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re: Florida Panhandle vs South Florida: which region is better to vacation in?
Posted on 8/2/23 at 10:24 am to deeprig9
Posted on 8/2/23 at 10:24 am to deeprig9
Diff'rent strokes, but I hated the beaches at Ft. Myers, Sanibel and Captiva. Especially those last two. Shell beach with 10-grit debris in the surf to take a good four layers of skin off your legs.
1
Posted on 8/2/23 at 12:03 pm to JasonDBlaha
The only southern Florida beaches I have experience with are Miami and the Keys (which aren't really much in regards to beaches). If you're going on a family vacation, I'd definitely lean towards 30A. If you don't have kids, I'd lean towards Miami or Key West.
Posted on 8/2/23 at 12:11 pm to TigersnJeeps
quote:correct answer.
I would go north and include Siesta Key, Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island
beautiful area; just got back from there.
lido key is my favorite beach BY FAR. beautiful white sand, emerald green clear water, insane amounts of marine life, bottlenose dolphins swimming by close enough to touch, minimal crowds and a damn concession stand right on the beach offering frozen drinks for adults and mahi mahi sandiwches and lobster rolls.
rent one of those little houses right across the street from the public beach entrance for like $150/night. pro-tip: use google street view to 'walk' up and down the streets to decide which place you want and then call/go to the website on the sign out front.
most of these aren't on airb/vacasa/vrbo so you'll want to find them on your own. how can it get any better? oh ...you're 1/8 of a mile away from Armond circle and all those fantastic restaurants and shops.
eta i annoted a pic for you
This post was edited on 8/2/23 at 12:23 pm
Posted on 8/5/23 at 6:47 am to H2O Tiger
Panhandle definitely has nicer beaches and I say that living in South Florida. Anything near or around Miami is not my vibe at all. I feel like Miami people are mostly trash. My favorite thing to do “beach” wise in South Florida is go to the sandbar. Depending on which one, there’s usually a great crowd out there. The problem with the upper keys is too many Miami folks come down there. The lower keys has great sandbars.
Posted on 8/5/23 at 6:51 am to geauxpurple
quote:
The beaches on the panhandle are much nicer, Otherwise, Key West has turned in to one of my favorite vacation destinations.
No one who lives in KW goes to the beach. It’s shallow water and very rocky and not so clean water because of run -off. If you get in a boat and head out to snipes, Boca Chica, Mud Key or Women Key that is a great beach day. Next time you’re in KW get out to the sand bar, it’s the Key West people who go there are looking for but rarely find.
Posted on 8/5/23 at 8:11 am to wesfau
Lived on Sanibel pre Ian. The beaches were great because they were empty. Excellent shelling but the water had been really bad the last few years. Post Ian the beaches are much nicer and the water (at least in June) was as clear as Destin.
Now really think the joy of southwest Florida is being on the water in a boat and exploring the relatively unspoiled islands that dot the cost.
Now really think the joy of southwest Florida is being on the water in a boat and exploring the relatively unspoiled islands that dot the cost.
This post was edited on 8/5/23 at 9:57 am
Posted on 8/5/23 at 12:42 pm to JasonDBlaha
Pensacola - Panama is better water , beaches and more family . Now that stretch from PCB to fort meyers sucks to me . But then you have Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Hollywood beach . Those are single man and bachelor party parts of Florida. Expensive and a lot of foreigners. A lot of hot woman
Posted on 8/5/23 at 5:53 pm to Motownsix
If you can afford a home in Key West, you should easily be able to afford renting a yacht or boat. Because it’s expensive as frick to live in Key West. It’s probably 20-30% more expensive than Miami, and that says a lot considering Miami is already expensive as frick to begin with. Key West is on the level of places like Carlsbad and San Diego in terms of home prices.
This post was edited on 8/5/23 at 5:56 pm
Posted on 8/5/23 at 5:57 pm to Motownsix
South Beach is basically New Orleans in terms of the demographics of people who visit there
Posted on 8/5/23 at 8:34 pm to JasonDBlaha
Nobody has mentioned the Treasure Coast in SE Florida. If you want laid back with quiet beaches, check out the beaches north of West Palm Beach, and south of Cape Canaveral. No Miami vibe at all. Not much of a clubbing scene (Miami is 2 hours south), so nightlife is likely hanging out in a tiki bar watching a coral reefer band.
Pluses:
Never busy, and you have surfing waves. Blue water. Easy beach access with restroom facilities everywhere. Space launches. No traffic to speak of. Water is comfortable year round (cooler than gulf in summer and warmer than gulf in winter). Awesome fishing with great sailfishing. No wall-to-wall 20 story condos. Shelling is great. Affordable. Free parking and plenty of it.
Minuses:
No real party scene. Beach sand isn't sugar white. June has seaweed issues. Lots of casual Seafood places, but fine dining is limited. Long drive from out of state.
Pic from today (8/5/23) - surfers:
Pics from February - notice people in the water and this is an off leash beach - bring Fido.
Pluses:
Never busy, and you have surfing waves. Blue water. Easy beach access with restroom facilities everywhere. Space launches. No traffic to speak of. Water is comfortable year round (cooler than gulf in summer and warmer than gulf in winter). Awesome fishing with great sailfishing. No wall-to-wall 20 story condos. Shelling is great. Affordable. Free parking and plenty of it.
Minuses:
No real party scene. Beach sand isn't sugar white. June has seaweed issues. Lots of casual Seafood places, but fine dining is limited. Long drive from out of state.
Pic from today (8/5/23) - surfers:
Pics from February - notice people in the water and this is an off leash beach - bring Fido.
This post was edited on 8/5/23 at 9:05 pm
Posted on 8/7/23 at 12:54 pm to JasonDBlaha
quote:
South Beach is basically New Orleans in terms of the demographics of people who visit there
Driving home from South Beach right now. This time of year, Miami is mostly international tourists and cruise ship people. Every time in Miami I feel like I’m the only person there that speaks English as a first language. I don’t get that vibe in NOLA at all, but most of the time that I visit it’s for sporting events.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 2:40 pm to Tha crook
quote:
PCB
Was not impressed last trip down there. Much trashier than Gulf Shores if you can believe that.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 2:49 pm to Motownsix
NOLA and Miami aren’t really comparable at all. Miami is the third most-visited tourist destination in the U.S. after New York City and LA. New Orleans is an event city that relies on concerts and parades to draw people in.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 4:05 pm to JasonDBlaha
Panhandle means a lot more hardcore redneck action, and mostly crap food.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 7:43 pm to Locoguan0
Miami is where you go if you want to hang with rich NYC/NJ yuppies who dress in designer clothing and bring their gold-digging girlfriends with them
This post was edited on 8/7/23 at 9:17 pm
Posted on 8/8/23 at 8:25 am to JasonDBlaha
quote:
the beaches are much more commercialized compared to the ones in the panhandle, and have more South American/Brazilian culture vibes. The Panhandle beaches tend to be more laid-back and not as commercialized
While a bit over-simplified, this shows that there is a totally different culture between the two. Pick which one you want and go. When I was 20-25 and looking to raise heck and have fun, South Florida would've been the ticket.
Now I love how sleep the panhandle is. I'm worried 30A is too commercial and considering going further east.
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