Tampa Bay’s sunsets are among some of the most beautiful in the world. Even after living near St. Pete Beach for four years, I’m still captivated by the beautiful pinks, oranges, and blues to be seen in the sunset each night. So for those of you who are visiting or are new to the area, let me recommend some places for you to visit:
Shell Key Preserve
Spending time out on the water here is peaceful, but enjoying the sunset from a kayak is breath taking. You can sit on the water and watch as birds swoop overhead looking for their dinner, or paddle out to Irma’s pass to watch the sun dip behind the horizon with your toes in the sand. Shell key is also home to many Dolphins and watching the dolphins swim right in front of your eyes as the sun slowly sets is a memory you will cherish forever. ECOmersion offers guided kayaking tours of this beautiful preserve and will show you all the best places to catch the sunset from a kayak.
Fort Desoto
Fort Desoto beaches offer different angles to St. Pete’s breath taking sunsets, and little else compares to walking along the soft sand at these beaches while collecting shells. This area is protected, since it’s a Florida state park, and it’s beautiful to watch the sand pipers running up and down the beach. There’s a number of docks to sit on and plenty of boat slips to paddle out from on a kayak making it a great location to catch the beautiful St. Pete Beach sunsets.
Indian Key
Sitting and watching the sunset from a kayak out in the water is a favorite of local college students. Paddling out with glow sticks on your kayak, some music, and good friends makes for an excellent experience. Since this key is so close to Frenchman’s Creek, many dolphins and manatees will swim alongside kayakers and say hello.
Egmont Key
Egmont Key is another beautiful waterway near St. Pete Beach that offers stunning sunset views. What makes this key so unique is that it is only accessible by boat and is a national wildlife refuge, so kayaking out there
to watch our beautiful oranges and pinks light up the sky provides a quiet and intimate experience and lots of wildlife.
Weedon Island Preserve
There are few better views in St Pete than above Weedon Island on the observation deck. Watching the sunset while overlooking Tampa, Apollo Beach, and St. Pete is an unbeatable experience. Another great view is from the water on a kayak. Seeing the sun dip below the mangrove islands throughout the preserve is truly mesmerizing.