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A beach in St. Pete

Where is the top-ranked secret beach in America, excluding the beaches in Hawaii? St. Pete!

Family Destinations Guide took a look at some of the most secluded, amazing beaches across the country. How did they come up with their list. They polled 3,000 families in America to find out what secret beaches they wanted to visit most this summer.

The top “secret” beach families want to visit is Awahua Beach, which is in Hawaii.

Coming in second (first in the contiguous United States) is Shell Key Preserve in St. Pete.

What makes Shell Key Preserve so special? It’s very secluded, the stunning white sand, and clean blue water.

You won’t find condos or tourist attractions there. Just plenty of vegetation and nature, including sea turtles.

If you want to re-charge and enjoy nature’s wonder, Shell Key Preserve in St. Pete is your spot.

The other notable beach in our Tampa Bay area that made this list is Caladesi Island, coming in at number 23. Caledisi is a gorgeous, secluded white-sand beach in Dunedin.

For more on this story, click here.

Top Five List Of Best Beaches In Country Includes A Tampa Bay Area Beach

So many beaches around the Tampa Bay area to enjoy.

Surprisingly, only one local beach (actually, only one Florida beach, too) earned a spot on the Travel + Leisure’s list of top 25 beaches in the United States.

But the Florida beach that made it on to the list is a beauty. Clearwater Beach came in at number 5.

The number one beach in the country, according to this list, is Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii.

The factors taken into consideration included: Sand, wave activity, seclusion, parking ease, and the quantity of shaded trees. Clearwater Beach certainly has beautiful sand, some places where you can feel secluded, but not necessarily great parking options.

You can visit Travel and Leisure here to read the complete list.

Here are the top 5:

  • Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

  • Ocean City, Maryland

  • Coronado Beach, San Diego, California

  • Pope Beach, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

  • Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida