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| Top Southwest Florida Beaches |
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| September 30, 2008 |
Southwest Florida beaches are internationally recognized for the opportunities they offer visitors to enjoy nature, and to relax on family friendly beaches. Here are a few of the top beach locations in Southwest Florida ranked highly by respected travel information sources:
Sanibel Island
- Named one of the Top Shelling Beaches, Travel & Leisure magazine, July 2008
- Ranks among the "world's best islands," National Geographic Traveler magazine, 2007 Places Rated
Lover's Key
- Listed by CoastalLiving.com among its Top 10 Romantic Retreats.... more
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| Surfing's Shaun Tomson, 'Bustin Down The Door' in Panama City Beach |
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| September 10, 2008 |
| The press release says: "World champion surfer, Shaun Tomson, will be in Panama City Beach, FL to attend the showing of "Bustin'Down the Door" - an award-winning documentary about a pivotal period in the history of surfing."
I say, if you love surfing, this is a film you definitely don't want to miss!
Yes, it is a documentary.
No, there are no car chases.... more |
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| Florida Beach Basics DVD & Reference Cards |
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| September 09, 2008 |
| Visitors to Florida's beaches often encounter things they've never seen before. Florida beaches have their own unique plants and animals, and all kinds of things are brought to the beach by the ocean currents. A small Brevard County based company called Still Nature has produced an excellent DVD and six UV-coated reference cards that describe the Space Coast's beaches and the natural treasures that are commonly found there.... more |
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| Labor Day was Beach Day |
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| September 03, 2008 |
| Labor Day weekend is a really big beach weekend in Florida. Families from all over the state head to the beach for the weekend to relax and have fun. This past Labor Day was no exception, although overall beach attendance was lower due to Hurricane Gustav blowing by out in the Gulf of Mexico.... more |
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| Florida Surfers: A Dedicated Crew |
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| August 24, 2008 |
You won't find a more dedicated bunch of surfers anywhere than right here on the Gulf coast of Florida. We take what we can get when it comes to waves, and this week we are getting a lot of sloppy chop from tropical storm Fay.
I drove out to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island on Thursday afternoon.... more |
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| Pole R Bear's On The Beach |
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| August 18, 2008 |
| I've found a great product that I think all beach lovers can use. I use it every time I set up my beach umbrella.
One of the biggest problems with bringing clothes, towels, camera bags, etc.... more |
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| Florida Nature Beaches Video Now on VISIT FLORIDA! |
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| August 04, 2008 |
Sometimes when I go to the beach I want to get as far away as possible from the noise and commerce of cities and be surrounded by nature and quiet. Florida has plenty of beaches where I can do that.
Florida State Park beaches offer some of the best opportunities to get away from it all.... more |
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| McLarty Treasury Museum: No Pirates Allowed |
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| August 01, 2008 |
On a recent beach-hunting trip to Vero Beach with an old friend, we discovered the McLarty Treasure Museum. The museum is located in Sebastian Inlet State Park on Florida's Atlantic coast, and is the site of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet Survivors' and Salvaging Camp. Let me explain:
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Spain took a lot of gold and silver out of Mexico and South America, turning it into ingots, coins, and jewelry.... more |
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| Tour Florida's Coast and Beaches DVD |
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| July 26, 2008 |
Wouldn't it be great to take a trip to EVERY beach in Florida without leaving your living room? If Gerald Crosby has his way, you'll be able to do just that.
Gerald has been to all the beaches in Florida with his video camera and has put together a wonderful DVD that takes you on a tour of the entire Florida coast, beach by beach.
I can tell you, as an experienced beach explorer and author of a guidebook on Florida's Southwest Coast beaches, it takes a long, long time to visit all the beaches in Florida – more time than most of us have available.... more |
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| Clearwater Debuts New Beach Walk |
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| July 14, 2008 |
| Clearwater Beach has proudly opened its new Beach Walk a full six months ahead of schedule. The $30 million face-lift and redesign of the beach front has created "a winding beach-side promenade with landscaping, unique amenities, improved pedestrian access, and views of Clearwater's award-winning beach and the Gulf of Mexico.... more |
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| Loggerhead Turtle: Florida's Official Saltwater Reptile |
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| July 02, 2008 |
As of July 1, 2008, the loggerhead sea turtle has been named the official saltwater reptile of Florida, and now serves as a symbol of Florida, like the 21 other official state symbols, including the alligator and the manatee.
