Cayo Costa is our favorite uninhabited beach. Beautiful water, shells, so laid back. You can only reach it by boat. Same goes for North Captiva. The Pink Elephant on Boca Grande is a cool place to eat, but it is pricey like most things on Boca. I have never been to Siesta Key but it's on my list. A lot of my local (Fort Myers area) friends highly recommend it. Great list & very informative video!
We have not yet visited Cayo Costa, but we were already excited about visiting and now are even moreso. Thanks so much for sharing this info. We have visited the Pink Elephant and really enjoyed dining outside by the water. We've been to Siesta many times, and it's one of our favorite places on earth! Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment!
Generally speaking it's an amazing time to visit. You'd be getting there right before the spring break crowds when the weather is normally going to be great (we typically don't get much rain here in February). That said, this winter has been weird, and we've been getting a lot more rain than normal. Also, the gulf will still be quite cold, so if you want to spend your days swimming in the gulf, you may want to wait a few months.
Hello. We love charming Matlacha (no beaches) but it was really hit hard by IAN. Do you know of anything similar to Matlacha vibes on the SW coast? We loved that we had mangrove views mid island and could walk to shops and restaraunts.
We still need to make it to Matlacha ourselves! As far as laid back beach spots on the SW coast, we'd probably recommend Manasota Key, Longboat Key, or Don Pedro (if you really want the secluded beach feel). We've heard really things about Goodland too. Like Matlacha, it doesn't have a beach, but we've heard that it's incredibly charming.
@@Explorcation Goodland is a lot like Pine Island. I love it there. Everyone is so nice. It's a great place to paddle board & kayak. We took a jet ski to Tigertail Beach on Marco and picked up soooo many sand dollars at low tide over Thanksgiving weekend. They even have a free community meal for everyone in the community on Thanksgiving day. However, I think it's a bit of a ghost town in the summer. Even some of the bars close.
Matlacha is really special. I have yet to find a place like it. It is really coming back. Lots of businesses & restaurants have reopened. It's slow in the summer & some things close up, but come about November, the island comes back to life. And there is one tiny beach on Pine Island where you can launch a kayak or paddle board. There's also an island you can paddle to at the north end of the island in Bokeelia.
Thanks, Bryant! Yeah, Jamie's voice is definitely one of the strong points of our channel. I personally wouldn't say that my voice is... but I guess it's fairly normal for people to not enjoy hearing their own voice! Either way, thank you so much for watching and for the encouraging comments!
Question having a 60th anniversary in January 2025, which I would like my adult kids to be there looking for a resort or home on the beach there will be seven of us. We can do only rooms each or a home with four bed house. I’ve been quite a bit all over Florida and I’d like your opinion on one of the, most fun resort areas to go to. We just don’t sit back we sound old but we’re young for her ages in like to have happy hours dining pool bar and some nightlife with a beautiful beach. What would you suggest?
Congrats on your upcoming anniversary. When it comes to fun resort areas, the first thing that comes to mind for us is St. Pete Beach. If cost is not an issue, our choice would be Bellweather on St. Pete Beach. They recently underwent a re-model and the place looks amazing. They also have one of our favorite beach bars, Bongos. We really like the Billmar in Treasure Island as well. There are a few great resorts up in Clearwater Beach as well, but based on the description of your group, I think St. Pete Beach may be more of your style. If you do decide to go the house route, we'd recommend searching www.resortrentals.com. They have a lot of great rental options around our area.
@@Explorcation d have gone there many times along the cost of Tampa bay beaches. We go every year. It’s a fun place and love the St. John’s pass. I was considering Delray Beach or Marco island. Not been to either. Enjoy a place on beach with fun vibes and night life Delray Beach has.
We've heard a lot of good things about Delray Beach, but have never stayed there. Marco Island is beautiful and has some really nice (although pricey) resorts. We've only done a day trip there and it is quite a bit sleepier than St. Pete Beach, but still plenty to see and do! @@ellenpropp4992
Barefoot Beach near Bonita is very nice. Few amenities but you'll typically avoid the crowds at FMB which is a plus. North Captiva island is another gem but is only accessible by ferry or small plane. Tom Hanks owns a home there.
Congrats on 30K guys, that’s amaaazing 🥳🤗❤️ This video is making us so excited for beach days in our upcoming summer 🤗 If we ever go to Florida we’ll have to visit each beach on your list, you are so spoilt for choice 👏 Can’t believe some of those parking prices though 😮💨😅 Just wondering about water temperature? Is it warm all year round?
Thanks so much, guys! We hope you have an amazing summer in NZ! Everyone not from the US can never believe how much we have to pay for parking here. We're really excited for when we start travelling more abroad and don't have to pay so much to visit beaches! Water temperature for us is swimmable from May through October of November. Winter months you still se some of the tourists (from colder climates) in the water, but it's too cold for us!
This is the stuff dreams are made of! What gorgeous scenery you showed with all the SW Florida beaches. I'd love to go to every one of them for different reasons. I commend you both for your hard work in producing and editing such an informative video. Thank you both for providing a mini escape from my home far away in Tennessee. "Explorcation" is the BEST channel on YT! 🙂
Thank you so much for this incedibly kind comment and for always supporting our channel. It is a lot work, but comments like these always help keep us going!
Thanks for this video! Would love to know your opinion of what is the best time of year to go to the beach (given snowbird season, hurricane season and red tide season). Thank you!
Our personal favorite time is Sept/Oct during hurricane season as the beaches usually aren't too crowded, the water is warm and when there isn't a hurricane the water can be quite calm and gorgeous. However if someone is traveling here and doesn't want to deal with the possibility of a trip being disrupted or ruined by a hurricane then we'd recommend late April/early May. By then a lot of snowbirds have gone home and family vacations haven't started yet due to kids still being in school.
Yep... any more parking can end up being the deciding factor on what beach to visit. They are all beautiful, but nothing ruins a day on the beach more than starting it off by circling a parking lot for a half hour!
Yeah, we've had the content to make this one for quite some time, but we've been putting it off because we knew how long it would take to make! That said, it's always fun to look back at all spots we've visited over the last couple of years! They definitely are all worth visiting.
Thank you so much! I think I may have worn a couple different hats in this video, but the one I wear most often lately is one that I got from Marshalls.
We were at the Sandbar tiki bar last spring. Unfortunately the red tide was so bad, it mad you cough. You didn't add the White Elephant. Kind of sketchy. Blind Pass beach seemed to have less red tide. Kind of dampened our vacation. Thank You for the videos!
LOL yes White Elephant is definitely a little sketchy, but sometimes we enjoy the sketchy spots! Bummer about the red tide on your last trip to Manasota, that really can put a major damper on your beach vacation. Thankfully we haven't had to deal with it much so far this year.
Thanks for another very informative video...we've been to many St Pete/Clearwater area beaches over the years,and are thinking about checking out a little south.
Our pleasure! SW Florida definitely has some great options, but you really can't go wrong with the St. Pete/Clearwater area either. Either way, you win!
Love the info provided...we've not been in the area you cover but I'm constantly adding to our places/areas to stop by! The Venice Beach area in particular...but all look interesting for different reasons.
I’ve not been to Casey Key, and Don Pedro and Boca Grand have been on my list for quite a while. I’ve been to the rest in my 45 years in FL. And quite a few more recently all thanks to your videos the last 2 years. Many years ago I drove from Fort Lauderdale to St Augustine up A1A and US 1 if A1A was not a good option. It was quite an experience seeing all the different beach towns. Many of which I revisited over and over. Can’t wait to see your take on this coast when you finally venture over.
Sounds like you've got a few more beaches to get to over here 😁 we sure do plan to get over to St Augustine and other beach towns in that area, it is just a matter of when!
wrong... we will not be posting a video next week😂 But seriously, if you do not love beaches, we'll be the first to tell you that our channel is probably not for you.
Cool video! Yeah, I hope to meet you guys one day. I couldn’t make it on the 13th. I’m planning a fall colors trip to North Georgia or South Tennessee in a couple weeks.
We were up in western NC and eastern TN for the color change a few years back, and it was one of our most memorable trips. Getting up in those mountains is beautiful any time of year, but during the color change it's a whole other level. We're sure you'll have an awesome time. And no worries about not making the meet-up. Hopefully you'll be able to make the next one!
@@Explorcation Yeah, I went to UP country South Carolina last year and even went into NC, and it was beautiful. I’ve been on a lot of cool hikes over the years, but that ranks up there with the best of them. He day and the leaves were beautiful. Great views!
Does the availability of sharks teeth at Venice beach also provide for availability of sharks in their whole form? 😂 My wife loves to hunt for shells and sharks teeth. I have a funny story about that but maybe for another video. I've been dabbling with video editing recently and it just makes me appreciate the content you guys provide even more. It's fun but hard work! Thanks for what you do. What a life. Do you ever use drone footage? That's something else I'm toying with at the moment.
