Turtle Beach, Siesta Key

Turtle Beach is often overlooked by visitors to Siesta Key, It's quite different from the powdery white sand beaches of northern Siesta. If you like variety, take a short drive down to the southern end of the island and discover Turtle Beach. It's not far, and you'll enjoy the drive down Midnight Pass Road where large shady trees overhang parts of the road and luxurious beach houses are partially hidden behind the tropical foliage.

Turtle Beach is down at the very narrow southern end of Siesta Key. It is south of the Point-of-Rocks neighborhood where the color and texture of the beach sand changes. Instead of pure white quartz crystal sand, you'll find a lot of finely crushed shell, minerals, and fossilized material mixed with the quartz sand. Turtle Beach sand is soft and makes it a bit harder to walk long distances. But you may find some fossilized shark teeth on Turtle Beach, and it often has an interesting selection of shells.

Because of the different sand makeup the beach often appears gray in color, especially down by the water's edge. Turtle Beach also has a steeper slope down to the water, and there is a more pronounced drop-off from the shallow water. You'll go from ankle deep to thigh-deep pretty quickly. But, just like on northern Siesta Key beaches, Turtle beach has calm, clear water that is very safe for swimming.

From anywhere on Siesta Key, drive south on Midnight Pass Road. When you get near the southern end of the island you'll see the colorful sign for Turtle Beach. Turn right onto Turtle Beach Road and proceed about one block to Blind Pass Road which runs parallel to the beach right behind the dunes. There's plenty of free parking.

Turtle Beach offers restrooms, picnic tables, covered picnic pavilions, playground equipment, and a small boat ramp that launches into a lagoon behind the dunes which eventually connects to Little Sarasota Bay. It's a great place to launch kayaks or other small boats. The bay is sheltered and shallow and you'll almost certainly see manatees and dolphins.

Turtle Beach does not offer lifeguards and does not have a snack bar.

Most people don't know that there is a campground right by the beach on Siesta Key. It's called the Turtle Beach Campground and is located right next to Turtle Beach. The shady campground offers spaces for tents and RV's, but mostly you'll find it filled with RV's and campers. It's just a few steps from the camp sites to the beach and the price is right!

Even though Turtle Beach is down at the quieter southern end of Siesta Key, you'll still find some great restaurants nearby. The closest is Turtles Restaurant, which is a very short walk across the street from Turtle Beach. For more restaurants, you'll want to drive back north a couple of miles to the Stickney Point Road area. There you'll find restaurants like Captain Curt's Crab and Oyster Bar. Or for some exotic Peruvian flavor, try Javier's Restaurant and Wine Bar.

If you prefer not to drive your car around the island, just call one of the free (tips only) electric taxi services that will take you anywhere you want to go on Siesta Key.

By the time you've driven south on Midnight Pass Road and gotten past the intersection of Stickney Point Road, you've left the high-rise condominiums and resorts behind. The Turtle Beach area has smaller accommodations, including small condominiums and small Old-Florida style resort hotels with tropical gardens and quiet streets. Quite a few have properties on the bay, with a dock for boating or fishing. Some are pet-friendly. Turtle Beach Rental Accommodations.

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