Everyone has their own subjective take on the perfect beach. Perhaps it’s the one your parents took you to as a kid. Maybe it’s the one where you fell in love, or spent that magical honeymoon.
Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman’s (a.k.a. Dr. Beach) profession is all about beaches. The director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research just released this year’s Top Ten list. Sitting atop it is Florida’s Siesta Key, a sugar-sand enclave near Sarasota.
“This powdery sand is nearly pure quartz crystal,” says Leatherman. “The beach is hundreds of yards wide, attracting volleyball players and beachcombers – as well as those who just want to find their place in the sun.”
That’s landside. The water ain’t bad either. It’s blue, and clean, and clear. Bring the kids, but you might want to leave the surfboard behind. Waves at Siesta Beach are measured in mere inches. The beach gradually slopes down into the Gulf, rendering it safe for kids.
Siesta Beach’s park is no barren expanse. Dr. Beach says there are showers, bathrooms, snack bars, grills, picnic tables, shade trees and such. The place tends to fill up in the summertime, so there’s lots of parking. What you won’t find is lots of smokers – Siesta Beach is smokeless
When should you go? If you don’t want the hassle of summertime crowds Leatherman says wait till after Labor Day “when things have calmed down. The water is still warm enough for swimming until November.” He says that during the winter, “The beaches are for exploring, but not for swimming.”
It is, however, just fine for the birds. Stroll along Siesta Key’s eight-mile reach and you’re likely to see a slew of sea birds: terns, plovers, ibis, spoonbills and storks. Then there are the magnificent wading birds, the snowy egret and the great heron. One avian adventurer is unmistakable – the four- to five-foot-tall Florida Sand Hill Crane. Aside from its height you can spot it by its bright red head and distinctive call. According to the local promotion site Simply Siesta Key, “You will often see two walking side-by-side, since they mate for life. Our birds seem to live comfortably among the people of Siesta Key.”
Prefer sea to land? Bring along fins, mask and snorkel, and head for Point of Rocks on the west end of the barrier island. Siesta Key sports some of the best snorkeling on Florida’s west coast. Point of Rocks is also reputed to harbor centuries-old pirate treasure.
If Siesta Key’s not your cup of sand other retreats await. Here are the rest of Leatherman’s Top Ten beaches:
- Coronado Beach in San Diego
- Kahanamoku Beach on Waikiki
- Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.
- Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
- St. George Island State Park in the Florida panhandle
- Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, S.C.
- Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod
- Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii
- Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Mike Miller)
