[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by OpusX1

Here is a interesting list of the top 12 Florida beaches according to Dr Beach.

12 Best Florida Beaches - Orlando Sentinel

I think we have been to all of them except the one near Apalachicola.

The closest listed gulf beach is Caladesi Island State Park.

It has been my experience that all of these "best" ratings are highly subjective (see the post just about yours that said Caladesi was not worth the effort) and often were tainted by whatever Tourist Development agency commissioned and paid for the list.

The "Dr. Beach" guy is prob the best known. But if you look at his picks you will see that his overwhelming criteria are: a big, wide, fine sand beach and tranquil "ocean". As for me, I care more that the beach is clean and hopefully not crowded and the less tranquil the ocean is, the better I like it.

Like I said .... subjective.

BTW .... I have spent a large portion of my life on the beach and in the ocean.

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by LndLocked

and the less tranquil the ocean is, the better I like it.
Like I said .... subjective.
.

Yep, same here. When going to the beach I want waves otherwise a lake would do.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by grayesun

Not quite as far as Clearwater is Honeymoon Island State Park, a fantastic beach (in Dunedin). Don't bother paying for the boat ride over to Caladesi Island from Honeymoon Beach, it's not worth it.

I just got back from Honeymoon Beach and was incredibly disappointed. When we got there it looked perfect. The sand was nice and it was a quiet uncrowded little beach. We set up our cabana and had lunch then decided to go into the water. I walked ten feet in and the bottom is nothing but rocks about three to six inches in diameter. I couldn't walk on them. In fact I fell twice. The rocks evidently go to about 40-50 feet out after which, I am told that there is a beautiful sandy bottom. I was told by a local resident that they have been trying to get rid of the rocks for years. They have spent millions of dollars on sand and rock removal but they just keep washing up.

Some people were able to cross the rocks and get into the water, but Jenny and I couldn't. We tried a few other spots up and down the beach and I fell several other times. My feet are sore and we never got to swim.

It took about two hours and twenty minutes to get there and the same time coming back.

Avoid this place at all costs unless your idea of going to the beach is to sit on
the sand and never go into the water.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I just got back from Honeymoon Beach and was incredibly disappointed. When we got there it looked perfect. The sand was nice and it was a quiet uncrowded little beach. We set up our cabana and had lunch then decided to go into the water. I walked ten feet in and the bottom is nothing but rocks about three to six inches in diameter. I couldn't walk on them. In fact I fell twice. The rocks evidently go to about 40-50 feet out after which, I am told that there is a beautiful sandy bottom. I was told by a local resident that they have been trying to get rid of the rocks for years. They have spent millions of dollars on sand and rock removal but they just keep washing up.

Some people were able to cross the rocks and get into the water, but Jenny and I couldn't. We tried a few other spots up and down the beach and I fell several other times. My feet are sore and we never got to swim.

It took about two hours and twenty minutes to get there and the same time coming back.

Avoid this place at all costs unless your idea of going to the beach is to sit on
the sand and never go into the water.

Rats, I am really sorry to hear that. Were you in the dog beach area? I heard there is a dog beach there, but I don't want to throw a tennis ball and have my dog running over rocks and possibly injuring himself.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Rats, I am really sorry to hear that. Were you in the dog beach area? I heard there is a dog beach there, but I don't want to throw a tennis ball and have my dog running over rocks and possibly injuring himself.

Little difference in the Dog Beach area and the rest of Honeymoon Island. If you just want to sun bathe, HI Beach is not bad...usually not too crowded and kinda nice, especially if you want to take Fido with you. But it's always been rocky in the water as far back as I know.

No comparison to Clearwater Beach, just a few miles south...wide, white beaches and no rocks to speak of. Of course the trade-off (if you feel that way) is the crowds.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

Little difference in the Dog Beach area and the rest of Honeymoon Island. If you just want to sun bathe, HI Beach is not bad...usually not too crowded and kinda nice, especially if you want to take Fido with you. But it's always been rocky in the water as far back as I know.

No comparison to Clearwater Beach, just a few miles south...wide, white beaches and no rocks to speak of. Of course the trade-off (if you feel that way) is the crowds.

Rocky is an understatement. I fell four or five times trying to get in the water. Then I worried about what would happen if I did get out, how would I get back to the sand.

I can sun bathe in my back yard.

I agree. I love Clearwater Beach. The crowds never bothered me, but I was looking for something closer. Honeymoon may be closer, but it takes just as long or longer to get there. I don't mind the crowds.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

...I love Clearwater Beach. The crowds never bothered me, but I was looking for something closer. Honeymoon may be closer, but it takes just as long or longer to get there. I don't mind the crowds.

