The sands of Siesta Key
Florida’s Siesta Key is a “perfect playground for families,” said Liz Doup in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The 8-mile-long stretch of land on the Gulf Coast boasts some of the finest, whitest sand in all of the United States. About 99 percent pure quartz grains, the “clean, flour-like” beach sand “packs down firm and smooth.” Because the sand also stays surprisingly cool, “even in the blazing sun,” it’s ideal for jogging, cycling, and, of course, building sand castles. Kids spruce up their granular palaces with finials that swirl “like frosting.” Dads play catch across the “sugar-white” heaps. Moms race strollers over the “smooth sand as if it were asphalt.” Meanwhile, teenagers kayak alongside manatees at the Jim Neville Marine Reserve. Once you’ve gotten enough sun, you can all take a sunset bike ride through the tiny, “laid-back” beach town, which connects to the mainland by two bridges.
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