Southwest Florida has some of the nations best beaches great for boating, fishing and all other beach activities! Check out a short list of some of our favorite beaches to get you started in experiencing our great sun and surf!
Public Beaches Located in Charlotte County
Englewood
Chadwick Park at Englewood Public Beach
2100 North Beach Road, Englewood, FL 34223
16 Acres of amenities including pavilion, boardwalk, BBQ grills, picnic shelters, playground, restrooms, etc..
Blind Pass Beach (Middle Beach)
N Beach Rd, all the way to Manasota Key Rd.
Drive North from Chadwick Park and continue out of town past residential properties until you get to a bend with large carpark on one side of the road and the beach opposite. Restrooms and outdoor showers are available for use by those using the beach. Wide miles of sand stretch as far the eye can see.
Stump Pass Beach State Recreation Area
900, Gulf Blvd, Englewood.
Driving south from Chadwick Park and travel a couple of miles to Stump Pass Park and walk along a beautiful stretch of white sand which is washed by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Inter-coastal waterways of the Stump Pass inlet on the other side.
Don Pedro Island State Recreation Area/ Palm Island
Barrier Island Park, approximately 1 mile of white sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico accessible by boat only. Boat docks are located on the bay side via a channel from the Inter-coastal Waterway at green marker No.35. Amenities include park facilities, picnic pavilion, table grills, outdoor showers and restrooms. Sunbathing, shelling and fishing.
Port Charlotte
Port Charlotte Beach Park
4500 Harbor Blvd, Port Charlotte
Amenities include BBQ grills, basketball, boat ramps, bocce, fishing pier, horseshoes, picnic, shelters, playground, restrooms, heated swimming pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts, canoe/kayak, refreshments….
Public Beaches Located in Lee County
Boca Grande
Cross the toll bridge ($6) onto Gasparilla Island and the town of Boca Grande. Lovely beaches are open to public along the Gulf stretches and at the Southernmost tip are the beaches opening onto Boca Pass where the two big rivers, the Myakka and the Peace , force their way out into the Gulf of Mexico. A wonderful place to enjoy the views and the sand but swimming is warned as it’s highly dangerous for both adult and children due to the currents.
A long beach trimming the West coastline of Gasparilla Island. Amenities for sunbathing, picnic area, shelling and restrooms.
Boca Grande Lighthouse & Beach
880 Belcher Road, Boca Grande • State Park
Boca Grande Beach, within the Gasparilla Island State Park, is the perfect place to find quiet relaxation and the charm of old Florida, without compromising on a beautiful natural environment with brilliant beaches, clear blue and green water, and lots of tropical vegetation everywhere. Historic lighthouse and visitor information on property.
Bonita Beach
27954 Hickory Blvd, Bonita Springs • County Park
This beautiful beach front park is on the northern tip of Bonita Beach. It offers a variety of amenities. You will find restrooms, shelters with tables and grills, a playground, and a sand volleyball court. Parking is available for $2 per hour.
Bowditch Point Park
50 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach • County Park
17 acre dual use facility located at the northern tip of Estero Island. 7 acres are a developed park for passive recreational use and 10 acres of restoration/preserve area. This serene location, which encompasses the entire end of the island, offers a choice beach setting. The backbay offers quiet waters, peaceful surroundings and a close up look of vessels entering and exiting the bay.
Bowman’s Beach
1700 Bowman’s Beach Road, Sanibel Island • County Park
Bowman’s Beach offers some of the Sanibel’s best shelling, and some of the island’s most remote beach space. There is a quarter mile or so walk from the parking lot to the beach,in which you’ll cross a wooden bridge over freshwater.
Bunche Beach
18201 John Morris Road, Ft Myers • County Park
This 719-acre facility located on San Carlos Bay. It is a pristine, completely natural area. This is living ecosystem that ranges from a sandy beach to Mangrove forests to salt flats and contains a wide variety of wildlife for viewing and offers great graphic opportunities from the flora & fauna to fantastic sunsets.
Captiva Beach
14790 Captiva Drive, Captiva Island • County Park
At the end of San-Cap Road, directly behind South Sea Plantation. This is a beach parking lot (fee required) that has assess to beautiful Captiva Beach.The park and pay stations are maintained by the Captiva Erosion Prevention District. Visitors parking at the Captiva Island North Lot (Alison Hagerup Beach Park) in this lot will be requiredto pay the $2 hour rate.
Lynn Hall Park Beach & Pier
950 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach • County Park
This family-oriented gulf front park is conveniently located adjacent to shopping and restaurants of the Times Square district. In addition to the “World’s Safest Beach” it features a fishing pier with bait/gift shop, shelters with grills for picnicking, a ship shaped playground for the kids, outdoor freshwater rinse off showers and restrooms with changing facilities.
Sanibel Lighthouse Beach
Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island • City Park
This is the site of our historic functioning lighthouse. Located on the eastern tip of Sanibel, wrapping around to the bay side. This is where the t-dock-fishing pier is and a boardwalk nature trail winding through native wetlands. Turn left on Periwinkle Way from Causeway Road.
