Fort De Soto Park was honestly one of the biggest surprises of our Florida trip. The second we…read morearrived, we could see why so many people love this place. The beaches were absolutely beautiful with soft white sand and clear Gulf water that looked straight out of a travel magazine. Even though it's a popular park, it still felt peaceful and relaxing. One of the coolest parts was how much variety there is here. You can relax on the beach, bike the trails, go kayaking, fish, camp, or explore the historic Spanish-American War-era fort. Walking through the old fort while looking out over the water was such a unique experience and made the park feel completely different from a normal beach destination. We also spotted wild Nanday Parakeets flying around the park, which made the whole place feel even more tropical and unforgettable. Seeing bright green parrots while standing near the ocean was definitely not something we expected. Everything felt very clean, well maintained, and easy to access. Fort De Soto Park is the kind of place where you could easily spend an entire day and still not see everything. We would absolutely come back again and highly recommend adding this spot to your Florida bucket list. Check out our video on our socials @reessroots

Easy parking, clean enough bathrooms. If it weren't so dang far this would probably be the main…read morebeach spot for me and my friends! Can't say it's a hidden gem, but it's certainly not as touristy as Clearwater or Treasure Island so it's a great beach to go to. And $6 flat rate parking for the beach is amaaazziinnggg!!!! Lots of pavilions and different areas for activities like camping. We were there for a spikeball tournament. Always something going on!

This 4-mile long beach is ideal for distance swimming, which is the reason I go. From the Hurley…read morePark point (multi-booth bathrooms) to pink castle, the Don CeSar is 1.5 miles. Street parking. Pass-A-Grille Beach is the first beach on the Gulf. Now part of St. Pete Beach (nps form 10-900), it has a long and colorful history. Originally inhabited by Native Americans, it was visited by Spanish explorers in 1528 and later named from the French Passe aux Grilleurs ("passageway of the grillers") for early fishermen who camped there.

This beach kinda sucks. It probably sounds odd but the sand on this beach is rough as shit and very…read morefeet unfriendly. My son and I played volleyball for about 15 minutes before several cuts to our feet and hands halted it. It's also one of the most expensive beaches to park at. I think we paid about $20 for four hours. Do yourself a favor and spend the day at St. Pete's public beach. It's cheaper, they have thr same amenities, the beach is larger and the sand, well, the sand is that soft white kind that's kind to your feet! Cheers.

Upon having a discussion with my Mr. about how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west it's…read moretime for show and tell ROADS LEADING TO THE BEACH TO WATCH THE SUNSET LETS GO!! White sand beaches, clear water and such a laid back atmosphere. it's a beautiful day, couples are laying together on their blankets, kids are playing with sand building their own sand castles, collecting seashells, chasing birds, running in and out of the very cold water I think the temperature this day was about 72 degrees the sun was setting for the night , food was amazing the views of the perfect sunset just right for smooching on the beach with your love one!!

St. Pete Beach in December was absolutely perfect. Getting there early, when it was still "cold,"…read morewas the way to go. The air was crisp, the light was beautiful, and for the first hour we almost had the entire beach to ourselves. Quiet, calm, and incredibly peaceful. As Mainers, this felt like the best kind of December treat. Cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough to remind you that winter doesn't have to mean snow and layers. The beach was clean, serene, and exactly what we needed. If you're visiting in the winter months, an early morning at St. Pete Beach is unbeatable.

I saw a video on IG a few months back that stated this beach would make you feel like you were on a…read moreisland, so I had to check out Bean Point Beach. It was an hour plus drive south from my friends house in Gulfport to Anna Maria Island. Bean Point is the north point of the island. Be cautious if you park in a neighborhood as they will ticket you $75 if your car is touching the road. We find out the hard way:( We walked a few blocks and found a public beach access. When I saw the beach I couldn't believe my eyes. The water was a gorgeous color of blue/green! It was hard to belive this was Florida lol. We walked for a while and I found some pretty shells to take home from my adventure. This part of the beach wasn't too crowded which I loved. A few people were fishing and others were sitting and relaxing. While a few tourists were in the water. Brrrr it was too cold for me. I only let it hit my feet lol. I highly recommend checking out Bean Point Beach so you can see this lovely water and beach for yourself!

Beautiful beach with pristine, clear water, perfect for enjoying a day in the sun and watching a…read morebeautiful sunset. The soft white sand is sprinkled with small shells. The surrounding area is clean and well-kept, with multiple entry points providing easy access to the beach. However, parking can be challenging, as there are no dedicated parking lots nearby, and finding neighborhood parking on weekends can be tough. Additionally, there are no showers or restrooms available, so be prepared to head back to your car with sandy feet. Despite these minor inconveniences, it's a beautiful spot to enjoy the water, sand, and a peaceful sunset.

