice beach and picnic area. Water is nice, beach sand is soft and there is free parking!