South Florida's Gulf Coast Secrets

Living in Florida has its advantages. There are some wonderful places to visit.

Disney World in Orlando, of course, but there is also the Keys, Daytona Beach, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and St. Augustine, to name just a few. All of Florida's most famous, usual hot spots, but there is so much more to explore.

For this author, preferable it is to get off the beaten track. Some well kept secrets and some not so well kept. I speak of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico coast of South Florida. The Gulf coast has the beaches to visit. The effervescent blue waters set off by white sand beaches that do not burn bare feet, wonderful between the toes. White sand beaches and gentle waves, this is paradise.

Siesta Key has one of the worlds most well known white sand beaches. This relatively small key is home to two public access beaches; the main beach is, quite appropriately, Siesta Beach. Plenty of parking, volleyball nets, tennis courts, and Picnic tables with barbeque pits. The Key is home of a quaint "downtown" area catering to a "parrot heads'" (Jimmy Buffet fans) mentality, native to a key environment. Within walking distance from the main beach with good food, enjoyable music, and sunsets you only see in pictures, this is Siesta Key.

South of that is the best kept secret in Florida, in my opinion. South of Venice, Florida is the beginning of a long thin strip of land called Manasota Key. You will find three beaches, the southern most with a small tourist area. Gift shops, vacation home rentals, a hotel, couple nice restaurants with Gulf views, and of course a tiki bar (the sunset from the perspective of the tiki bar is spectacular).

The northern area is home to Manasota beach. A few barbeque pits, covered picnic tables with lots of parking. Right over the inter-coastal bridge this is the first beach you will come to upon leaving Venice.

The middle beach is called..... Middle beach, by the locals. There are basic facilities, and a long beach but it is a hideaway, couple mile drive on a narrow road from either direction. Opposite Middle beach is inter-coastal access in quite a large wildlife refuge. The dirt trail roads provide a few outlets to the inter-coastal waterway, perfect for fishing. If your not to squeamish, go for a walk in the flats (that's IN the water). Awesome adventures, if you can be still for a minute you can watch the various fish swim by your feet through crystal clear water. I used to enjoy walking the flats and fishing with a couple friends. Wise it is to be with friends on those walks, for sure.

Then south to Englewood Beach, I began describing it at the start. The beach is huge and the sunset is always spectacular. On the weekends you can always hear live music over the water at night from the tiki bar across Stump Pass, well, in between sets of the live music at the tiki bar where one might find his or her self.

This part of Florida is a personal favorite.

Other areas of exploration have their unique getaways and intricacies. I will have more to share in other writings. A local's viewpoint is a vacationer's advantage.

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