Introduction
Florida, often considered the Sunshine State, has it all. There are beaches, city life, and nature reserves, so you can always find something that meets your needs. Whether you want to go surfing or scuba diving, there are plenty of places where you can do both.
Flagler Beach
With a population of just over 2,800 people, Flagler Beach is a small Florida town with big potential. It boasts beautiful beaches and an inviting atmosphere that’s perfect for families looking to enjoy their summer days. If you’re interested in getting away from it all without getting too far away from civilization, this might be the place for you.
It has a six-mile stretch of beautiful beaches, open-air dining, bountiful fishing and a fishing pier, surfing, natural parks, and eclectic shops in this retro town. Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach is a great place to take the family for a day trip. Flagler Beach Museum, North Peninsula State Park, and Flagler Beach Municipal Pier are great places to visit as well. And don’t forget to visit Whaam Burgers while you’re there for an awesome meal!
Our favorite feature of the Flagler Beaches is the unique sand color. Is it pink or orange? Unfortunately, it does stick to you and is difficult to remove (try baby powder. You’ll be surprised).
Read More Here: No Cost Things To Do In Flagler Beach, Florida
New Smyrna Beach
New Smyrna Beach is a great place to visit for the history, beach, and shopping opportunities. History buffs will love touring the many historic sites including a nearby Cruger and DePeyster Sugar Mill Ruins which is a very interesting spot for our family each time we visit.
New Smyrna Beach is home to two notable commercial districts. Canal Street serves as the Main Street area in downtown New Smyrna Beach, and Flagler Avenue similarly serves as a Main Street in the beach area. While both of these streets have their own slightly unique vibe reflective of their specific locations, they both contain many localized shops, stores, restaurants, and boutiques. We could easily spend the entire day exploring either one of these two areas.
One unique area restaurant of particular interest is Norwood’s this Restaurant is Built to contain a treehouse at the second level which is quite an interesting place to dine.
Read More Here: Best Things to do in New Smyrna Beach
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a popular tourist destination and is known for its beaches and culture. It is home to Port Everglades where millions of cruise passengers pass through annually.
There are many different things to do in Fort Lauderdale such as going to the beach, exploring the city’s historical sites and museums, or relaxing at one of its many parks. Known as the Venice of America, Fort Lauderdale is an interesting place to take a boat tour of its many waterways. These boat tours include fascinating information about the city’s various famous and notable residents.
If you are family travelers, like ourselves, you may want to consider avoiding Fort Lauderdale during the spring break season, however, it typically gets overrun with rowdy college-aged adults, and can be a loud and over-stimulating for your young children.
Read More about Fort Lauderdale Here:
- Best Things to do in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Most Family-Friendly Resorts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Delray Beach
Delray Beach is located south of the Atlantic Ocean and is part of Palm Beach County. It has a population of about 60,000 people and has been named one of the best places for tourists to visit in Florida by several magazines and websites. The city has many shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels that make it a popular tourist destination.
We like a beach town with some fun activities and attractions nearby, which is why Delray makes the list. In addition to an interesting downtown area, Delray contains a couple of our favorite attractions in the entire state.
First, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are among some of the most interesting and beautiful gardens in the entire state of Florida. Morikami Museum and Gardens is a totally immersive experience. You will feel as though you have been transported to another time and place.
Second, we had an unforgettable experience exploring The Girls Strawberry U-Pick. This place is unlike anywhere else we have ever been. In addition to the Strawberry Patch, there is also a full petting zoo, which is deceptively larger than the given initial impression of the front buildings and parking lot. There is also a pizza parlor and ice cream shop which is filled with some incredible and interesting decor.
Read More Here: Best Things to do in Delray Florida
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach is a popular beach community in Tampa Bay, Florida. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Tampa Bay area and has been voted as one of America’s Top 10 Beaches by TripAdvisor.
Clearwater Beach is known for its wide, sandy beaches that stretch along the Gulf Coast of west central Florida. Clearwater Beach is home to a wide variety of family-friendly activities. There is no shortage of things to do.
Destin
Destin is another top Beach destination in the country. It’s beautiful, white sandy shores sit adjacent to Okaloosa Island along Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast. Destin has a wide variety of family activities available with many boat excursions. One of the most popular boating activities is a trip to Crab Island which is a shallow place in the water. The water’s unique depth, location, and warmth makes is a fun hang out spot with floating restaurants and inflatable slides and bounce houses.
Many of Destin’s other fun activities are located within shopping centers and resort shopping areas. even if you are not staying in these resorts in particular, don’t hesitate to approach the front gates and ask to visit their shopping and recreation areas. In these areas you’ll find carousels, zip lines, restaurants, shops, and more.
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Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach has more of a small-town vibe than its neighboring counterpart, Destin, but the great thing about Fort Walton Beach is that, along with that relaxed atmosphere, it is also adjacent to Okaloosa Island and just a short drive to Destin as well. You can easily enjoy the white sandy beaches of Fort Walton Beach with a sense of relaxation, but still be minutes away form fun, family-friendly activities.
We especially enjoyed exploring the Gulfarium during our visit there.
Read More Here: Best Things to do in Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Myers Beach
Fort Myers is a great family-friendly beach destination. The beach front is home to a number of shops, stores, and restaurants directly on the beach, which a fun area to explore while taking in the sun and the waves.
Nearby Fort Myers is also home to a number of fun, family-friendly attractions and activities. We enjoyed exploring Downtown Fort Myers for some interesting places to eat. The Ford-Edison Winter Estates are the former winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, and the IMAG is a local Science Center, which is fun to explore with children.
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St. Augustine
St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States, and the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental U.S. It has a rich history and is home to many historical landmarks, including Fort Matanzas National Monument and Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
From the Fountain of Youth to Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, there is no shortage of fun things to do together as a family. The Alligator Farm, the Beaches, the Historic Landmarks, and the excellent restaurants are all reasons why Saint Augustine is one of our top picks for the entire state of Florida.
Read More about Saint Augustine Here: Best Things to do in Saint Augustine, Florida
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach is another favorite among South Florida Beach Destinations. It is located in Broward County which means that it is just minutes form other popular beach destinations like Pompano and Fort Lauderdale. It’s also within reasonable driving distance to West Palm Beach to the north and Miami to the south. There is no shortage of things to explore across this area.
Our favorite features of Deerfield Beach are the resorts located directly ocean side accompanied by numerous eateries.
Vero Beach
You can’t go wrong with Vero Beach, a small city in the heart of Florida’s Treasure Coast. This quaint and town is home to a lot of great restaurants and beautiful, pristine beaches. Some of our favorite attractions are the nearby Treasure Museum (it is the Treasure Coast after all) and McKee Botanical Gardens which is one of the most exotic botanical gardens in the entire state.
Read More Here: Best things to do in Vero Beach Florida
Conclusion
So, there you have it, the best of Florida beach towns! Keep in mind that all these towns are just a short drive from each other, so if you find one place not quite meeting your expectations, there’s always another nearby.