The significance of this is to draw attention to the loggerheads and to create exposure that will likely result in a greater awareness of the turtle's importance to Florida.
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| Daytona Beach - Day 3 |
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| May 26, 2008 |
| I woke up Sunday morning at 5:30 and waited for the sunrise. At 6:15 things looked promising so I grabbed my camera and headed for the beach. Clouds on the horizon muted the sunrise, but I did manage to take a couple of photos of the pink orb as it began another beautiful day on more |
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| Daytona Beach - Day 2 |
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| May 25, 2008 |
I woke up this morning in time for the sunrise, but alas, the clouds were thick and the sun was hiding. I'll try again tomorrow morning.
Today I'm meeting the VISIT FLORIDA video crew to start the day by filming Tim Gilley and his assistant Kelly teaching a family how to ride a surfboard at the more |
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| Daytona Beach - Day 1 |
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| May 24, 2008 |
| We are working on another short video adventure. This time we're in Daytona Beach to spotlight all the activities available right on the beach, besides the usual stuff like swimming, looking for shells and working on your tan.... more |
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| Best Beach in the Nation 2008--Caladesi Island! |
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| May 22, 2008 |
| Summer is upon us and families all over are planning their Florida summer beach vacations. It's already starting to feel like summer at the beach with temperatures well into the 80's. Even the water temperature is already around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.... more |
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| This Beach is 'For the Birds'! |
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| May 15, 2008 |
| Summertime is nesting time for many of our shore birds here in Florida, and some of them are pretty lazy when it comes to building a nest. In fact, some of them don't bother at all. They just plop down in the sand and lay their eggs.... more |
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| A Visit to Playalinda Beach |
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| May 02, 2008 |
| If you are looking for a really remote beach where you can truly get away from the crowd, I've got a just the place for you. more |
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| Pelicans, Pelicans, Pelicans! |
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| April 16, 2008 |
A wonderful bird is the pelican
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak
enough food for a week.
I'll be darned if I know how the heck he can.... more |
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| Boy Finds Mega Sharks Tooth on Egmont Key |
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| March 10, 2008 |
| Imagine going to the beach and finding a five-inch long sharks tooth! That's just what happened to a young boy Sunday on Egmont Key. Johnathan Abel of The St. Petersburg Times wrote a great more |
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| Yoga On Indian Rocks Beach--A Great Way to Relax |
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| March 05, 2008 |
| Sometimes the beach offers adventure and excitement, like when the surf is up. Other times relaxation is the order of the day. One of the most relaxing activities I've found happening at the beach is yoga.... more |
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| Clearwater's New Beach Walk Takes Shape |
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| February 13, 2008 |
If you've been to Clearwater Beach lately, you've noticed some major changes taking place along the beachfront between Pier 60 and the south jetty on Clearwater Pass. All the construction may make parking a little difficult, but the end is in sight and it is all for a reason.
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| Arrrrggggghhh! A Pirate's Life For Me! |
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| February 03, 2008 |
| If you are looking for a unique Florida vacation far removed from Mickey Mouse, try St. Augustine. I hadn't been in many years, but my fiance, Sue, had recently gone to yoga school there and fell in love with the place and wanted to go back to visit.... more |
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| Sandsculpting Video Now On The Web |
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| January 27, 2008 |
Hi everyone!
At long last, the video we shot at the 21st Annual Sandsculpting Festival has been edited, chiseled, massaged, hammered, tweaked, and polished into a true masterpiece! The video crew and editors did a magnificent job of condensing nearly a whole day of wandering around among the sand castles (oops, sand sculptures) into an entertaining and all-too-short video clip. Check it out.
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| Green Flash: A Mirage at Sunset |
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| January 17, 2008 |
Have you heard of it? Seen it? Did you just imagine it? Was it real?
I'm talking about the green flash.
