Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Key is blessed with two distinctly different Beaches! There are Rental units available directly on either Beach. The character of each Beach is unique, each has its advantages, here I'll try to sketch the difference for you, but a visit to Siesta Key should not be complete without a visit to each beach!
World Famous "Siesta Key Beach" (also called Crescent Beach or Siesta Beach) is the white sand beach that brings back the visitors year after year. It has won many awards, most recently named the 2nd best beach in Florida by the Travel Channel. The sand is cool sugar-like, white! The beach is about 3 miles long for walking, and has a very gradual slope, meaning that you must walk a long way out to get into deeper water for swimming. But this shallow nature makes it ideal for very young children.
Siesta Key Beach is where all the action (and all the crowds) are! On a typical day, thousands of people enjoy the activities. There is a wonderful public beach with a massive parking lot, refreshments, and activities like volleyball. Airplanes pulling banners roar by while visitors may be paragliding behind speedboats, wading, walking, sunning, or just partying. Here are some pictures of Siesta Key Beach:
( CLICK on photos of Siesta Key Beach to enlarge. )
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The NEW Turtle Beach
Turtle Beach is our secluded, quieter, less known and (therefore less crowded) "local" beach at the very southern end of Siesta Key. Turtle Beach is much less commercial and quieter. It is situated on a small Park that has Charcoal Grills, Picnic Tables, Swings & Slides, and a Lagoon that is perfect for Kayaking. Green Parrots chatter in the tropical trees, and a pub and 2 restaurants are steps away. Boaters have 2 public boat launches available.
Turtle Beach (like Miami Beach), was completely restored in early 2007 in a 12 Million Dollar project that has added an immense amount of new sand and greatly expanded it to the point that Turtle Beach is now the longer of our 2 beaches, allowing walking all the way to the next Key (Casey Key), and beyond.
Turtle Beach is now about 200 feet wide, and excellent for walking, swimming, or sunbathing. Because of its massive new size, and limited parking, it avoids ever being crowded. Turtle Beach is great for swimming (or fishing), because it is deeper closer to shore.
The following pictures were taken both before and after Beach restoration, "hover" your mouse over the small picture to see if it is the NEW TURTLE BEACH!
( CLICK on photos of NEW Turtle Beach (and some old turtle beach) to enlarge. )
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