- Parking
- Metered
- Typical crowd
- Steady
- Best for
- Space, Beach sports, Kite flying, Sunset
- Facilities
- Restrooms, Showers, Beach volleyball, Playground, Restaurants, Rentals
Treasure Island has the widest beach in Pinellas County. The distance from the seawall to the water is long enough that there is genuine space for volleyball, kites, dogs on the permitted stretch and everyone else at once.
That width changes what the beach is for. On narrow beaches you sit in a line. Here people spread out, and the whole place feels less pressured.
Sunset Beach at the southern tip is a separate, smaller and more local scene, with its own parking and its own regulars.
What makes it worth the trip
The width
The defining feature. There is simply more beach here than anywhere else in the county.
Sunset Beach
The southern tip, smaller and more local, with a long-running Sunday drum circle culture and a different crowd from the main beach.
Sand sculpture
The width and the sand quality make this a regular venue for sculpting competitions.
Parking
Metered lots along Gulf Boulevard and a large municipal lot behind the main beach. More capacity than most towns on the chain, and it usually shows.
Rates and hours change. Confirm the current cost with the city, the county or the state park before you go rather than trusting any published figure, including ours.
Crowds
Busy in season but the width absorbs it. Sunset Beach at the south end stays quieter.
Rules
- Dogs are not permitted on the main beach.
- Alcohol rules are set by the city and enforced. Check the signs.
- Do not drive on the sand.
- Glass is banned on every beach in the county. Cans and plastic only.
- Sea turtle nesting runs 1 May to 31 October. Fill in holes, knock down sandcastles, take gear home at night and keep lights off the sand after dark.
- Shorebird nesting areas are roped off in spring and summer. The nests sit on open sand and are nearly invisible, so stay outside the posted zones.
- Beach warning flags are not advisory decoration. Double red means the water is closed. Purple means dangerous marine life, usually jellyfish or red tide.
- Most beach towns clear unattended chairs, tents and umbrellas overnight. Take it with you.
Getting there
Treasure Island Causeway west from St. Petersburg, or Gulf Boulevard from Madeira Beach over the John's Pass bridge.
Good for
Photo: Beyond My Ken / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source