Florida Gulf Coast beaches

Anna Maria Island

This low-key gem on Florida's west coast has been catering to and attracting families for generations. Not much has changed over the years, and it remains a friendly, accessible and non-condoized place to kick back and enjoy the beach life.

Clearwater

The beach is beautiful, the water languid and the atmosphere laid-back and funky. Shop for souvenirs and T-shirts, dine on the day's catch at casual seashore shacks, and take in the sunset celebration at the Pier, a la Key West. Save a day for secluded Caladesi Island State Park to the north -- it ranks as one of the nation’s top beaches.

Sanibel Island

701 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

Siesta Key lives up to its name – this slip of an island invites you to kick off your shoes, lounge by the gulf and watch the world go by. For more active times, there’s the world-renown beach to stroll and a quiet bay fringed with mangroves to canoe or kayak. Stays here are in low-rise hotels, petite resorts, mom-and-pop places and condo buildings, all set well back from the quartz-sand beach.

St. Pete Beach

The pink Don CeSar Beach Resort rises out of the dunes in St. Pete Beach, holding court over 4 miles of superb gulf shoreline. Work your way south, and resorts and hotels give way to historic Corey Avenue's shops and galleries and the quiet community of Pass-a-Grille, home of Pinellas County’s longest public beach. Across the pass is Fort DeSoto Park, named the nation’s top beach in 2005.