Cape San Blas, Florida.

To the top!

I have also heard that Captiva is a beautiful , romantic beach. We are thinking about going in early october. will the water still be warm then? i love getting in the ocean but hate to be cold!! thanks

The water doesn't get cold off the west central coast of Florida til Nov. Keep in mind, cold is relative for us Florida folks. Our low was 78 today and it felt cold.

The clearest water in Florida you will find is around the keys although I think the best beaches are north of that in the Clearwater through Naples area.

I have to vote Florida beaches over California beaches mainly because of the water temperature. I hate going to the beach and not enjoy the water. I was at Santa Monica Beach in March and the water was freezing - not the case in Florida.

I have never met anyone who was miserable because they had visited any beach along west central Florida. My personal favorite is Sand Key just south of Clearwater Beach.

Good luck in your quest!

PS - I wonder if Leone is still at TI - have to visit!

By beach do you mean ocean, because if you look inland there are some great beaches on the Great Lakes, especially now that the water has cleared up. For fantastic view, action and feeling like your in the center of it all, nothing beats the Oak Street to North Avenue beach strech in Chicago.

Bahia Honda in the Keys.

Tommy, no offense but have you ever been to Bahia Honda? Granted, it is the largest beach in the Keys but that isn't saying much. It is only a couple of feet wide. As far as the Great Lakes Beaches go, I don't think the water is warm enough, or beaches wide enough to count. I'd say South Atlantic, Florida, and the Gulf Coast.

I have to second the nomination for Great Lakes beaches. I just spent a week in Glen Arbor in NW Michigan, and the Lake Michigan beach was beautiful. Lots of yellow/white sand. No sea shells but an amazing assortment of smoothly polished stones of all colors line the shore for about a foot above the waterline and the first foot or two into the water. After that, sand under your feet. There was little seaweed and the water was amazingly clear (I was looking for special stones through waist-high water.) None of the oil pollution or dead fish that I remember there as a kid 30 years ago.

The water color varies from an almost Carribean turquoise to a steely blue-grey. The surface can be smooth as glass, or on a blustery day, full of white caps. Not high enough for surfing, but enough to enjoy jumping in and listening to the pounding of the surf.

The ovly caveat is that southerners are apt to find the water unbearably cold. But at the hottest part of the day, or after a long, sweaty hike or bike ride, it's refreshing beyond belief.

Yes, I have been many times - I go to the extreme north end where it is not as crowded, and although it is a narrow beach, the sand and water quality are excellent, and I don't have to view the atrocious cement high rises and overdevelopment that mar the rest of the beaches in Florida. I prefer the natural beauty of Bahia Honda despite the narrow beach, and the water is extremely clear.

South Padre Island, Texas http://www.sopadre.com/

Maine is where the clean beaches and crystal clear water.

Clearwater Beach Florida

Beautiful, clear water and white sand that is the consistancy of flour. It is wonderful!!

The most beautiful beach in the world (in my humble opinion) is at Good Hart in northern Michigan. Smooth, clean blond sand. Fresh water. No crowds. Beautiful pine trees on the tall sand dunes that slope down to the water's edge. You can swim out 200 yards without going over your head. Paradise on Earth during the warm weather.

Siesta Key in Sarasota FL is my #1 pick. #2 would be Clearwater Beach, FL

Navarre Beach.