Maybe when you were younger, visiting Florida was all about that coveted trip to Disney World. But look past the mouse to the coast and the Keys, and you'll see blue skies, even bluer ocean, and some teeny, weeny bikinis in your future. Florida's most popular beaches, besides being the ideal place to stretch out and sun, or dive in and swim, are full of fun land and sea activities, surging nightlife, and local hot spots from Miami to Fort Myers.

Spring Break may take over Daytona Beach and Panama City Beach each year, but there are still many draws to these Florida favorites. Daytona has its racy side as home to NASCAR and other motorsports, and Panama City's stamp as "Seafood Capital of the World" is temptation enough. And don't worry, they still keep those delicious frozen cocktails flowing all year round.

If you're looking for a beach trip with fabulous shopping nearby, peel yourself off the sand and push your credit limit in Miami Beach's art district or in any of the local shops in the area's up-and-coming neighborhoods. You won't miss the surf with plenty of spots for happy hour drinks and late-night dancing in St. Petersburg and Palm Beach. Stay oceanside when the sun goes down in Key West to view its breathtaking sunset, go camping in secluded Bahia Honda, or play a round of golf in Fort Myers. Panama City Beach already holds the slogan "The World's Most Beautiful Beaches," but the quieter Siesta Key's beaches are giving it a run for its reputation. All in all, whether you're east or west coast, it's hard to go wrong in Florida when sand and surf are involved.

Choose a Beach

Daytona Beach Attractions

Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach's 23 miles along Florida's east coast make it a beach party paradise where people-watching is just as thrilling as body boarding in the salty sea. Whether it's students-gone-wild on spring break, tattooed bikers in head-to-toe leather rolling in for Bike Week or local NASCAR aficionados revving their engines at Daytona International Speedway, they all come together for one thing—a good time.

Panama City

Panama City
Resting on the shores of Northwest Florida, Panama City Beach is party central. MTV takes over PCB's beautiful white-sand beaches and clear waters each year, and makes it the channel's spring-break headquarters, filling the city with music as well as bikini-clad gals and shirtless guys strutting for the cameras. And there's plenty to film: more than 500,000 students descend on the city for spring break every spring.

Bahia Honda Beach

Bahia Honda
You won't find any flashy, wild spring breakers here (and if you do, they'll most likely be the vegan, eco-friendly, granola types). Meaning 'deep bay' in Spanish, and located in the Lower Keys about 12 miles west of Marathon Key, Bahia Honda Key is virtually uninhabited and untouched by commercial commerce. Home to a 524-acre state park consisting of a spectacular beach, grassy park grounds and natural trails, it's the ultimate place to soak in a sunset, wade in the translucent ocean waters or simply read a book while listening to the lapping waves.

Key West Beaches

Key West
Travelers come to Key West, the most popular and hopping island in the Florida Keys, for its eclectic vibe, vibrant decor and its anything-goes attitude. With Parrot Head-themed venues and gay bars galore, the Conch Republic is a welcoming town for all.

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg
No need to worry about getting enough vitamin D in St. Petersburg. With an average of 360 days of sun a year, its moniker as the Sunshine City couldn't be more fitting. Toss in an excess of water views, island beaches and cultural treats and you'll see why St. Pete (as the locals like to call it) is such a tourist (and snow-bird) haven.

Where to Stay and Dine in Palm Beach

Palm Beach
Palm Beach has the distinction of being the easternmost town in Florida due to its geographical setting on a barrier island separated from the mainland communities by the Intracoastal Waterway. It's almost a given, then, that it'd be one of the state's most exclusive enclaves. Just 3.9 square miles in land mass, what this Lilliputian island lacks in size it makes up for in opulence. Standard Oil tycoon Henry Flagler established Palm Beach as a resort town at the turn of the century (and made it accessible to the public via his own railroad!) and it hasn't looked back since.

Siesta Key

Siesta Key
True to its name, Siesta Key is the kind of place to drop all your worries and just flop down on a hammock for a nap—that is, if you can find any peace and quiet during the high season, January to April. But unlike the latter half of its title, it is NOT part of the string of Florida Keys that begin at Everglades National Park and end 60 miles off the coast of Cuba. Siesta Key is a tiny barrier island located in Sarasota Bay, about 45 miles south of Tampa/St. Pete.

The Hot Bodies of South Beach

Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a smash-up of everything that is wonderful and over-the-top about South Florida. It's both a fabled paradise for celebrities and sun worshipers and a patchwork of family-friendly neighborhoods and residential beaches. It's a place where noisy club goers don't rev up for a night of revelry until after midnight, while elsewhere on the island sleepy seniors hit the hay by nine. It's food and fashion, surf and spring break, and beach bums and bikinis rolled into one. But what Miami Beach isn't, is a neighborhood of Miami proper...

Fort Meyers

Fort Meyers
There's a reason why snowbirds and retirees flock to Florida. And Miami isn't the only place they head to. Just check out sleepy Fort Myers (also called the City of Palms) and its surrounding communities. While eager spring breakers and swinging singles zigzag up and down the Sunshine State's eastern seaboard and panhandle in search of the perfect tan and their next tropical libation, the southwest coast gently reminds visitors and locals alike that laconic charms still abound in hyper-developed Florida.