The story goes that if you look very carefully when the sun is setting over the sea, sometimes there is a flash of green light just as the sun disappears. For most, the green flash is half real, half legend.... more |
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| Sand Between Your Toes |
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| January 07, 2008 |
| Every beach in Florida has sand and shells. Some have white sand, some brown, some gray, some orange. Some beaches, like those in the Daytona/Ormond Beach area, have a lot of coquina shell fragments mixed in with the sand.... more |
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| It's Warm Again! |
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| January 07, 2008 |
| You've probably heard all about the cold snap we had here in Florida during the first week of the New Year. Yes, it was pretty chilly for a couple of days. It's gone now.... more |
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| Honeymoon Island is for Nature Lovers |
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| January 03, 2008 |
| Driving up US 19 through Dunedin, Florida, just above Tampa Bay, you would never suspect that adjacent to the coast is a wonderful undeveloped State Park on an island with a virgin pine forest.
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| Merry Christmas from the Beach! |
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| December 26, 2007 |
Just from watching television, almost anyone would come away with the impression that Christmas Day is spent by everyone in front of a lighted tree, a pile of gifts, an assortment of relations, and a fourteen pound turkey. For most of my life that's pretty much the way it was.
Sure, when I was a teenager, if the surf was up I'd make an early run out to the beach to catch a few waves on Christmas morning, but I'd always be back in front of that Christmas turkey by lunch time.... more |
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| Sand Dunes Big and Small |
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| December 20, 2007 |
One of the most beautiful features of Florida beaches is the sand dunes. The sand dunes on each beach are different—some are large, others are small; some are covered with sea oats, while some of the larger dunes are inhabited by larger vegetation like sea grape or small oak trees.
Dunes are formed by the wind and plants on the beach.... more |
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| Take an Evening Stroll on Pass-A-Grille Beach |
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| December 14, 2007 |
Many of us, when we think of the beach, think of the weekend. After all, that's when those of us who live in Florida usually have the time to go to the beach. We drive to the beach and have to contend with heavy weekend beach traffic and crowds at the public beach.... more |
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| Sea Turtles Go Back to Nature |
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| December 09, 2007 |
Sea turtles are creatures of few words, but I imagine that if they spoke, certain lucky turtles would express their appreciation for the kind folks that saved them from near death, cared for them and released them back into the wild to continue doing what turtles were put here to do.
Turtles "Astro" and "Kelsey" were released back into the wild on Friday morning by their rehabilitators from Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Astro is a loggerhead turtle discovered in June 2007 floating near a weather buoy near New Pass in Sarasota.... more |
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| BeachHunter in Sarasota Magazine |
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| December 05, 2007 |
| I'm pleased to say that the December issue of Sarasota Magazine has an article about me and my beachhunting activities. On my own more |
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| The Beach is On The Web! |
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| December 03, 2007 |
If you are wondering what it's like at the beach today but are not able to be there, did you know that the beach is just a mouse-click away? Web camera technology makes it possible to get a live view of your favorite beach. Although not all beaches have web cams, more are popping up all the time.
What exactly is a beach web cam, you ask? It's nothing more than a camera (still or video) that is connected to a computer.... more |
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| Bridge Street Pier's New Face! |
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| November 27, 2007 |
| Sunday evening my fiance and I decided to drive down to one of my favorite islands, Anna Maria, and have a look around the newly renovated Bridge Street Pier. Bridge Street is not a contrived name. The bridge between Bradenton Beach and the mainland used to connect to the island at Bridge Street.... more |
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| Beach Wrack for Beachcombers |
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| November 18, 2007 |
So, what do you do for fun at the beach? Listen to the radio? Read a book? Play Frisbee? Swim? Skimboard? Take long walks and look at all the people? Look for shells? Have you ever tried “beachcombing?”
Does a cloudy day interfere with your day at the beach? Well, a lot of people go to the beach just to see what has washed up with the tide. They look for interesting objects to identify and marvel over. This is called beachcombing, and doesn't require a sunny day, or even a warm day.... more |
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| Spectacular Sandsculptures on the Beach |
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| November 15, 2007 |
| I attended my first sandsculpting event on November 8th and 9th, 2007 and discovered that sandsculpting is a lot more than just building sandcastles on the beach. Artists from all over the World participated in the event and produced some incredible works of art in the sand. The VISITFLORIDA video crew met me at the event to help create a short video of the sandsculpting, which you will be able see right here on the VISITFLORIDA.... more |
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| Sunsets at the Beach |
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| November 01, 2007 |
Hi Everybody!
Fall is finally here and our first Florida "cold front" is coming through. The temperature is expected to plummet into the upper 80's for a high over the next few days. But it will be a "dry" 88 degrees.... more |
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