😆 we don't like to think about why there are so many shark's teeth found in this area. Oh editing, you are right it is fun, especially to see the final cut, but it is hard work, if you ever have questions that we may be able to answer, let us know. As far as drone footage, we use footage from a site we pay for. We do have a drone, but in order to use drone footage in monetized content you have to get a license, which we have not done yet.
@Explorcation Yes, the FAA part 107 test (I think that's the correct name). Thanks for the kind offer to help with editing questions! Very nice of you guys. Hope the turn-out last Friday was great for the meet-up.
Thanks for coming along to tour Southwest Florida's beaches with us! Which beaches are at the top of your list? Also, let us know if there are any other SW Florida beach destinations that should have been on this list 😁
Cayo Costa is our favorite uninhabited beach. Beautiful water, shells, so laid back. You can only reach it by boat. Same goes for North Captiva. The Pink Elephant on Boca Grande is a cool place to eat, but it is pricey like most things on Boca. I have never been to Siesta Key but it's on my list. A lot of my local (Fort Myers area) friends highly recommend it. Great list & very informative video!
We have not yet visited Cayo Costa, but we were already excited about visiting and now are even moreso. Thanks so much for sharing this info. We have visited the Pink Elephant and really enjoyed dining outside by the water. We've been to Siesta many times, and it's one of our favorite places on earth! Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment!
Siesta Key *my home beach* is mine. Very good Vid!!
Ahh Siesta, I think it will always be one of our faves too 😁
So excited to get a new episode this morning. Great way to start off the weekend.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
What is St Pete Beach like last week of February?
Generally speaking it's an amazing time to visit. You'd be getting there right before the spring break crowds when the weather is normally going to be great (we typically don't get much rain here in February). That said, this winter has been weird, and we've been getting a lot more rain than normal. Also, the gulf will still be quite cold, so if you want to spend your days swimming in the gulf, you may want to wait a few months.
Hello. We love charming Matlacha (no beaches) but it was really hit hard by IAN. Do you know of anything similar to Matlacha vibes on the SW coast? We loved that we had mangrove views mid island and could walk to shops and restaraunts.
We still need to make it to Matlacha ourselves! As far as laid back beach spots on the SW coast, we'd probably recommend Manasota Key, Longboat Key, or Don Pedro (if you really want the secluded beach feel). We've heard really things about Goodland too. Like Matlacha, it doesn't have a beach, but we've heard that it's incredibly charming.
What about Anna Maria in that area?@@Explorcation
@@Explorcation Goodland is a lot like Pine Island. I love it there. Everyone is so nice. It's a great place to paddle board & kayak. We took a jet ski to Tigertail Beach on Marco and picked up soooo many sand dollars at low tide over Thanksgiving weekend. They even have a free community meal for everyone in the community on Thanksgiving day. However, I think it's a bit of a ghost town in the summer. Even some of the bars close.
Matlacha is really special. I have yet to find a place like it. It is really coming back. Lots of businesses & restaurants have reopened. It's slow in the summer & some things close up, but come about November, the island comes back to life. And there is one tiny beach on Pine Island where you can launch a kayak or paddle board. There's also an island you can paddle to at the north end of the island in Bokeelia.
It does not have shops like Matlacha though. It's just a cool little place to walk around. I think you guys did a Goodland video, didn't you?
Love it! Jamie you have a great narrating voice also. You do too Skyler, but I’ve heard her way more! Keep up the excellent work
Thanks, Bryant! Yeah, Jamie's voice is definitely one of the strong points of our channel. I personally wouldn't say that my voice is... but I guess it's fairly normal for people to not enjoy hearing their own voice! Either way, thank you so much for watching and for the encouraging comments!
Question having a 60th anniversary in January 2025, which I would like my adult kids to be there looking for a resort or home on the beach there will be seven of us. We can do only rooms each or a home with four bed house. I’ve been quite a bit all over Florida and I’d like your opinion on one of the, most fun resort areas to go to. We just don’t sit back we sound old but we’re young for her ages in like to have happy hours dining pool bar and some nightlife with a beautiful beach. What would you suggest?
