really the best beaches in america?
 

I recently read an article in the Daily Mail (England) that named a couple of beaches in Florida as the top ten to visit in America. <BR> <BR>One was Saint Josephs - is that really in Florida? The other was Fort Desoto Park. <BR> <BR>Do you agree? Which one would you recommend? <BR> <BR>Do they actually beat Captiva/Sannibel? <BR>

It really depends on what you are looking for in a beach as to whether or not one should be in *your* top ten. It sounds as if they are naming unpopulated, solitary beaches, which are wonderful for long walks, or a nice day with a picnic, but if you want other activities, you won't stay at Ft. Desoto (which would necessitate camping anyway). I'm not sure where St. Joseph's is--Panhandle area? <BR> <BR>Personally, I prefer the quality of sand at Clearwater Beach a bit to the north of Ft. Desoto, but of course there are plenty of people there too. You'll be sharing your sand, which you won't do at Ft. Desoto, but it's great people-watching too. Caladesi Island, just north of Clearwater Beach and reached via boat is as nice as, or nicer than Ft. Desoto, just as remote, but again, you can't stay there. Like Ft. Desoto, it's a state park. <BR> <BR>The beaches at Captiva and Sanibel are among the nicest on FL's Gulf coast, but of course they are developed, which seems to what the Daily Mail was avoiding. <BR> <BR>My personal favorites if you are going in the summertime, would be beaches along the Panhandle (Grayton Beach there often finds itself in lists of top beaches). The sand is the whitest and finest of any of FL's beaches, and the water a pretty color. These beaches, however, are too cool for winter visits. <BR> <BR>Next (any time of year providing you can take the summer heat here after being acclimated to cool summers in England) would be Sanibel/Captiva or Longboat Key area, then Clearwater Beach or any of the stretch between there and St. Pete Beach. Clearwater etc are behind the other two only because I prefer the towns that support Longboat (Sarasota) and Sanibel/Captiva, to the town of Clearwater Beach, but the beach itself is one of the very best. <BR> <BR>

Steve, that's where I'm planning my next family vacation- Cape San Blas, where St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is. It's in the panhandle area of Florida, southeast of Panama City. The sand is snow white in this area. For more info you can check out these websites: <BR>http://www.VisitGulf.com/ <BR>http://abfla.com/parks/StJoseph/stjoseph.html

I thought I'd bring up your original post since you did have a few answers. I'll add that the VisitGulf link has a bulletin board where you can ask questions. Click on "Live Forums".

And there's another message board at: <BR> <BR>http://www.hometownibs.com/Forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=4

The prettiest beaches in Florida (and I've seen several) are in the Emerald Coast which is from Panama City west into the panhandle. The sand is as white as snow, the water is an incredible color of green (ie. emerald coast). Not as gorgeous as the Carribean but as close are you're gonna get in the states.