Yeah...the distance between Honeymoon and Clearwater is trivial...definitely not enough to effect your decision of which beach to go to.

[NY_Newbie]

Fred Howard beach is really nice. In fact, my husband and I wanted to get married there. Closer than Clearwater, but still a couple of hours from TV.

[tomwed]

Jersey has Sea Isle City, Cape May and Point Pleasant. Florida has Fred Howard. Who's in charge on beach names down here? They should be fired.

[OpusX1]

Honeymoon is man made, the rocks are in the water to keep the trucked in sand in place. Dog beach is/was the SE tip of honeymoon on the bay side.My parents lived in Dunedin for 35 years and we visited often.

Much of Honeymoon Island's recent sand replenishment has been eroded | Tampa Bay Times

Dunedin's Honeymoon Island undergoing beach renourishment | Tampa Bay Times

Fred Howard park is natural as is Caladesi. No crowds on Caladesi.
The Beach on Sand Key ,just South of Clearwater, is less crowded but not many concessions and you have to feed the meter to park.

[dotti105]

Honeymoon Island was a natural Island, but after a few hurricanes in the late 50's early 60's much of the sand had been washed away. Thus the "man-made" addition of sand.

During low tide some years you could walk from the north end of Clearwater Beach over to Honeymoon Island, by way of Dog Beach. Then they dredged out the channel to deepen it and rebuild Honeymoon Island.

Now the north end of Clearwater Beach is private property. Not accessible past the Carlouel Gates.

My hubby and I grew up on Clearwater Beach. It was a very different place back then!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by dotti105

...My hubby and I grew up on Clearwater Beach. It was a very different place back then!

Did you graduate from Clearwater High? I graduated from St. Petersburg High in 1968. In the mid 70's I use to go to Clearwater High football games. They had a nice stadium, several thousand people at each game. They had a really good quarterback and football team and it was fun watching live football. This was before the Bucs, back around '74 to '76 era. I can't remember the QB's name, but he had quite an arm.

[dotti105]

Originally Posted by John_W

Did you graduate from Clearwater High? I graduated from St. Petersburg High in 1968. In the mid 70's I use to go to Clearwater High football games. They had a nice stadium, several thousand people at each game. They had a really good quarterback and football team and it was fun watching live football. This was before the Bucs, back around '74 to '76 era. I can't remember the QB's name, but he had quite an arm.

Yes, my husband and I both graduated from CHS in 1967. We had a great football team at CHS, traditionally. Bill doesn't recall the JV football quarterback the year we graduated. But he played linebacker on the varsity team.

We left the country in '68 when Bill was stationed in The Philippines for 2 yrs, so we sort of lost touch for a bit. Missed that great quarterback in the mid 70's. But not surprised that they had a great team. It was a big school with lots of talent.

We attend all our class reunions. It was a great group of students and keep up with each other still today.

Small world, huh?

[paulascorpio]

This is Dr Beach's 2015 top beaches internationally! Just in case you want to drive or fly longer than two hours.

1. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park Oahu, Hawaii
2. Barefoot Beach Bonita Springs, Florida
3. St. George Island State Park Florida panhandle
4. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
5. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. Cape Florida State Park Key Biscayne, Florida
7. Coast Guard Beach Cape Cod, Massachusetts
8. Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, South Carolina
9. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park Naples, Florida
10. East Beach, Santa Barbara, California

[John_W]

Originally Posted by dotti105

Yes, my husband and I both graduated from CHS in 1967. We had a great football team at CHS, traditionally. Bill doesn't recall the JV football quarterback the year we graduated. But he played linebacker on the varsity team.

We left the country in '68 when Bill was stationed in The Philippines for 2 yrs, so we sort of lost touch for a bit. Missed that great quarterback in the mid 70's. But not surprised that they had a great team. It was a big school with lots of talent.

We attend all our class reunions. It was a great group of students and keep up with each other still today.

Small world, huh?

SPHS had a terrible team my senior year, we were 0-10. Otherwise I was in a similar situation. I left in 1970 for a 3 year hitch in the Army, went to Korea for a year, but returned to St. Pete in '73. I was with the FAA and worked at St. Pete/Clearwater Airport in the Control Tower, however I left for good in 1977 when I was transferred to Pensacola. I went back to St. Pete last year for the first time since '77, I attended my 45th HS reunion. That place had really changed, I didn't even recognize the area by the airport. Do you remember the Showboat Dinner Theater? I saw Bob Crane in a play about '76, not long before he died. That place was torn down.

My last memory of Clearwater was about 1975, I started the day off at Ft. Desoto State Park on the beach and then going to the movies in Clearwater. The theater was right downtown and not far from the water. It was very hot and the line was around the block to see 'Jaws'.