The Beach I’m Not Supposed to Tell You About

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I'm not gonna lie — sometimes there are places I visit that I don't want to write about.

Not because they're bad or boring (though I've been to plenty of those places, too), but because they are so pretty and so undiscovered that I don't want you to know about them. I want to keep them to myself, like a secret.

One of these places is The Beach I'm Not Supposed to Tell You About.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I'm not supposed to tell you about this beach because there are no hotels or chain restaurants nearby.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I'm not supposed to tell you about this beach because there are never hundreds of sunburnt tourists crowding the sand.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I'm not supposed to tell you about this beach because there are no big parking lots, souvenir stands, or even lifeguards to be found.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I'm not supposed to tell you about this beach because I don't want you to ruin it.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I've been to this beach on Florida's Gulf Coast twice now, both for family reunions. And I fall in love with it more each time.

I fall in love with its almost-white sand; with its piles of seaweed pushed up on the shore; with its gently curving shape and warm water; with its hundreds of crabs that scuttle around at night.

With the fact that you don't know about it.

St. Joe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast

I'm not going to tell you the name of this beach. You could easily figure it out, of course (for example, it may or may not have been the subject of July 6th's Photo of the Week), but I'm going to leave at least a little bit of mystery for now.

St. Joe Beach sunset

I just want you to know that places like this do, in fact, still exist in the world — places untouched by mass tourism and development where even a seasoned traveler like me can go to escape from the rest of the world every now and then.

——

Do YOU have any secret places like this?

 

 

"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and, if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might get swept off to." - JRR Tolkien

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27 Comments on “The Beach I’m Not Supposed to Tell You About

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  1. Sooo, you’re really not telling us what beach this is? Would love to know! We are new to Ocala and I’m enjoying all the interesting things you are writing about the area. Planning to visit Crystal Springs this afternoon.

      Sorry, this was written in a very different time of travel blogging! It’s St. Joe Beach near Mexico Beach – but I’m not sure what it looks like now after last year’s hurricane damage.

    Coming to FLA Soon where is this beach. How do you find these beaches

      You’ll find beaches like this in Florida’s Panhandle, up around Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe – note though that this area was severely affected by a hurricane last autumn!

    I just posted about a site on Cedar Mesa in Utah that is so special, so sacred, so amazing that I did what I’ve never done before…I didn’t give GPS coordinates! I’ll keep it a secret forever! Great post!

    I have few beaches like that near me 🙂 Which is why I live where I do!

    Oh yes, I know a few of those beaches and they are exactly like what you describe – unspoiled and only the locals know. Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.

    I love the beaches on Florida’s Panhandle and along the bend. I spent a lot of time chasing hurricanes up there when I was a newspaper reporter down in Florida. They really are the perfect place for a secluded getaway.

      Definitely a great place to get away from it all – I’m sure you know even better secret beaches than I do!

    Thanks for telling us about it…sort of! I totally understand why you want to keep it secret!

      It was a struggle – I was torn between keeping it to myself and sharing the awesome photos I took there. So I decided to do a little of each. 🙂

    Love the undiscovered beaches and coves. I found a few in New Zealand that I had all to myself, and I definitely found a bunch in Haiti and we had them all to ourselves. Love it…and this beach looks quite fantastic!

    Love this! I don’t have a secret beach, but rather a secret bench near a cliff where I could stare at the water. It was hidden, down a little hole I discovered in a tree covered path. Just me and the ocean below. But since I discovered it 6 years ago, others have found it too, and it has been ruined. The last time I went there was garbage everywhere and the little hole was more a large gap. Time to discover another place!

      Oh no! Sorry to hear that your secret place was ruined. 🙁

    I do have my ‘secret beach’ in my home province. I am happy that this place is being enjoyed by locals only and there are no big establishments or accommodations in the area. I want to keep it as it is.

      Totally understandable! I hope your secret beach stays secret, too.

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