Congrats on your upcoming anniversary. When it comes to fun resort areas, the first thing that comes to mind for us is St. Pete Beach. If cost is not an issue, our choice would be Bellweather on St. Pete Beach. They recently underwent a re-model and the place looks amazing. They also have one of our favorite beach bars, Bongos. We really like the Billmar in Treasure Island as well. There are a few great resorts up in Clearwater Beach as well, but based on the description of your group, I think St. Pete Beach may be more of your style. If you do decide to go the house route, we'd recommend searching www.resortrentals.com. They have a lot of great rental options around our area.
@@Explorcation d have gone there many times along the cost of Tampa bay beaches. We go every year. It’s a fun place and love the St. John’s pass. I was considering Delray Beach or Marco island. Not been to either. Enjoy a place on beach with fun vibes and night life Delray Beach has.
We've heard a lot of good things about Delray Beach, but have never stayed there. Marco Island is beautiful and has some really nice (although pricey) resorts. We've only done a day trip there and it is quite a bit sleepier than St. Pete Beach, but still plenty to see and do! @@ellenpropp4992
Barefoot Beach near Bonita is very nice. Few amenities but you'll typically avoid the crowds at FMB which is a plus. North Captiva island is another gem but is only accessible by ferry or small plane. Tom Hanks owns a home there.
Thanks for the recommendations, we've not yet been to either...but they both sound like beach destinations we would enjoy!
Business n parking pay too much, Mother Nature teaches them a lesson to learn, if not she’ll clean again and no one’s coming
Congrats on 30K guys, that’s amaaazing 🥳🤗❤️
This video is making us so excited for beach days in our upcoming summer 🤗
If we ever go to Florida we’ll have to visit each beach on your list, you are so spoilt for choice 👏
Can’t believe some of those parking prices though 😮💨😅
Just wondering about water temperature? Is it warm all year round?
Thanks so much, guys! We hope you have an amazing summer in NZ! Everyone not from the US can never believe how much we have to pay for parking here. We're really excited for when we start travelling more abroad and don't have to pay so much to visit beaches! Water temperature for us is swimmable from May through October of November. Winter months you still se some of the tourists (from colder climates) in the water, but it's too cold for us!
This is the stuff dreams are made of! What gorgeous scenery you showed with all the SW Florida beaches. I'd love to go to every one of them for different reasons. I commend you both for your hard work in producing and editing such an informative video. Thank you both for providing a mini escape from my home far away in Tennessee. "Explorcation" is the BEST channel on YT! 🙂
Thank you so much for this incedibly kind comment and for always supporting our channel. It is a lot work, but comments like these always help keep us going!
Thanks for this video! Would love to know your opinion of what is the best time of year to go to the beach (given snowbird season, hurricane season and red tide season). Thank you!
Our personal favorite time is Sept/Oct during hurricane season as the beaches usually aren't too crowded, the water is warm and when there isn't a hurricane the water can be quite calm and gorgeous. However if someone is traveling here and doesn't want to deal with the possibility of a trip being disrupted or ruined by a hurricane then we'd recommend late April/early May. By then a lot of snowbirds have gone home and family vacations haven't started yet due to kids still being in school.
@@Explorcation Wonderful! Thank you so much for this very helpful advice!
@@coralpetals YW!
@@Explorcation I agree. November is nice as well because the rains have calmed & the temps start to drop but still not cold by any means.
Pass a grille for us this Thu!!! Fall break!!! Cannot wait!
Pass a grille is a great spot here on the Gulf Coast, we hope you have a great trip!
So many amazing beaches to choose from - and wow do some of them and the parking lots get busy. I need a Florida trip.
Yep... any more parking can end up being the deciding factor on what beach to visit. They are all beautiful, but nothing ruins a day on the beach more than starting it off by circling a parking lot for a half hour!
This was great, I love your beach list videos, it's clear how much effort must go into them! I would love to visit any and every beach on this list 😍
Yeah, we've had the content to make this one for quite some time, but we've been putting it off because we knew how long it would take to make! That said, it's always fun to look back at all spots we've visited over the last couple of years! They definitely are all worth visiting.
Ugh, I can't wait until I FIRE in ten years so I can pack up all my life in Nebraska and move to the beach in Florida 😊😭
We hope that you are able to at least visit a few times before then! Thanks so much for watching.
Englewood Beach is probably my favorite. Mainly because my all time favorite restaurant is there, The White Elephant Pub!!
Englewood is such a great pick! It really did rank higher for us prior to the Idalia damage. We hope they repair the road soon.
Hi new subscriber and love your videos :) can you tellme where you got your lovely hat from?
Thank you so much! I think I may have worn a couple different hats in this video, but the one I wear most often lately is one that I got from Marshalls.
