The beaches of the Greater Tampa Bay area along the Gulf of Mexico offer up some of Florida’s ultimate salt life! Are you yearning for soft, sugar sand in-between your toes, while enjoying one of Florida’s world-famous sunsets? Maybe you’ve got the adventurous salt life at mind, deep sea fishing or scalloping the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Regardless of how you prefer your “vitamin sea”, the coastlines along the Gulf of Mexico will satisfy your salt life dreams from A-Z!
Hernando County
What Hernando County does offer is so much more! Adventures, manatees and mermaids as a matter of fact! If you’re looking for the beach, then head out to Alfred McKethan Pine Island, Hernando County’s 3-acre sandy beach along the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico. All of the amenities that you could ever need including a concession stand, restrooms, showers, kids playground, volleyball, pavilions, shelters, picnic tables, grill and of course, lots of sand and saltwater to play in. Endless enjoyment awaits along the freshwater, crystal-clear springs of the Weeki Wachee River; ranked as one of the top places kayak and SUP in all of Florida. Rogers Park is another great option to enjoy the fresh waters of the Weeki Wachee River and is a hot spot for the locals to sunbathe, swim, or launch their kayaks and John boats. Hernando Beach is our waterfront coastal residential community that is made up of man-made canals that go out to the Gulf of Mexico. Hernando Beach has no beach as the name of the community implies but offers fishing, boating, scalloping & sunset watching.
Pasco County
The further south you travel, the more state beaches parks you will find. Just south of Hernando County is Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park, also known as Hudson Beach. Hudson Beach benefits with the best of both beach swimming areas, as well as, designated fishing areas to cast your line. A great place to launch your boat into the Gulf of Mexico would be at Anclote River Park in Holiday. This beachfront park has a playground, shelters, picnic areas as well as designated swim and fishing areas. A lesser-known favorite in Pasco County is the Anclote Key Preserve but it’s only accessible by private boat or ferry service. The trip is well worth it to enjoy this 403-acre preserve with no provisions! You can even camp overnight as a castaway underneath the evenings’ stars! Now that’s what I call a salt life adventure!
Pinellas County
It’s the big leagues of beaches in the peninsular Pinellas County! Here you find the world famous Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach; and are just two among the hundreds of spots to swim and fish in Pinellas County. Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach have been ranked by TripAdvisor.com as the top beaches to visit in the USA! Busy and bustling Clearwater Beach is host to the annual Sugar Sand Festival, something to put on the top of your to-do list! St. Pete Beach has a laid-back feel and is known for the most beautiful sunsets in the world! For the full list of all of the Pinellas County beaches visit http://www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/things-to-do/beaches/