Longboat Key Beaches at BeachHunter.net |
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Longboat Key Beaches at BeachHunter.net |
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Longboat Key (Bradenton and Sarasota)The island of Longboat Key is immediately to the south of Anna Maria Island, but is worlds apart. Unlike Anna Maria, Longboat Key is characterized by high-rise luxury beachfront condominiums, exclusive resorts, luxurious beachfront estates with jungle landscapes, and long, gleaming white sandy beaches (well Anna Maria does have the beaches!). Longboat Key has an unmistakable air of exclusivity. The miles of white sandy beaches are all but inaccessible to non-residents. In other words, public beach access is limited. While this may be frustrating for some, it creates a very quiet beach for those wanting not to be bothered by crowds. Most of the beaches are enjoyed only by residents and visitors staying in the many upscale condominiums and resorts. There are plenty of rooms available in the many beachfront rental condos and beach resorts. A long quiet stroll on the beach is always waiting for anyone on the key.
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Do you have all the beach gear you need to be comfortable during your beach vacation? I've got some great suggestions & tips for you. Have a look at some beach chairs, umbrellas, totes, floating chairs, towels, kids gear, and a LOT more! |
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The northern tip of Longboat Key is known affectionately as Beer Can Island. It is actually not an island, but is a landform created by the water currents and is called a "hooked spit" by coastal geologists and others of a scientific bent. Translated into English, this means it is a curved sand bar. I was standing on the Longboat Key bridge when I took the photo at left. The bridge leads from Anna Maria Island to Longboat Key, spanning the waterway known as Longboat Pass. Beer Can Island is a very popular beach. As you can see, boaters have a very sheltered place to pull up on the sandy beach. On the other side of the island is the Gulf of Mexico. |
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At left is the Gulf side of Beer Can Island. Erosion from currents and storm surf has gradually taken away the beach and has felled much of the Australian pine forest. There are still some trees left standing, but this section of the beach is strewn with the smooth gray trunks and spreading roots of the downed trees. It would have been exciting to have seen the trees trying to stand their ground against the overwhelming storm surf, gradually falling into the swirling waters. This is a very picturesque part of the island and there are many beautiful herons and egrets stalking among the trees, especially in the early morning and late evening. What a magical place this is to watch the sun set and the evening fall. Many, many evenings have I spent here. Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island can be seen in the distance on the other side of Longboat Pass. |
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This is the beach about a half-mile south of Beer Can Island. It is a very quiet beach, since there is no public access except by walking from Beer Can Island. There are plenty of beach houses behind the trees and some condos up the beach if you can afford them. The beach is very white and the water is quite shallow and safe for swimming. This is a very "upscale" area and rowdy behavior is not encountered or tolerated. The beach is patrolled by the Longboat Key police on all-terrain vehicles. Alcohol is not allowed. I understand that many celebrities and other persons of note vacation on Longboat Key and some have homes here. |
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I took this photo in the warm rosy evening light just before sunset. It was taken about 50 yards south of the above photo, on a different day, looking south. Notice how quiet the beach is and how the island curves gently all the way to the horizon. The island is so long that even the huge ugly towering condos on the southern part of the island are barely visible in this photo. |
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This is one of the public beach access paths that actually has a parking lot. There aren't many public beach accesses on Longboat Key that provide parking. |
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Here's the beach at the foot of the above pictured access. It's the best beach on the island (but no facilities of any kind). |
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This Longboat Key beach is toward the center of the island. Note the condominiums on the beach. The further south on the island you go, the taller the condos get. There aren't many people on the beaches here, so long quiet walks are easy to come by, especially early in the morning and late in the evening. |
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