We were at the Sandbar tiki bar last spring. Unfortunately the red tide was so bad, it mad you cough. You didn't add the White Elephant. Kind of sketchy. Blind Pass beach seemed to have less red tide. Kind of dampened our vacation. Thank You for the videos!
LOL yes White Elephant is definitely a little sketchy, but sometimes we enjoy the sketchy spots! Bummer about the red tide on your last trip to Manasota, that really can put a major damper on your beach vacation. Thankfully we haven't had to deal with it much so far this year.
Thanks for another very informative video...we've been to many St Pete/Clearwater area beaches over the years,and are thinking about checking out a little south.
Our pleasure! SW Florida definitely has some great options, but you really can't go wrong with the St. Pete/Clearwater area either. Either way, you win!
Love the info provided...we've not been in the area you cover but I'm constantly adding to our places/areas to stop by!
The Venice Beach area in particular...but all look interesting for different reasons.
Thanks! That is what we love about the Gulf Coast of Florida, so many beach towns, all with their own unique vibe.
I’ve not been to Casey Key, and Don Pedro and Boca Grand have been on my list for quite a while. I’ve been to the rest in my 45 years in FL. And quite a few more recently all thanks to your videos the last 2 years. Many years ago I drove from Fort Lauderdale to St Augustine up A1A and US 1 if A1A was not a good option. It was quite an experience seeing all the different beach towns. Many of which I revisited over and over. Can’t wait to see your take on this coast when you finally venture over.
Sounds like you've got a few more beaches to get to over here 😁 we sure do plan to get over to St Augustine and other beach towns in that area, it is just a matter of when!
Next week... Another beach or post hurricane video 🥱
wrong... we will not be posting a video next week😂 But seriously, if you do not love beaches, we'll be the first to tell you that our channel is probably not for you.
Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always, all the places and beaches are beautiful, they are all my favorite 👍🤗
Thank you so much for watching!
Thanks! I appreciate all the work you put into your videos and the information provided!
Thank you so much for your support and generosity! We appreciate this so much!
Cool video! Yeah, I hope to meet you guys one day. I couldn’t make it on the 13th. I’m planning a fall colors trip to North Georgia or South Tennessee in a couple weeks.
We were up in western NC and eastern TN for the color change a few years back, and it was one of our most memorable trips. Getting up in those mountains is beautiful any time of year, but during the color change it's a whole other level. We're sure you'll have an awesome time. And no worries about not making the meet-up. Hopefully you'll be able to make the next one!
@@Explorcation Yeah, I went to UP country South Carolina last year and even went into NC, and it was beautiful. I’ve been on a lot of cool hikes over the years, but that ranks up there with the best of them. He day and the leaves were beautiful. Great views!
Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always 👍
Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the video. Well done. It is hard to pick a beach.
It really is, Gladys. They all have so much to offer!
Does the availability of sharks teeth at Venice beach also provide for availability of sharks in their whole form? 😂 My wife loves to hunt for shells and sharks teeth. I have a funny story about that but maybe for another video. I've been dabbling with video editing recently and it just makes me appreciate the content you guys provide even more. It's fun but hard work! Thanks for what you do. What a life. Do you ever use drone footage? That's something else I'm toying with at the moment.
😆 we don't like to think about why there are so many shark's teeth found in this area. Oh editing, you are right it is fun, especially to see the final cut, but it is hard work, if you ever have questions that we may be able to answer, let us know. As far as drone footage, we use footage from a site we pay for. We do have a drone, but in order to use drone footage in monetized content you have to get a license, which we have not done yet.
@Explorcation Yes, the FAA part 107 test (I think that's the correct name). Thanks for the kind offer to help with editing questions! Very nice of you guys. Hope the turn-out last Friday was great for the meet-up.
...and it was another great dat for saving the bees.
Always a great day for saving bees!
Never been to SW Florida. Maybe some day!
We hope you get a chance to visit someday 😊
Thanks for coming along to tour Southwest Florida's beaches with us! Which beaches are at the top of your list? Also, let us know if there are any other SW Florida beach destinations that should have been on this list 😁
Thank you and your welcome
Clearwater Beach always #1 for me!
We totally understand why it's the favorite of so many people. So much to do in such a small area, and amazing beaches.
Wow great very nice video friend 👍👍👍👍
Thank you!
Yes!!
Great video guys 👏
Thank you! It's always fund to make these compilation videos, although ranking the beaches is though when they all have so much to offer!