Well … Google Maps and Apple Maps caved, so it looks like we’re here to speak about the “Gulf of America”.
Politics aside, “the Gulf”, as it’s most typically known, has actually long been an iffy go-to for vacationers who usually choose California’s Pacific blue paradises and Florida’s Atlantic turquoise whenever they can, instead of the typical brackish waters spreading from Texas to most of Alabama.
Near the Floribama line is where we begin to see conditions more similar to the Caribbean, a far cry from Galveston and Biloxi. The specialists at World Atlas just recently exposed the’The majority of Underrated Towns In Gulf Coast ‘for 2025 with one unheard-of white-sand hideaway we here at Travel Off Course were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over, questioning to ourselves how we’ve never handled to vacation here.
It’s time to put the Gulf’s fugly stereotypes in the rear-view. Florida’s Gulf side is a white-sand wonder bursting with renowned beach towns, yet under-hyped Redington Beach has in some way slipped through the cracks.
So Long, Siesta Secret! A New ‘Key’ Awaits
Located on the barrier island of Sand Key, Redington
Beach is among Southwest Florida’s last staying hidden gems. Last year, we exposed Nokomis in the same light, now it’s Redington’s time to shine. Say goodbye to eliminating for space, getting a barstool at a sandy tiki shack, and experiencing way too many retirees’ past-their-prime swimsuit.
Unlike Siesta Secret and Clearwater, Redington is the type of place just locals flock to leave, such locations that tourists flock to year after year, and who can blame them?
< img width ="1200 "height="1200" src="https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blue-heron-on-beach-in-Redington-Beach-FL.jpg.webp"alt=" Blue heron on beach in Redington Beach, FL"/ > Siesta Secret and Clearwater discover themselves in a yearly battle in a battle to be crowned the best beach, but you’re
not sacrificing all that much by flipping the script to Redington this summer season. Southwest Florida’s White-Sand Hideaway As someone who has actually checked out Siesta Key, I was blown away from the moment my group scored a front row parking area in what looked like a spectacular shoreline straight out of the Bahamas.
Once you lug a cooler from the car park through soft white sand and discover you’re going to be eavesdropping on the talk of the town at the retirement home, whether you like it or not, it had me questioning if Siesta Key (and Clearwater) are the only beautiful beaches in the location.
Circling back to Nokomis, the response is no– but Siesta Secret without a doubt is worthy of the awards.
It likewise asks the question of why locations like Redington Beach are not home names. Hate to break it to you, however I don’t have a response due to the fact that whatever I’m seeing is absolutely nothing but favorable:
How unusual is it to find Florida coasts where you don’t need to get up method
too early just to score a parking area and a front row seat neglecting vibrant emerald waters? Redington Beach is just one square mile in size, but that’s ample space to delight in additional elbow room.
In particular, Archibald Beach Park holds an excellent 4.7 Google score in a world of whiners, so you understand it needs to be top notch!
Simply 2 days back, a beachgoer raved about the park’s ‘grainy sand beaches!’, and mentioned the beach has ‘more shells than you would know what to do with’.
Reaching Redington Beach
Despite being unknown to most, Redington is actually truly simple to reach, deepening the mystery of why it’s stayed under the radar. According to Travel Math, there are 4 airports within 100 miles of Redington Beach:
- Saint Petersburg, FL (PIE/ KPIE)– 16 miles away
- Tampa, FL (TPA/ KTPA)– 27 miles away
- Sarasota, FL (SRQ/ KSRQ)– 43 miles
- Punta Gorda, FL (PGD/ KPGD)– 102 miles (Okay, I may have stretched the truth a little …)
In spite of being the most linked of the lot, it’s stated that Tampa is one of America’s many unreliable airports. The other 4 might be your best choice.
Do not believe me?
Read our feature on Punta Gorda as Southwest Florida’s new travel hotspot.
Sam Sears Sam, our Lead Author & Journalist based in San Diego has checked out 36 nations and edited 1000 posts with a concentrate on sharing his own travel experiences and shining a light on lesser-known gems.
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