Florida's Underrated Gem Of The Gulf Coast Is An Island State Park With Warm White Sand Beaches Near Tampa

Many travelers are familiar with the white-sand beaches of Florida's Pinellas County, home to popular tourist destinations like St. Pete and Clearwater Beach. But just a few miles off the Gulf Coast, not far from Tampa, there's a lesser-known gem, Anclote Key Preserve State Park, with gorgeous beaches that are only accessible by boat.

The 11,773-acre state park consists of four islands: Anclote Key, North Anclote Bar, South Anclote Bar, and Three Rooker Island. The largest, Anclote Key, is about 4 miles long and features beautiful white-sand beaches as well as mangroves and seagrasses. The smaller three are constantly in flux — North Anclote Bar becomes fully submerged by water at high tide, while Three Rooker Island is always changing in shape and size due to the forces of erosion. 

All the park's islands have a few things in common. They're naturally beautiful, largely undeveloped, and serve as important nesting areas and habitats for a diversity of birds, including bald eagles, American oystercatchers, and piping plovers.

Anclote Key Preserve State Park is about a 3-mile journey over water from the seaside village of Tarpon Springs, Florida's own Greek island-style getaway. Travelers have a few options for making the trip. The easiest way is to boat there yourself if you have access to a boat. If not, you could rent one from a local business like Belle Harbor Boat Rentals (starting at $275 per day). Finally, you could book a spot with an outfitter like Odyssey Cruises, which runs half-day tours to Anclote Key ($75 per person). No matter how you arrive, prepare to get wet: There are no public docks in the islands, so you'll hop off the boat in thigh-high water and wade to shore. 

Once on Anclote Key, you can stroll for miles on the island's white-sand beaches or swim in the gulf's calm, clear, and warm aquamarine waters (just use caution, since there are never lifeguards on duty). Since the park is only accessible by boat and there's no public ferry service, you'll mostly have the place to yourself. The state park's under-the-radar status and lack of crowds are partly what make it such an underrated gem. 

"Heaven on earth!" wrote one traveler on Google Reviews who boated to the islands on a weekday. "Walk [the] beautiful white sand shore and forget the world. Best place to recharge and regenerate." Many others mentioned how peaceful the park is, and how fun it is to explore its sand bars and look for interesting shells.

Once you've enjoyed some relaxing beach time, walk over to Anclote Key's historic lighthouse. First built in 1886, it fell into disrepair and was later restored, with its light relit in 2003. You can enter and climb the lighthouse on the second weekend of each month from October through May (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) The volunteer organization Friends of Anclote Key State Park & Lighthouse also hosts open houses where visitors can tour the lighthouse. The suggested donation for either activity is $7 per person.

Primitive camping is available on the north end of Anclote Key, where visitors also have access to a compostable toilet. Whatever your plans at the state park, be sure to bring plenty of food and water, as there are no provisions on the island — and of course, take your trash with you when you leave.

Anclote Key Preserve State Park is open daily year-round from 8 a.m. to sunset, and admission is free. From Tarpon Springs, the closest point on the mainland, Tampa and its international airport, considered the best in the country for its excellent dining options and striking public art installations, are about an hour's drive away.