Best beach-vacation destination within 100 miles of St. Pete, FL?

September 26, 2010 3:00 PM

Best beach-vacation destination within 100 miles of St. Petersburg, FL?
posted by markcmyers to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

Sanibel? Why leave St. Pete when you can just go to Fort DeSoto or Pass-a Grille. When I lived in St. Pete I used to go to Cocoa to visit friends, ad St. Augustine, liked both.
posted by mareli at 4:06 PM on September 26, 2010

siesta beach in sarasota has a killer drum circle on sundays
http://www.simplysiestakey.com/DrumCircle.html
posted by Redhush at 4:11 PM on September 26, 2010

Define "best beach".
I love Anna Maria Island and/or Holmes Beach. It's very tranquil, narrow beach, no cars. Clear gentle water. Family friendly. Local artsy community.
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 5:24 PM on September 26, 2010

I'm going to suggest Nokomis Beach on Casey Key. They, too, have a Drum Circle. The beach is beautiful - I love LOVE walking that beach searching for sharks' teeth. I have quite the collection. There are some freaking big houses on Casey Key. I believe Stephen King lives there (or used to). There are also some smaller beach cottages. A lot of places to rent/choose from right on the beach. Waking up at dawn, taking in the sunrise and watching the dolphins feed right off shore is unforgettable, as is the drum circle and sunset at dusk. On the bay side, up the road a bit, you can rent jet skis/ski-dos and ride them around in the bay - lots of fun. Watch out for the dolphins.
posted by Sassyfras at 6:09 PM on September 26, 2010

2nding Nokomis/caseykey jetties,beaches,fun
posted by patnok at 6:28 PM on September 26, 2010

& you might see Mr King @ Publix....you never know.....
posted by patnok at 6:30 PM on September 26, 2010