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Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, FL

Photo: Dough4872, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorFamily FavoriteOutdoor AdventureFree

Siesta Beach

948 Beach Rd · Siesta Key, FL

Why you should go…

Siesta Beach is a Sarasota County park on Siesta Key known for sand that is about 99 percent quartz, which keeps it cool underfoot even on hot days. The beach is unusually wide near the pavilion, so roll-out mats lead across the sand toward the water. You will find lifeguards, a playground, volleyball courts, picnic areas, concessions and restrooms. The historic pavilion was designed by Edward J. Seibert of the Sarasota School of Architecture.

  • #beach
  • #white sand
  • #swimming
  • #gulf coast
  • #siesta key

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Siesta Beach, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    The Ringling

    $25–$50

    Walk a bayfront estate with an art museum of European paintings, a circus museum and the Ringlings' 1926 mansion.

    8.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Sunshine Skyway Bridge

    Under $25

    Drive over Tampa Bay on a four-mile cable-stayed bridge, or view the whole span from the old-bridge fishing piers.

    26 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Iconic

    The Dalí Museum

    $25–$50

    See Salvador Dalí's paintings and drawings in a waterfront museum entered beside a 75-foot glass spiral.

    35 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    The Florida Aquarium

    $25–$50

    See a 500,000-gallon coral reef tank, loggerhead sea turtles, moon jellies, lemurs and stingrays in downtown Tampa.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Ybor City

    Free

    Stroll 7th Avenue in Tampa's historic Latin Quarter for cigar shops, hand rollers, free-roaming chickens and the Columbia Restaurant.

    49 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Clearwater Beach

    Free

    Spread out on 2.5 miles of white Gulf sand, then join the nightly sunset gathering of performers at Pier 60.

    52 mi awayMore like this