Award-Winning Beaches

The Best Stretches of Sand

Florida west coast beaches are award-winning! The accolades on this page are proof that we offer the best beach vacations in Florida - and in the USA.

BEST BEACH TOWN FOR FAMILIES

The Travel Channel ranked St. Pete Beach #4 of 30 Best Family-Friendly Beaches in the world in 2015. Parents magazine named St. Pete Beach #3 among America's Top 10 Best Beach Towns for Families in 2013. "The destinations chosen deliver all the ingredients for a magical stay with the kids — pristine ocean water, nature activities and a boatload of inland fun," the magazine reads. St. Pete Beach was chosen thanks to its white sand, oceanfront activities, inland attractions and beach safety.

FT. DE SOTO PARK ONE OF DR. BEACH’S REPUTABLE PICKS

Just 15 minutes away from TradeWinds Island Resorts, you’ll find another top beach in the USA — North Beach in Fort De Soto Park. Coastal geologist Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. Dr. Beach, named this Florida destination America’s #1 Beach out of more than 650 major recreational beaches across the country in 2005, using more than 50 factors. TripAdvisor also rated North Beach the #1 Beach in 2008 and 2009. At Fort De Soto, ride, skate or jog on the seven-mile paved trail, canoe and kayak through lush mangroves or fish from two free piers. Fido can roam at the Paw Playground and frolic in the surf at Dog Beach, while kids explore the canons and jail cells of the old fort. The nature lover will discover a host of other nature parks and birding trails in the area.

SUNSET CAPITAL OF FLORIDA

Former Governor Charlie Crist officially deemed St. Pete Beach as the “Sunset Capital of Florida.” To top off the accolades, St. Petersburg, which averages 361 days of sunshine per year, holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine — 768 days in a row!