By Lauren Tjaden
It kind of makes me feel bad for the other beaches.
Competing against Sarasota’s Siesta Key for best beach award is not a cheerful prospect. After all, it boasts that immense sweep of sugar-sand and those placid waters, so clear that looking through them is like looking through glass.
Then there’s the charming little town, with cheerful cafes offering grouper sandwiches and cold brews. And let’s not forget the free trolley.
Those are only a handful of the reasons why Siesta Key's beach ranking is always so high. And it’s done it again.
The newly published TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Awards of Top 25 U.S. Beaches declared Siesta Key the second-best beach in the country. Siesta Key also is featured on its list of Top 25 Beaches in the World.
But this most recent Siesta Key beach rating is just the tip of the sandbar. Dr. Beach declared Siesta Key the Best Beach in the U.S. in 2011; it won America's Best and Top Ten website’s award for the Whitest Beach; it also won the "Great International White Sand Beach Challenge.”
I think that makes Siesta Key a Sunshine State must-see.
If you’re not going to be close to Sarasota on your getaway, don’t get your Speedo in a twist. Eight other fabulous Florida beaches made TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Awards of Top 25 U.S. Beaches this year, in every corner of the state.
TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Awards: Top Florida Beaches
- Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin
- Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville
- Clearwater Beach
- Fort De Soto Park in Tierra Verde
- Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola
- Pass-A-Grille in St. Pete Beach
- Pensacola Beach
- St. Andrews State Park in Panama City
How many have you visited so far?
About the Awards: The Travelers' Choice Beaches Awards are based entirely on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor gathered over a 12-month period since the 2012 awards. With more than 60 million unique monthly visitors and over 75 million reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor's branded sites operate in 30 countries and make up the largest travel community in the world.
