St Augustine FL Beaches Which is BEST? Shells Surf Fishing Turtles

How did I choose St Augustine, with all these beautiful beaches nearby, to be my home for a whole month? When I searched for a warm climate in the United States for my November road trip from Maine I found the extraordinarily beautiful St Augustine on the northeast Atlantic coast.

This town is overflowing with history, tortoises, and beautiful BEACHES! The only place I visited with more beaches was on my first big solo trip to Southeast Asia.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that until a few weeks ago I couldn’t point out St Augustine FL on a map of the United States. Even if you told me to look on the north Atlantic coast of Florida, nope I wouldn’t have known.

My excuse is that I grew up in Calgary Alberta and we didn’t study US history. Making up for my lack of knowledge I’m visiting historic sites during my time here.

After visiting Castillo de San Marcos I began to learn about the history of St Augustine and the fact that the fort is built from coquina (Spanish for tiny shell) quarried from Anastasia Island. You can read more about how coquina is formed here.

What I also found out is that all the beaches in St Augustine are amazing in many ways. From the dunes, to bird watching, to sea turtles and gopher tortoises, these beaches are incredible.

Whether you want to relax and watch the waves or get in the ocean to swim, surf, or paddle board you will find a beach near St Augustine to suit your needs.

In this post I’m sharing all the best beaches in St Augustine.

 

 

READ MORE: Florida Gopher Tortoise Facts – Fun Funny True Tortoise Info

 

Florida boasts some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world. St Augustine beaches have both soft white sand and course shell/pink sand beaches, and one beach is known for abundant sharks teeth finds by beachcombers.

Let’s take a look at your options for beaches near St A as the locals call it.

Google Map of St Augustine FL beaches within 20 miles

 

 

Beaches North of St Augustine

Vilano Beach Surfside Park

Distance: 3 miles (1.8 km)

 

 

Located at Surfside Ave on A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway. There is a small parking lot right at the beach access point so take of your shoes and enjoy the sand under your feet.

Vilano Beach is popular for fishing and beachcombing for shells. It’s also included on our list of best small beach towns in Florida.

 

 

South Ponte Vedra Beach

Distance: 10 miles (6 km)

2701-2719 A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway. There is a small parking lot across the highway from the beach access point and there’s a pedestrian crosswalk with a light to alert drivers.

South Ponte Vedra Beach is popular for fishing.

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Mickler Beach

Distance: 20 miles

4265 Mickler Rd, Ponte Vedra Beach

 

Do you want to find sharks teeth on the beach? Mickler Beach is the place to find loads of sharks teeth along the beach.

For best shark teeth finds go closer to low tide and watch for extra shiny black triangular shapes in the sand.

 

 

 

READ MORE: Best Things to Do in Orlando (besides theme parks)

 

Beaches South of St Augustine FL

St Augustine Beach – St Johns County ocean pier

Distance: 5 miles (8 km)

350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine

 

 

People refer to this as St Augustine Beach Pier but the official name is St Johns County Ocean Pier and it’s popular for fishing or sightseeing.

Here is the fee schedule:

Sightseeing $2
Adult Fishing Pass $4
Non-Resident Adult Fishing Pass $6
Fishing Pass Children (6 & under) $1
Fishing Pass Non-Resident Children $1.50
Yearly Fishing Pass $20
Non-Resident Yearly Fishing Pass $30

 

 

St Augustine Beach with restaurants nearby

Further south on A1A there is another free access point to St Augustine Beach with a small public free parking lot, located at A Street and A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway.

There are several restaurants around this location. Grab a bite at A1A Burrito Works then head to the beach or enjoy eats and cocktails at Beachcomber Restaurant right beside the dunes.

LEARN MORE: 18 Best Southeast Vacation Spots (USA)

 

 

St Augustine Beach is popular for surfing, swimming, beach walks and relaxing, watching the waves.

This beach is a mix of coquina sand and soft white sand, best of both! And it’s one of the best free things to do in St Augustine.

 

 

 

Butler Beach

Distance: 9.5 miles (15 km)

Frank Butler County Park East, 5860 A1A S, St. Augustine

 

 

Frank Butler County Park East is the official name for Butler Beach. The name is to honor Frank B Butler, businessman and African American civil rights leader in St Augustine.

Butler Beach is great for beach walks, birdwatching, and gopher tortoises in the dunes.

Your feet will enjoy the soft white sand at Butler Beach.

 

 

Crescent Beach

Distance : 11 mils (18 km)

There are two locations with public parking at Crescent Beach:

Crescent Beach Park – 6930 A1A S, St. Augustine

There are only 4 parking spots for public parking and 2 spots reserved for St Johns County (the 2 closest to the beach) but you can usually drive along the beach if you have a 4×4 vehicle.

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Crescent Beach at Spyglass Public Beach Access

Distance from St Augustine: 11 miles (18 km)

8202 A1A S, St. Augustine

The parking lot has room for around a dozen vehicles but I never saw more than 3 parked there. The beach access is via a boardwalk with 98 stairs. Yes, I counted them for you :)

 

 

Crescent Beach is great for beach walks, birdwatching, and gopher tortoises in the dunes.

 

 

Marineland Beach – River to Sea Preserve

Distance: 18 miles (29 km)

9509 A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, Palm Coast

 

 

Marineland Beach is the place to see coquina stone along the shoreline.

Best to go at low tide because you’ll see more of the rocky coquina beach.

 

 

Beach at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Distance: 20 miles (32 km)

6400 N Ocean Shore Blvd, Palm Coast

 

 

Note: There is fee to visit this beach because it is part of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

If you don’t want to pay to go the beach then Marineland Beach (see above) is only 3 miles north of Washington Oaks beach.

 

 

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park fees (access to beach and gardens)

• $5 per vehicle with 2 – 8 people
• $4 for single occupant vehicle
• $2 walk-in/bicycle

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park beach is great for beach walks and coquina stone.

 

 

Which is the best beach in St Augustine?

That is a tough question because it depends on your mood and what type of activity you are looking for at the beach. My opinion about the best beach in St Augustine would depend on the time of day.

For instance, Butler is my favorite beach for sunset beach walks, it’s quiet and usually lots of birds along the water.

While the best beach to see gopher tortoises is Crescent Beach, with Butler Beach a close second.

And the best beaches for beachcombing in St Augustine seem to be Mickler, Vilano, and Marineland beach.

Best fishing beach in St Augustine? Well it’s called fishing not catching so I think your mileage may vary. Try Vilano fishing pier and St Johns County Ocean pier at St Augustine Beach.

Best thing to do is visit ALL of the beaches!

Check out the handy map below to find your fave beach in St A!

 

Map of beaches near St Augustine Florida

 

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