8 Beach Towns In Florida That Are Great Alternatives To Fort Lauderdale

Abstract

• Skip crowded metropolis seashores – Deerfield Seaside and Port St. Lucie provide pristine waters and free entry.
• Delray Seaside has artwork and nature – go to gardens, museums, and seashores for the total Florida expertise.
• Historic Cape Coral and refreshing Cocoa Seaside convey historic appeal and a number of water actions to discover.

The Sunshine State of Florida is one of the US’s premier spots for perfect beaches. Well-known for its white sandy dunes, colourful structure, plentiful palm timber, and nice mountaineering trails, Florida’s seashores stand aside from all others on the East Coast.

Vacationers touring to Florida can have no scarcity of locations to remain for the right seaside expertise, with many selecting to remain at well-known locations like Miami and Fort Lauderdale. While big cities like Fort Lauderdale are famous for their fun and iconic experiences, they are often overwhelming, costly, and overcrowded. Fortunately, Florida is stuffed with lovely seaside cities that convey each magnificence and a peaceable environment. So, whether or not vacationers are on the lookout for a extra unknown place to journey to, a quaint and quiet city to retire in, or a extra family-friendly cease for youths, these Florida seaside cities will definitely present an escape from the massive metropolis.

8 Deerfield Seaside

This city north of Fort Lauderdale is a superb various for vacationers touring with youngsters and for these involved in fishing

Among the finest alternate options to Fort Lauderdale is the close by city of Deerfield Beach. This charming city north of Fort Lauderdale has loads of parks for households, water sports activities for the adventurous, a pier for individuals who love fishing, and a fantastic seaside to observe the dawn on. Vacationers touring with youngsters can have a blast right here at Quiet Waters Park (which has a enjoyable splash park) and on the close by Butterfly World.

The principle attraction of this city is its magnificent seaside, which has an international fishing pier that is 976 feet in length.

7 Port St. Lucie

This metropolis, 90 miles from Fort Lauderdale, attracts vacationers in with its free seashores and botanical gardens

Simply an hour and a half north of Fort Lauderdale is the charming coastal metropolis of Port St. Lucie. This metropolis is known for its many parks, golf golf equipment, and simply accessible seashores.

Among the finest issues about Port St. Lucie is its 21 miles of pristine seashores. Better of all, and fully distinct from Fort Lauderdale, is that all the beaches here are free and open to the public. Even parking is free right here! Vacationers and retirees can discover nice seashores like Porpoise Seaside, Jetty Park, Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, South Causeway Seaside, and extra.

Vacationers who’re involved in lovely parks ought to head to Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, which has pavilions, fountains, ponds, historic palms, walkways, roses, and extra. Different sights embrace Oak Hammock Park, Spruce Bluff Protect, and Oxbow Eco-Middle.

Close by this metropolis is the St. Lucie County Aquarium, the place vacationers can go to study in regards to the Caribbean marine life and the native Floridian ecosystem.

The seashores in Port St. Lucie are free and open to the general public!

6 Delray Seaside

This hub of worldwide tradition is the right Florida city to probe for artwork, gardens, and beachside parks

Delray Beach is likely one of the greatest seaside cities north of Fort Lauderdale. This space is rife with sights galore, from the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens to the Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands and Mounts Botanical Garden. This space even has its personal artwork museum, the Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square. These parks and cultural facilities make life in Delray Seaside actually wealthy and add a layer of worldwide appeal to this area that massive cities like Fort Lauderdale lack.

Delray Seaside, as its identify suggests, is known for its seashores. The titular Delray Municipal Seaside is an apparent selection, however different seashores, reminiscent of Atlantic Dunes Park, Spanish River Park, and Gulfstream Park, additionally provide gorgeous coastal views and leisure alternatives. A fantastic oceanside attraction is Sandoway Discovery Center, which presents vacationers the prospect to find out about Florida’s native marine life.

5 Cape Coral

Fort Lauderdale often is the Venice of America, however Cape Coral has that European metropolis’s well-known canals

Though Fort Lauderdale is commonly referred to as the Venice of America, the city of Cape Coral matches that title significantly better as a consequence of its many canals. Located on a grid so excellent it is nearly like a piece of architectural artwork, this canaled metropolis is attractive each from the bottom and from above.

Among the greatest public seashores on this space are Yacht Membership Public Seaside, 4 Freedoms Seaside, and Yacht Membership Group Park. High sights on this space embrace Florida’s most well-known craft distillery, Wicked Dolphin Distillery, which is understood for its coconut rum, Sirenia Vista Park, and 4 Mile Cove Ecological Protect.

