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St. Joseph Peninsula National Park - Florida

North Central Florida welcomes visitors with the irresistible charm and laid-back lifestyle that's popular in the deep Southern States. This might be because North Central Florida is home to the Florida state capital city of Tallahassee, a city geographically closer to Atlanta, Georgia, then it is to Miami, Florida. This explains North Central Florida's small town hospitality that keeps beckoning guests to “y'all come back now y'here!” North Central Florida is home to the following best beaches:

Beach Overview: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park occupies a wide northwesterly portion of Cape San Blas. St. Joseph is an isolated wilderness haven for eco-lovers. The nearest metropolitan city is Tallahassee – which is 75-miles away. St. Joseph encompasses 9-miles of gulf beach, 10-miles of bay shoreline and over 2,500-acres of parkland. St. Joseph's extensive white sand beach is perfect for getting lost in nature's beautiful collection of towering sand dunes, thick pine forests and the calming waves of St. Joe Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Accommodations: Camping fees are $20 (year-round) on one of the park's 119 campsites - primitive and full-hookup camping available. Eight furnished cabins are for rent from $55 to $70 per night.

St. Joseph Local Activities: It's easy to find a secluded spot on the beach to fish, swim, and sunbathe without encountering another person. Kayaking and scalloping is popular and so is bird-watching (for over 200 species of birds). Try the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce for weekly details.

Major St. Joseph Area Attractions: Horseback riding on the beach is a must-do activity in Cape San Blas. Don't miss the chance to visit the Cape San Blas Lighthouse (built in 1847). The grounds and lighthouse don't offer tours to the public you can still get some great pictures of this 98-foot tall light.

Major St. Joseph Area Events:
Scallop Day (September) – just bring a camping stove and enjoy succulent scallops.
Florida Panhandle Birding & Wildflower Festival (October) - Port St. Joe hosts guided tours of county wildlife.
St. Joseph Nightlife: Just the sites and sounds of nature – maybe a campfire.
St. Joseph Weather: Spring/summer ranges from high 60s to low 80s F; Fall/winter ranges from low 50s to low 70s F on average.
St. Joseph Facilities: A pavilion, concessions, lifeguards, picnic tables, showers, a nature trail, playground and bathroom facilities are present

Top Beaches

Navarre Beach

While you can depend on warm weather, the social climate changes quickly. Authorities used to turn their heads, but now nude bathers need to exercise caution.

South Beach

The anything-goes approach to life here makes unofficially clothing-optional beaches easy to find.

Hobe Sound Beach

A secluded spot where celebrities like Celine Dion build multi-million dollar mansions, Hobe Sound has views that outshine the glitz. Cautious naturists can catch some rays in the buff since most people come to escape the crowds.

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

Also known as Air Force Beach, this park hasn't been a legal nude beach since the 1980s. A sub-tropical paradise, you can usually get away without a bathing suit if you don't actually cross the park's boundaries.

Playalinda Beach

This undeveloped beach is secluded enough to make most nudists feel comfortable. While it also draws eco-tourists with binoculars, don't worry - they come to gawk at the wildlife, not you

Apollo Beach

While nude sunning is illegal, it's generally tolerated if you are discrete. Nearby Daytona offers naturist accommodations.

Haulover Beach

The only legal beach on this list, this beach draws nude bathers of every age, shape and sexual orientation. The clothing-optional sections are well-marked and maintained by the county, so you can sun without fear.

Pompano Beach

The Hillsboro Lighthouse can be easily spotted from Pompano's ambulating roadways and paths along 3.5 miles of golden beachfront, sounding a beacon for the millions of visitors every year that are drawn to the excitement and accessibility of one of Broward County's gems.

Jensen Beach

Scuba divers can explore shipwrecks and artificial reefs just offshore, while those wishing to stay above water will find opportunities for fishing plentiful.

Miami Beach

Miami Beach was an ailing fruit farm in the 1910s when its Quaker owner, John Collins, formed an unlikely partnership with a flashy entrepreneur, Carl Fisher. .

Palm Beach

Summer in Palm Beach is very quiet, and the least costly time to stay. The winter months, from November to May, see a whirl of elegant balls, fundraising dinners and charity galas, as well as the polo season - watching a chukka or two is the only time Palm Beach denizens show themselves in the less particular environs of West Palm Beach (on the mainland).

Fort Walton Beach

Do your loafing on the white sands of Okaloosa Island, joined to the mainland by the high-rise Brooks Bridge over Santa Rosa Sound. Most resort hotels and amusement parks are grouped around the Gulfarium marine park on U.S. 98, east of the bridge.

Daytona Beach

Life in this down-to-earth resort now revolves around three major festivals: February's Daytona 500, Bike Week in early March, and the relatively new Biketoberfest.

Cocoa Beach

Play a round of golf at our 27-hole golf course, surf cast from the beach for dinner or just enjoy a day at the beach where you will likely see dolphins at play or be lucky enough to see an occasional whale in migration.

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach is a vacationer's paradise. In addition to some of the most beautiful, broad beaches on Florida's Gulf Coast, you'll find all the water-oriented recreation you can imagine and lots of outdoor activities in the Clearwater area.

Navarre

This is the longest continuous stretch of protected beach in Northwest Florida, perfect for sun seekers, birdwatchers and shutterbugs.

Panama City Beach

This beach is entirely without pretension, but it capitalizes blatantly on the appeal of its 27-mile stretch of white sand.

Florida Beaches

1.	Best Beaches
2.	Nude Beaches
3.	Snorkeling Beaches
Central East Florida
4.	Daytona Beach
5.	New Smyrna Beach
6.	Cocoa Beach
7.	Sebastian Inlet State Park
8.	Playadina Beach
Northwest Florida
9.	Panama City Beach
10.	Perdido Key
11.	Pensacola Beac
12.	Fort Walton Beach
13.	Seaside Beaches
14.	St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge
15.	St. George Island
16.	Gulf Islands National Seashore
17.	Shell Island
18.	St. Andrew's State Recreation Area
North Central Florida
19.	St. Joseph Peninsula National Park
North East Florida
20.	Fernandina Beach
21.	Amelia Island
22.	Ponte Vedra Beach
Central West Florida
23.	Pass-a-Grille
24.	Apollo Beach
25.	St. Pete Beach
26.	Clearwater Beach
27.	Honeymoon Island
28.	Caladesi Island State Park
29.	Egmont Key
30.	Fort De Soto Park
31.	Pass-a-Grille
South west Florida
32.	Crescent Beach
33.	Naples Beach
34.	Marco Island
South east Florida
35.	West Palm Beach
36.	Hollywood Beach
37.	Miami Beach

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