Great place to hang out and enjoy the beautiful Tampa Bay ... living on the island of Tierra Verde…read moreoff the coast of St. Petersburg

My husband and I rented a 2 bedroom condo here - it is the only weekly rental availability on…read moreTierra Verde. I think it is the closest place you can stay by Fort DeSoto Beach. Also very close to St Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Madeira Beach. They are all privately owned units, we stayed in E-52 which overlooked the bay and salt water pool/hot tub. They had a tandem bike which they allowed us to use. We rode all over the island and saw beautiful multi-million dollar homes that surrounded us. A cool bar/restaurant called Billy's was waling distance. The unit was clean, had two bedroom, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, flat screen TVs, and a living room with a balcony. And we paid way less than if we stayed at a hotel - less than $800 for a full week! Would definitely return and recommend this complex. There was so much to do - I am sure we will be returning for more.

What a beautiful beach this is. There are certainly tons of beaches to visit in Florida but this is…read moreone of my favorites. The beach is large and spacious, they have common sense parking and there's millions of seashells for you to find. Definitely worth the drive!

An incredible, peaceful, beautiful beach. Can't wait to take my grandson there with his kite. My…read morepreteen granddaughter will be nuts about it. It's not surrounded by businesses. Presently it's surrounded by what I believe to be, new home construction so best to enjoy this treasure while you can. And the view of the sunsets are the best.

Wow! What an experience! We took a 9am tour to Shell Key on Cap'n Dalton's boat. There were only…read moresix passengers on board, which meant there was plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the sunshine. Dalton provided expert commentary about the area, even pointing out a few celebrity homes and yachts along the way. It was a gorgeous ride over to Shell Key, and we even saw a few dolphins along the way. Once on the island, we had about 45-50 minutes to explore the beaches and do a little snorkeling and shell-hunting. The island is aptly named, with rows and piles of shells along its white, sandy beaches. The water was warm and perfect for swimming. Soon enough we were back on board and heading back to the harbor. And that's when the magic happened: dolphins! Following along in our wake, and no doubt attracted to the enthusiastic squeals of one of our dolphin-loving fellow passengers, the dolphins put on quite a show. Even Dalton, who I assume sees a LOT of dolphins, was impressed by how long they followed in our wake and performed jumps and flips for us. It was truly one of the most remarkable experiences of my life! Thank you Dalton and Island Ferry for an amazing and memorable tour and one of the true highlights of our vacation!

Lovely tour! Our guide was very nice and chill, she definitely wanted to make sure we had a good…read moretime. Obviously its never a guarantee, but we saw dolphins and a manatee on our tour. Groups are small and the boats are very comfortable. They use pontoon boats so you have shade, which I definitely appreciated. The beach they took us to to snorkeling was gorgeous.

Booked a trip with Hubbard's Marina. We departed from Ft De Soto…read more Art and Skip were our captains and they were great! We left Ft De Soto at 11am. Arrived around Egmont Key around 11:15am or so. We had to be back on the boat by 2:15pm for a 2:30pm departure to arrive back to Ft De Soto by 3pm. The boat was $30 per person. The park entrance fee is $5. Worth the trip and money. Leave early and allow plenty of time for traffic The boat offers covered seating and a galley on board selling snacks, soda, and water. Definitely pack snacks and food. We didn't thinking we wouldn't want or need it but regretted it. I brought 2 40oz water bottles, which was enough for me. Wear beach clothing with a bathing suit and cover-up. Bring sun protection too. If you don't want to buy food, drink and snacks on board be sure to pack a small cooler.

Egmont key is a great place to spend the day. sun on the beach and explore the fort. the ferry…read moreservice could be better tho, prices keep going up every year and you only get 2-3 hours on the island

Hidden gem, the water is easy to access with a parking lot conveniently located next to the beach…read more The beach is a 1/2 mile wide and miles long with soft-white sand that doesn't stick to you. The beach is lined with hotels, motels, beautiful homes and a few restaurants that are great for a quick bite to eat and have drinks. This beach is family friendly and nice for jogging along the water.

I love St Pete Beach so much I decided to live here! It's quiet, clean, and the beach is beautiful!read more

My god, best tour guide ever. Excellent tour. Scott was extremely personable, he gave us a…read morecomplete rundown of the area, and also gave us advice for or trip including places to eat and other fun things to do. I came in 2025 with my son Mikey and Daughter Antoinette. Scott was very entertaining. Memorable experience.

This was such a great kayak tour. It's suitable for beginners as it is at a relaxed pace. Scott is…read morea fantastic tour guide with lots of local knowledge of the area. He leaves time for shell collecting on a beach. This is a family-owned business and they do it so well. Highly recommended!