Beach Trip

By Kevin Wing
Co-Host, Catch a Wave: A Journey to California’s 10 Best Beaches

(Editor’s Note: This regular column about America’s best beaches and beach towns is written exclusively for AARisings by Kevin Wing, an Emmy Award-winning San Francisco Bay Area-based television journalist who co-hosts Catch a Wave: A Journey to California’s 10 Best Beaches. Kevin is also a news writer/feature reporter at KRON-TV Channel 4 in San Francisco, and performs voiceover work in the Bay Area. He also writes Suite Surrender, a new column for AARisings, which showcases America’s best hotel and resort destinations. What beach are we visiting this month? It’s back to sunny Florida and Siesta Key Beach, located on a beautiful barrier island along the Gulf Coast, just offshore from Sarasota.)

This time of year, you might not find a lot of people laying out on the beach. It may be a bit cold for that, but we can still dream about sunning ourselves on some tropical beach! And, while most of the nation is contending with wintry cold weather these days, there are only a few exceptions.

Florida has always been one of them. Although temperatures in the Sunshine State aren’t exactly in the 80s or higher during the month of December, there have been some areas there where the daily temperatures have hit the 70s. That’s still fairly nice weather to check out the beach.

One of the world’s best, finest, whitest beaches is on the Gulf Coast of Florida, near Sarasota. It’s called Siesta Key Beach, and it’s located on Siesta Key, a barrier island that stretches about eight miles offshore from Sarasota.

One of the most renowned parts of Siesta Key is a place called Crescent Beach. It’s here where the powdery white sand is known around the world. In fact, Crescent Beach is known to have “the world’s finest and whitest sand.” That may sound like the local Chamber of Commerce talking, but it’s true. Many beaches along Florida’s Gulf Coast have sand that’s fine and powdery white. But, none get any closer to that description than the sand on Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach.

Speaking of the local Chamber of Commerce, it says that Siesta Key Beach is made up of 99 percent pure quartz. Nearly 20 years ago, it was judged “the world’s finest and whitest” beach. Not much has changed. If you want a beach that feels like powdery flour to the touch, this is it.

At the south end of Siesta Key is Turtle Beach, another great spot. This part of the key doesn’t become as crowded as the other parts, such as Crescent Beach. But, if you’re a seashell lover and love picking through the sand to find your favorites, this is the place.

There is a lot to do on Siesta Key besides check out the sand. If you need a little more excitement, there are many venues for parasailing, sailboarding and fishing. You can also take a guided boat tour of Siesta Key or rent a boat yourself and experience nearly 50 miles of waterways that meander throughout this cool barrier reef.

If you’re in the Sarasota area and you want to relax and feel the soft sand between your toes, Siesta Key is the place to be.

How to get to the beach: From Sarasota, exit U.S. Highway 41 at Siesta Drive, and head west onto Siesta Key. You’ll cross Roberts Bay at that point. Once on Siesta Key, head south and follow the signs to the various patches of the sands of paradise, such as Siesta, Crescent and Turtle beaches. Siesta Key is about 50 miles south of Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Next month from Beach Trip: The central coast of California is home to many well-known, iconic beaches. Pismo Beach is one of them. Come along for the ride as we take you to a beach with some of the best sand dunes around. Pismo Beach – coming your way in early 2007.

To learn more about the Catch a Wave television show and Kevin Wing, go to www.catchawavetv.com. You can email Kevin and the Catch a Wave crew at catchawavetvshow@aol.com.

Beach Trip. Where It’s Summertime Year Round.
Copyright 2006
All Rights Reserved
Kevin Wing / American Travelers Television
Issue 10 / December 2006

Archive:
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February 2005

Photo used by permission courtesy of Kevin Wing. Photo copyright by Kevin Wing.