Florida’s a natural choice for a family beach vacation. It’s got fantastic beach resorts, award-winning beaches, and two coasts to choose from offering big city excitement, laid-back island getaways, and everything in between.
When I take a Florida beach vacation, I’m a big fan of basing myself in a beach town that offers just as much fun as spending time on the sand. You need to take a break from the sun now and then, and when I do I like to have interesting shops, restaurants, and attractions at my disposal (especially during Florida’s frequent but brief rainstorms).
These are my favorite Florida beach towns for a sun-soaked and fun-filled Florida family vacation.
Vilano Beach
Plan a beach vacation here and you get a best of both worlds situation. You’ll be staying on a quiet Northeast Florida barrier island where the beach is never far away and doesn’t get that crowded. There’s a small shopping area on the south end with restaurants and a supermarket, and as you travel north along the barrier island, you’ll find parks, beach access points, and must-visit restaurants like Cap’s on the Water.
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Vilano Beach is a prime spot for surfing, skimboarding, and fishing. And you’re just over the Tolomato River from St. Augustine, making it easy to explore the historic city but then return to a little peace and solitude when you’re done.
Where to stay: Located at Vilano Beach Town Center and just steps from the sand, Hyatt Place St. Augustine/Vilano Beach boasts an outdoor pool and a rooftop bar with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intercoastal Waterway. Holiday Inn Express Vilano Beach is another dependable chain option in that same area. There are also lots of good vacation rental options on the barrier island from which you can walk to the beach.
Venice
Venice is known as the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World,” and hunting for fossilized shark teeth on its Gulf Coast beaches is a popular activity with visitors of all ages. The beaches are also great for swimming and shelling, and the free Venice Fishing Pier draws anglers as well as wildlife watchers and sunset viewers.
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You can also catch the sunset from a table at the ever-popular Sharky’s on the Pier restaurant or the more upscale Fins at Sharky’s, and there are even more dining spots in the charming 1920s-era downtown. All the sunny days and pleasant weather make it easy to see why Venice was the onetime winter home of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. You can learn about that colorful past at the Historic Venice Train Depot and even take trapeze lessons from a legendary circus performer.
Where to stay: Inn at the Beach is right across the road from Venice Beach and offers both standard guest rooms and suites with kitchens ideal for longer stays. The recently renovated Hampton Inn & Suites Venice Bayside South Sarasota is just a five-minute drive from the beach and downtown and adjacent to the Legacy Trail, a popular spot for biking, walking, and running.
Santa Rosa Beach
Emerald-green water and white-sand beaches draw visitors to this beach town just east of Destin on the Florida Panhandle. Stretching from Choctawhatchee Bay to the Gulf Mexico, Santa Rosa Beach offers easy public beach access points with parking, restrooms, and seasonal lifeguards. And when you’re ready to get out of the sun, there are boutiques, galleries, and plenty of restaurants to check out. (The kids will love local institution The Donut Hole.)
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Outdoorsy types will also find lots to like about Santa Rosa Beach. Explore the sand dunes and coastal dune lakes at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, hit the beach or hike at Grayton Beach State Park, or see what kind of wildlife you can spot at Point Washington State Forest.
Where to stay: Stay at WaterColor Inn & Resort and you’ll enjoy beachfront rooms, restaurants with Gulf views, and amenities like multiple pools and a lazy river. Home2 Suites by Hilton Santa Rosa Beach is a budget-friendly option less than a mile from the beach with an outdoor pool, fitness center, and free hot breakfast daily.
Anna Maria
Situated on the north end of seven-mile-long Anna Maria Island, the community of Anna Maria is the very definition of adorable Florida beach town. Pine Avenue stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Tampa Bay and is lined with shops and restaurants everyone in the family will enjoy exploring. You’ll also find the one-time city jail on this stretch, which today offers a fun photo op for families.
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The historic Anna Maria City Pier is being reconstructed after suffering hurricane damage, with a targeted fall 2026 reopening. But Anna Maria Beach is as beautiful as ever, offering a calm vibe for a family beach day, and Bean Point offers excellent sunset views. Don’t miss the over-the-top Ginny & Jane E’s, which serves up decadent cinnamon rolls and is filled with local art and unique merchandise.
