Florida’s gulf coast is a legendary place to watch the sun sink into the sea. Every evening, thousands of people gather along countless spots along Florida’s western shore to watch mother nature send us all a little goodnight kiss. Some places throw a party, complete with a round of applause. Other places are perfect for just relaxing silently and taking it all in. Any place on the gulf coast is perfect for watching a sunset, but there are few that make it just a little more special. These are just some of the places for the best Florida sunsets you’ll ever see.
Key West
Let’s get the most famous and most obvious one out of the way first. Key West is a world-famous Florida destination that attracts millions of visitors each year. Travelers come here for the nightlife, quirky events, fishing, boating, diving and just to have their photo taken at the Southernmost Point. At the end of each day, Mallory Square on the northwest corner of the island buzzes with activity. Thousands gather here for the nightly Sunset Celebration that brings out just about every colorful character on the island. Starting about two hours before sundown, this is the nightly home to street performers, buskers, artists, and food vendors out here to entertain the crowd as the sun sinks into the Gulf.
In those final moments, as the sun approaches the horizon, a strange and peaceful quiet overcomes the once boisterous crowd. All eyes gaze out to sea, only to erupt into applause after Mother Nature’s show is complete. The idea a crowd of people clapping and cheering for the sunset may sound corny, but being there it will raise the hairs on your neck and make you break out in goosebumps.
Best viewing location: Mallory Square, for the shared experience and fun.
Website: https://www.mallorysquare.com/sunset-celebration
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach doesn’t want to let Key West have all the fun. So they’ve organized their own nightly festivities to celebrate sundown. The fun starts every night at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach which also has performers, live music, and an artist’s market. Some of the performers that we’ve seen here are incredible! We’ve seen acrobatics shows, tricky dog shows, fire eaters, and dancers on some of our visits to Pier 60.
Clearwater Beach is constantly showing up on lists that rank the best beaches in the world, so it can often be a busy place. Pier 60 is where the party is, but you can have just as good a time from one of the beachside restaurants like Frenchy’s or Palm Pavillion that are just a short walk from the pier. Sunsets at Clearwater Beach are even better with a beer and a grouper sandwich.
Best viewing location: For the perfect view, walk to the pier and head out to the very end. There is a walk-on fee of a dollar a person if you’re just there to hang out without fishing.
Website: https://www.sunsetsatpier60.com
Venice Beach
Venice Beach is another gulf coast beach with a big fishing pier that you can walk out onto for the perfect view of sunset. But unlike Clearwater Beach, Venice Beach is a bit more chill and a lot less crowded. You shouldn’t have a lot of trouble here parking or finding a good spot in the sand to enjoy your day at the beach. The pier is home to a great beach bar, Sharky’s on the Pier, where you can hang out and have a cold one while waiting for sunset.
Venice Beach is one of the best places for Florida sunsets, but it’s world-famous for the millions of shark teeth that can be found in the sand here. You can try your luck by getting a sand sifter (you can rent them at the pier) and dragging it through the shallow surf. Finding a few nice teeth here is usually pretty easy, but you may be one of the lucky ones who bring home a rare Megalodon tooth. They are found here and a valuable prize. For some shark tooth hunting tips make sure to read our guide to shark tooth hunting at Venice Beach.
Best viewing location: The end of the Venice fishing pier is always a good spot, but you won’t even have to leave your barstool at Sharky’s either.
See also: Things to do in Venice, Florida
Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island is a bit of a quiet gem of a place on Florida’s gulf coast. Tucked between the world-famous white sands of Sarasota’s Siesta Key and the busy beaches near St. Petersburg, this place is still relatively undiscovered by the rest of the world. Anna Maria Island isn’t packed with high rise hotels, and it still retains a little bit of the soul of “Old Florida”. There are mom & pop ice cream shops, great little burger places, and bars with names like “The Ugly Grouper” and “Hurricane Hanks”. And it’s convenient to get to for a lot of people. It’s just a short drive from the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas. Anna Marie Island is a place that’s not really touristy but still retains a hospitable charm.
AMI is more of a locals beach than some of the other places here that attract a lot of out of state tourists. This is a good place to come out for a quiet reflective time as dusk turns to evening on Florida’s gulf coast.
Best viewing location: Bean Point Beach. It’s at the northern tip of the island where you’ll find a wide stretch of sand and a chance to see the fabulous Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the distance to the east.
Siesta Key Beach
The sand on Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota has been called the finest in the world. The stuff is brilliant white and feels like soft powdered sugar on your bare feet. Forget the fact that a dumb MTV reality show was set here, this is one of our favorite beaches in Florida. Siesta Key rides that fine line where it’s popular with locals, but plenty of tourists find their way here too. It’s touristy, but not tacky. It’s shoreline is developed with condos and hotels, but not so much so that it feels overbearing. Our two favorite times to watch a sunset here are Fourth of July, and any given Sunday evening. As you might expect Fourth of July here is not going to be the peaceful beach getaway you might be looking for. The sand here that day will be packed with pop up tents and covered in beach blankets owned by those who are here for one of the best fireworks shows on the gulf coast of Florida. There is something magical about seeing the sunset, fireworks on the beach, then watching clouds light up with heat lightning out in the distant gulf all in one evening.
Every Sunday evening at Siesta Key Beach a large gathering of free spirits collect here for a weekly drum circle in the sand (weather permitting). Bring along your own drum, or any other instrument you might have, and come join the fun. Everybody is invited, and the more the merrier. This is a fun group that’s welcoming to all who want to make music together as the sun begins to set.
