Ocean Inlet Park Beach
Palm Beach County. At the Boynton Inlet in Ocean Ridge. Guarded, with a playground, picnic pavilions and a marina.
Open the guide →Ask 1stFlorida
Where are the public boat ramps in Florida?
Nearly every coastal county runs free or low-cost public ramps, and the ones attached to a park are the easiest because they have parking for a truck and trailer.
On the Atlantic, Ocean Inlet Park in Palm Beach County puts you straight into the Boynton Inlet, and Homestead Bayfront Park in Miami-Dade opens onto Biscayne Bay. On the Gulf, Fort De Soto in Pinellas County, Port Charlotte Beach Park in Charlotte, Anclote River Park in Pasco and Fort Island Gulf Beach in Citrus County. On the Big Bend, Mashes Sands in Wakulla County, Keaton Beach in Taylor and Horseshoe Beach in Dixie. Ramps fill early on weekends and on a holiday you want to be there before seven.
The places named in this answer.
Homestead Bayfront Park Beach
Miami-Dade County. At the south end of the county beside Biscayne National Park, with an atoll pool and a natural beach, open sunrise to sunset. Parking is $5 on weekdays and $7 on weekends and on holidays.
Open the guide →Fort De Soto Park Beach
Pinellas County. 1,136 acres across five connected islands at the mouth of Tampa Bay, the largest park Pinellas County runs and one that takes more than 2.7 million visits a year. North Beach and East Beach give almost three miles of white sand with swim centers and food concessions.
Open the guide →Port Charlotte Beach Park
Charlotte County. Not on the Gulf. This one is on Charlotte Harbor at 4500 Harbor Boulevard, which is why it has a boat ramp and a canoe and kayak launch as well as sand.
Open the guide →Anclote River Park Beach
Pasco County. Thirty-one acres at 1119 Baillies Bluff Road in Holiday, open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Swimming with Gulf access, a boat ramp and a dock, with the ramps open around the clock for launching and retrieving only, and canoe and kayak access as well.
Open the guide →Fort Island Gulf Beach
Citrus County. Fifteen acres at 16000 West Fort Island Trail in Crystal River. Swimming, a boat ramp, parking and picnic tables. Fishing is allowed from the pier and nowhere else, not from the beach and not from the jetties.
Open the guide →Mashes Sands Beach
Wakulla County. 901 Mashes Sands Road in Panacea, which Wakulla County calls one of its hidden treasures: saltwater marsh, wildlife and a clear view west for the sunset. What is there is limited, and the restroom on site is a mobile one.
Open the guide →Keaton Beach
Taylor County. A Gulf coast community in the south of Taylor County with an uncrowded beach, good for sunbathing, beachcombing and watching the sun go down. It is known just as much for the fishing, with grouper, redfish and flounder all taken off this stretch.
Open the guide →Horseshoe Beach
Dixie County. Butler-Douglas Memorial Park, also called Horseshoe Beach Park, at 244 8th Avenue West in the town of Horseshoe Beach, run by Dixie County. The shore is rocky and strewn with oysters rather than sandy, and there is no swimming area and no lifeguard.
Open the guide →More questions like this.
Where are the sandbars you can anchor a boat at in Florida?
Crab Island in Okaloosa County is the one with the reputation - a submerged shallow just inside Destin Pass where a few hundred boats tie up on a summer weekend and vendors run out to them by water.
Where is the sailing in Florida?
Florida sailing is mostly protected bay rather than open ocean, which is what makes it good for learning and for cruising in company.
Where can you take a boat cruise in Florida?
Two meanings, both answered. For a short trip on the water, the river and spring cruises are the ones with something to look at: Wakulla Springs runs a guided river cruise past alligators and wading birds, Silver Springs in Marion County runs glass-bottom boats, and Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County runs what it calls the largest airboat of its kind.
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