Where to stay: If you want to stay within the community of Anna Maria, a vacation rental is the way to go. But if you head a little south on the barrier island to Holmes Beach, you’ll find hotels like Cedar Cove Resort & Cottages offering throwback vibes and modern conveniences. Waterline Villas & Marina, Autograph Collection is a well-situated full-service option.
Stuart
Once dubbed “America’s Happiest Seaside Town” by Coastal Living, Stuart sits along the St. Lucie River on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Spend the day at Stuart Beach, which has restrooms, picnic areas, beach volleyball courts, and easy access to oceanfront Seaside Café. Families with younger kids will appreciate Bathtub Beach, where a reef system just offshore keeps the water calm.
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Beyond the beach, visitors can browse boutiques in Historic Downtown Stuart, learn about local history at the Stuart Heritage Museum, explore the touch tanks at the Florida Oceanographic Society Coastal Center, and look for bald eagles at Seabranch Preserve State Park. A trip to Sailfish Splash Waterpark will score you points with the kids.
Where to stay: Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Stuart, Old Colorado Inn offers rooms, suites, cottages, and vacation homes. (Be sure to note which options have access to the hotel’s pool and which don’t.) Comfort Suites Stuart-Hutchinson Island is a reliable chain option with spacious rooms, an outdoor pool, and complimentary breakfast each day.
Captiva
Though the recovery isn’t totally complete, Captiva is bouncing back from both 2022’s devastating Hurricane Ian and the rough 2024 hurricane season. That means in the community’s heart along eclectic Andy Rosse Lane, visitors are stocking up on supplies at The Island Store, grabbing coffee and ice cream at Latte Da, and sipping cocktails and munching on seafood at Keylime Bistro.
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The kitschy Bubble Room restaurant is serving up its legendary sky-high slices of cake, and Captiva Cruises has a full schedule of sunset, wildlife watching, and sightseeing tours plying the local waterways. Public beach access points on the Gulf Coast barrier island include Alison Hagerup Beach Park, where you’ll likely see folks bent over and peering down at the white sand searching for seashells. And staying on Captiva is essentially a two-for-one deal, as it’s connected by bridge to the equally appealing Sanibel Island.
Where to stay: The 330-acre South Seas resort offers family vacation fun with great beach access, multiple restaurants, and its excellent new Captiva Landing amenity with waterslides, a lazy river, kids club, and arcade. ‘Tween Waters Inn & Marina is another great option for families right by the beach.
Cocoa Beach
Lively Cocoa Beach on Florida’s Space Coast is known as the “Surf Capital of the East Coast,” and you can watch experienced surfers riding the waves from the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier. Or take a surfing lesson yourself to get in on the action.
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You can stock up on gear at the flagship Ron Jon Surf Shop (the world’s largest surf shop) and browse the shops and galleries in Cocoa Village. Kayaking tours, fishing charters, and sightseeing cruises are other ways to get out on the water, and you can explore the skies at the nearby Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Cocoa Beach is just an hour east of Orlando, making it easy to plan both a beach and theme park vacation.
Where to stay: Beach Place Guesthouses has multi-bedroom suites where the family can spread out a little. Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront and Hilton Garden Inn Cocoa Beach Oceanfront are dependable chain options that put you close to the sand.
Deerfield Beach
The beach here has been recognized by the Clean Beaches Coalition for excellence in water quality, safety, and habitat conservation. And while that’s obviously a big reason why Deerfield Beach is a great pick for a vacation by the shore, it’s not the only one. The town itself is also part of the appeal, with fun restaurants like The Whale’s Rib and shops like Island Water Sports, which sells beach gear and has been offering free surfing lessons every Saturday morning for the past 30 years.
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You can see what’s biting or take in the views from the almost 1,000-foot-long International Fishing Pier. Young kids will have a ball at Splash Adventure Water Park, while older kids can learn to kneeboard, waterski, or wakeboard at Ski Rixen USA. There are also fun ways to connect with nature, like the “Tree Zoo” at Constitution Park & Arboretum with more than 200 exotic trees from five continents around the world.
Where to stay: Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort is just steps from the beach and the downtown area. Embassy Suites by Hilton Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa also offers easy access to the beach, along with free made-to-order breakfast, a complimentary evening reception, and complimentary two-hour bicycle rentals.