Siesta Key does get crowded on weekends, but unless you’re here during a holiday weekend, it’s usually not that tough to find parking in the huge public lot or at some of the public beach access spots. Because of its fine sand, sort of laid back vibe, and no pier to obstruct your view, Siesta Key is easily one of the best places to watch a Florida sunset.
Best viewing location: There isn’t a bad seat in the house, but the Sunday drum circle is a special time on the beach.
Honeymoon Island State Park
Honeymoon Island State Park is a wonderful park that sits on a barrier island jutting off Florida’s west coast near the charming town of Dunedin. We love that Honeymoon Island isn’t a particularly busy park, so the beach is usually peaceful, and there’s no development here. No high rises, no hotels, no beach bars or restaurants. Just a couple of bathrooms, snack shacks, and a nature center. Honeymoon Island would probably best be considered a locals beach, where the people who know better go swimming when they don’t want to deal with the crowds at nearby Clearwater Beach.
Honeymoon Island is separated by a channel from Caladesi Island State Park, a park that’s only reachable by boat. Caladesi & Honeymoon Island were once part of the same barrier island until a hurricane in 1921 split the island into two. That channel that separates them is now known as Hurricane Pass. It’s a short paddle on a kayak over there, and there’s a pontoon boat ferry you can ride if you want to visit one of Florida’s few totally undeveloped pieces of shoreline.
While here make sure to take a nature walk along the Osprey Trail. It’s a fairly short and easy hike through some pine flats that are home to a large number of osprey nests and other wildlife. At the time of this writing, there was even a Bald Eagle nest at Honeymoon Island State Park. Federal laws won’t let you get too close to the nest, so there is a fenced-off perimeter around the tree. Bring binoculars or a telephoto lens for the best view.
Best viewing location: Anywhere past the North Beach parking lot will give you best views.
See also: Things to do in Dunedin, Florida
Captiva Island
Captiva Island is the sister island to the slightly more popular Sanibel Island on Florida’s southwest coast. Sanibel has been called the Seashell Capital of the World, and attracts thousands of beachcombers looking for interesting finds. Because Sanibel juts out perpendicular to the Florida shoreline, it acts as a huge barrier that stops all the seashells that get carried along the coast by the current. Captiva Island’s beaches don’t face west though, so to see that classic view of the sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico you’ll need to hop over to Captiva Island instead.
Captiva Island is home to sprawling resorts and local restaurants mostly centered around the intersection of Captiva Drive and Andy Rosse Lane. Go check out the famous Bubble Room, RC Otters, or the Mucky Duck for dinner before sunsets and then head to the beach. The beach will be alive with activity as everybody in the area is here for the same reason. The beach in front of the Mucky Duck seems to be the epicenter of action here, where you can dine outside just a few steps from the beach. There isn’t a circuslike atmosphere like there is in Key West and Clearwater, but you’ll find a fun scene and happy group of people here waiting to applaud nature evening fireworks.
Best viewing location: On the beach in front of the Mucky Duck Neighborhood Pub. The fun neighborhood atmosphere here is what it’s all about.
Cayo Costa State Park
Just like the previously mentioned Honeymoon & Caladesi Island State Parks, this is another beautifully undeveloped barrier island on Florida’s gulf coast. This one sits just north of Captiva Island and is only reachable by boat. Cayo Costa is easily one of the most beautiful beaches in Florida and has even been compared to beaches you might find in the Caribbean.
If you’ve ever had your own fantasy of staying on your own deserted island, you can make that happen. Cayo Costa has a campground available to help make those dreams a reality. These campsites book up far in advance so you’ll want to plan ahead if you want to sleep under the stars on a nearly empty Florida barrier island. Of course, being an island on Florida’s west coast the sunsets here are both spectacular and tranquil.
Best viewing location: The northern half of the beach, facing toward the west.
Marco Island
The beaches on Marco Island represent the last stretches of sand on the Florida peninsula before the landscape becomes a lot more foreboding. This is the place where the beaches merge with Ten Thousand Islands, which eventually bleeds into the Florida Everglades. It seems that real estate developers didn’t want to miss their last chance to build on Florida’s gulf coast and have turned Marco Island into a haven for the rich and famous. Marco Island is one of the wealthiest towns in Florida. It’s a place with hotels and restaurants with big price tags.
If you’re well-heeled enough to visit, or even call this place home, you’ll find a beach with tranquil blue waters and wide beach. Some have described the sand here as pretty shelly so bring those flip-flops along when you come down to watch the sunset from the southernmost beach on the gulf coast. Go any further south and you’ll be swimming until you reach the lower keys. Marco Island is popular for romantic getaways and fancy hotels, which make it a worthy place to watch one of the best Florida sunsets on the coast.
Best viewing location: Tigertail Beach on the northern end of the island.
T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Most of us don’t think of the Florida panhandle has an great place to see the sunset into the Gulf of Mexico. These white sand beaches face south, and the sun sets in the west. There is one spectacular state park that juts out from Florida’s “Forgotten Coast” to give those who come out here a perfect view of the western sky.
T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is a lightly visited park that is an incredible haven for local wildlife. This park with tall dunes and beautiful clean white sand is an important bird habitat and nesting spot for sea turtles. It’s Florida as nature intended, and a rewarding place to visit for those who make the effort to get here to see one of the best Florida sunsets in the state.
This park took a pretty bad hit from Hurricane Michael in 2018, and at the time of this writing, hasn’t fully recovered. Nature is resilient though, and the park is rebounding and open to visitors. Camping is currently not available through while the park undergoes some repairs.
Best viewing location: Anywhere on the beach.
Ok so there are probably thousands of great places to watch a Florida sunset. It’s impossible to say which one’s are the best, and we would love to hear about some of your favorites. Tell us in the comments where you think the best Florida sunsets can be found!
