I am not one to easily swim in water I can’t see through. I
grew up swimming in fresh water springs and going to the beach. While the
Atlantic coast of Florida isn’t known for its blue waters, mainly because it’s
so shallow so far out, the Gulf coast is. Boasting beautiful, clear blue waters
with white sand beaches, the panhandle stretch of the Gulf coast is the closest
one can get to the Caribbean without actually going there. It must be seen to
be believed, and it is by thousands during the “season” in Florida.
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| I love running my toes through sand like this... |
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| Thanks to pureflorida.blogspot.com for this great example of the clearness of the water |
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| Shelling is always fun and a great stress releaser |
If you aren’t into condo-packed beaches, one particular park
offers a VAST variety of activities to suit anyone’s tastes, St. Joseph
Peninsula Park, right across the bay from Port St. Joe, a popular “resort” area
(shopping anyone?). At St. Joseph’s one finds pristine beaches, swimming, camping,
concessions/food stands, shelling, birding, cabins, canoeing/kayaking,
picnicking, scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking/walking, boating, biking, and fishing.
Pets are allowed in designated areas and parts of the park are wheelchair accessible.
At night the air is so clear and there are no city lights to block out the
stars, so bring along that telescope and stargaze…
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| One area of the peninsula's beautiful shorelines |
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| Interior of one of the cabins at the park |
This is a stunningly beautiful area to visit and I highly
recommend it.
For more information:
Images from:
Fun to see this on A to Z--my husband is actually flying into the area for a wedding in the near future. Making me a little extra jealous with your photos.
ReplyDeleteYou are making it very tempting to save up for another trip, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteNice, Lisa. A new place to visit.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a lovely cosy cabin :) and that water - so clear. Personally I'm a wuss and don't like going in water that isn't confined by four walls and a floor, but I don't mind paddling :)
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
I am not a 'beach person', but I sure do love looking at pictures of them.
ReplyDeleteI dig all that sand and clear waters...
ReplyDeleteJeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?
I agree, the beaches of the Gulf side of Florida are gorgeous! The Gulf side of Texas, however, is quite another story...not nearly as beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful place to spend some time. I love oceans with blue water.
ReplyDeleteLook how clear that water is. Incredible! I love to go shell hunting whenever I'm at the beach. I can't resist. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa .. now this would be ideal .. I'd love to visit there .. and I'd love to see this part of Florida ... the Gulf coast ... wonderful park to know about .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI love white sandy beaches. This one looks like I spend all day there.
ReplyDeleteUsed to know someone who lived in that area and moved to NC. She used to denigrate the beaches here because of the white sands there. I'm actually not that keen on sand. I was "brung" up swimming off the side of a boat in deep water. Nothing sandy about it. Does look beautiful there though.
ReplyDeleteThis does look like a beautiful place to visit and not too crowded which is good
ReplyDeleteSt. Joseph Peninsula Park - I'll remember that. I'm not one for just laying out on the beach. I want stuff to do. And clear, shallow water sounds perfect. I'll be able to spot the sharks first...
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful. And as a disabled person, I appreciate you mentioning accessibility. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTD Harvey
A to Z participant
http://www.tdharveyauthor.com
St. Joseph looks so awesome. I would love to hang out there.
ReplyDeleteHey Lisa!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're tweeting (or emailing) these posts to someone like Florida.com :)
You'd get hired as a PAO or a tourist guide writer in a heartbeat :)
These are so much fun posts and I'm embarrassed to say that after living in Florida for nearly more than five years, I'm learning more than I ever knew about the Sunshine State from your Challenge :)
handsome...
ReplyDeleteIt looks so pristine and pure thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place! I'd never heard of it--don't really know FL that well--but it sounds right up our alley. Living in Curaçao we seldom look for beach vacations, but this looks like a spot worth exploring. Thanks for sharing, and happy A-to-Z-ing :)
ReplyDeleteGuilie @ Quiet Laughter
This is something you'll probably find funny, but I didn't realize there were "state parks" on beaches until I was in my 30s. We visited my dad in Ft. Walton Beach and there was a state park nearby. Growing up in Tennessee, state parks were always just parks.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I've been swimming in both clear and murky water, and I have to say, the clear water is a lot less scary! Love the interior shot of the cabin--looks so, so inviting.
ReplyDeleteI love watching the waves but swimming is not my cup of tea. But the sand does look Divine. Beautiful pics.
ReplyDeleteSuzy at Someday Somewhere