4 Cocoa Seaside

Browsing, native companies, and the John F. Kennedy House Middle make Cocoa Seaside the right small-town various to Fort Lauderdale

Regardless that Cocoa Seaside is way additional north than Fort Lauderdale, this quaint city has a lot appeal to supply vacationers.

Well-known for its lengthy historical past of surfers, the beach at Cocoa Beach is a superb place to go to for these involved in watersports like browsing, snorkeling, and swimming. The city’s seaside additionally has a wonderful pier, too! Better of all, seaside guests will have the ability to see rockets being fired up into the environment from the John F. Kennedy House Middle.

This city close to Orlando not solely has wonderful seaside entry but in addition has nice native companies from which to buy. Some of the best attractions in sunny Cocoa Beach embrace Lori Wilson Park, the Florida Surf Museum, and the John F. Kennedy House Middle.

3 Hollywood

Provides vacationers entry to a seaside boardwalk, an undeveloped coastal seaside, and a tremendous arboretum and wildlife sanctuary

This metropolis, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, has the city appeal of each cities in a smaller, extra simply accessible space. This metropolis is known for its Beach Boardwalk, which has bars, small outlets, and a fantastic beachfront lined with palms. For these involved in a extra rustic seaside, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is the right seaside to see white sands and undeveloped shoreline.

This space is understood not just for its gorgeous beachfront but in addition for its wealthy tradition. Among the finest locations to go right here is Flamingo Gardens. This botanical backyard and wildlife sanctuary lets vacationers discover their arboretum full of native timber, its flower gardens, its aviaries, and its titular flamingo pond. It even has a parrot aviary!

One other nice attraction is Oleta River State Park. At Florida’s largest city park, vacationers will have the ability to paddle, bike, snorkel, swim, and fish.

2 Clearwater

Provides vacationers one thing Fort Lauderdale doesn’t have: an unbelievable aquarium

On Florida’s West Coast lies town of Clearwater. This metropolis simply outdoors Tampa presents vacationers and retirees Florida’s iconic white sand seashores, nice state parks, and waterfront piers.

A few of Clearwater’s greatest seashores embrace Sand Key Park and Clearwater Seaside. At Clearwater Seaside is town’s well-known pier, Pier 60, which is a superb location for nightlife.

For vacationers with youngsters and retirees with grandchildren, there isn’t any higher place to go in Clearwater than the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This aquarium has interactive experiences that children and adults of all ages will love, together with assembly rescue dolphins, tortoise feeding, and exploring the numerous aquatic reveals stuffed with rescued marine creatures.

A fantastic park on this space is Moccasin Lake Nature Park. Right here, vacationers will have the ability to stroll by means of peaceable paths, see birds of prey, and see the park’s gorgeous oak forest.

1 St. Petersburg

Provides vacationers high-class cultural actions that are not present in Fort Lauderdale, just like the Salvador Dalí Museum and the Mahaffey Theater

Town of St. Petersburg is heralded as Florida’s “Sunshine Metropolis” and is understood for its high quality arts, fishing, and golf golf equipment. Positioned on Florida’s Gulf Coast, St. Petersburg presents vacationers the high quality tradition that Fort Lauderdale isn’t usually related to.

A few of St. Petersburg’s most well-known sights embrace the Salvador Dalí Museum, the Museum of Superb Arts, and the Mahaffey Theater.

Vacationers who’re within the pure world ought to go to Fort De Soto Park. This beachfront park has trails, a historic museum, and fishing piers. Among the greatest seashores in St. Petersburg embrace Cross-A-Grille Seaside and St. Pete Seaside.

One other nice exercise for vacationers right here is to go to St. Petersburg’s Sunken Gardens. Right here, vacationers will see waterfalls, tropical birds, and tropical crops which can be many years previous.

Whereas Fort Lauderdale can certainly be a metropolis with plenty of enjoyable actions, vacationers mustn’t neglect the remainder of Florida. From culturally various and eclectic cities like St. Petersburg and Delray Seaside to extra quaint cities like Cocoa Seaside, Florida has a lot for vacationers and retirees alike to discover. Every of those seaside cities presents vacationers one thing distinctive to see that may’t be replicated. Nonetheless, regardless of which of those cities and cities a vacationer chooses to go to, they’re assured to search out a tremendous Floridian seaside with white sand, palm timber, and turquoise water.