Tarpon Bay Beach
Tarpon Bay Rd at West Gulf Dr, Sanibel Island • City Park
Tarpon Bay Beach is a popular destination on Sanibel Island. With miles of of beach to stroll on in either direction this beach is great for combing for shells. Its location away from swift currents make it great for swimming.
Public Beaches Located in Sarasota County
Caspersen Beach
4100 Harbor Drive S, Venice • County Park
Two-thirds of Caspersen has been left in its natural state. In areas, large rocks jut from the sand, creating tide pools at low tide. In most places the sand is a light tan color, but in other areas the sand is nearly black. These dark sands hold a secret – they are the most likely repository of prehistoric shark teeth.
Crescent Beach
1604 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key • City Park
Crescent Beach offers the lush, white sands, as well as azure waters and stunning sunsets, but it is relatively secluded and quiet, as it has only one public access road. Located just south of Siesta Beach, the beach scene here tends to be more peaceful and private.
Manasota Beach
8570 Manasota Key Road, Manasota Key • County Park
The beach is situated between the Gulf and the Intercostal Waterway. A boat ramp and docking facilities are available allowing access to the Bays and Gulf. The 620 feet of dock/boardwalk through the mangroves. A wonderful place to spend your leisure time whether you are interested in swimming, boating, fishing, walking, collecting shells.
Nokomis Beach
100 Casey Key Road, Casey Key • County Park
Nokomis Beach is located on Casey Key directly west of the Albee Road Bridge. It is Sarasota County’s oldest public beach. This popular destination offers a family-oriented beach and is also a popular spot for fishing and picnicking.
Siesta Beach
948 Beach Road, Siesta Key • City Park
Siesta Beach is located on Beach Road on Siesta Key. Siesta Beach is known as one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world.
Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach’s sand is 99% quartz. Even on the hottest days, the sand is so reflective that it feels cool underfoot. It’s estimated that the sand on Siesta Beach and Crescent Beach on Siesta Key is millions of years old, having its origin in the Appalachians and flowing down the rivers from the mountains until it eventually was deposited on the shores of Siesta Key.
Shallow water depth in the near shore area, together with year round lifeguard protection, makes this one of the safest beaches in the county and great for small children.
Turtle Beach
8862 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key • City Park
At the southern tip of Siesta Key is Turtle Beach, which provides a sportier, “family play” beach experience. The beach has picnic areas, a playground, a volleyball court and horseshoe pit. There’s also a boat launch, and fishing is permitted in the adjacent Blind Pass Lagoon.
Venice Beach
101 The Esplanade, Venice • City Park
An excellent place to find sharks teeth and other fossilized material and attracts divers to its coral reef about one quarter mile offshore.
Public Beaches Located in Collier County
Barefoot Beach
2 Barefoot Beach Blvd, Bonita Springs • County Park
Barefoot Beach Preserve is a popular Collier County Parks & Rec facility for both beach and nature lovers. The beach is printine with concessions for food and rentals for beach gear. The inland side of the island provides tidal creeks and mangrove swamps which serve as breeding areas and as a nursery for sport and commercial fish and shellfish.
Clam Pass Park
410 Seagate Drive, Naples • County Park
Clam Pass Park is a beautiful beach access point in North Naples. Clam Pass has 175 public parking spaces, which are free to visitors who have a beach parking sticker or visitors can pay a daily use fee. A boardwalk runs through a mangrove forest of salt-tolerant red, white and black mangroves, leading to the beach. Visitors can walk the boardwalk to the beach or use the tram.
Lowdermilk Park
1301 Gulf Shore Blvd N, Naples • City Park
Northern end of the Naples City Beach. The landscaped area next to the beach has a playground facility. Lowdermilk Park is one of Naples’ premier beachfront parks, with metered and unmetered parking, concession stand with food and refreshments, sand volleyball courts, restrooms, showers and a gazebo.
Naples Municipal Beach & Pier
25 12th Avenue S, Naples • City Park
One of the most popular beaches is at the Naples Municipal Beach, located at the end of 12th Street, just two blocks from Naples’ downtown district. White sandy beach, calm waters and coconut palms line the shore. The Municipal Beach is also home to the recently renovated Naples Pier, which extends 1,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.
South Marco Beach
S Collier Blvd, Marco Island • County Park
South Marco Beach Access is a 70-parking space lot with rest room access. The parking lot is located on Swallow Avenue and is a short walk across South Collier Boulevard to a one-acre beach access. The walk is lined with sabal palm and is surrounded by plush hotels on Marco Island. Discover this get away!
Vanderbilt Beach
Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples • County Park
Vanderbilt Beach Park is one of the Naples’ most popular beach accesses, because it is in a prime location near upscale hotels and in the popular North Naples area. The beach offers wide space for all visitors, gorgeous white sand surroundings, sea oats and rest room access.
