Earlier this fall we spent a long weekend in the South Gulf Coast of FL. We love the Gulf Coast beaches in St Petersburg and Sarasota area and we wanted to visit the Southern Gulf. We stayed on lovely Marco Island, just south of Naples. On our final day of the weekend we drove up to Delnor Wiggins State Park; this park was recommended to us by the staff at the awesome Holiday Inn Sunset Cove as one of the most beautiful beach parks in the Naples area.
We easily found the Delnor Wiggins State Park entrance as it was located on one a barrier island and the entrance was near resorts and time shares.
At the Ranger Booth upon entering the park we paid the $6 entrance fee and collected a map. We drove past several parking lots and headed to lot #4 where we were told we could find food concessions and chair/umbrella rentals.
We a loved the beach here. The sand was white and very soft with beautiful shells close to the water’s edge. It was the perfect mix of sand for relaxed sand play and shelling. Walking on the boardwalk through the foliage and trees to the beach was quick and we didn’t have to walk far to reach the water’s edge.
The beach was quiet when we were there. There were very, very gentle waves lapping the shore and we found the water was crystal clear; much clearer than the water at South Marco Beach.
Our only minor complaint was the presence of little flies and some mosquitoes; there is lush vegetation along the whole barrier island and this encourages the presence of more bug life than you’d find at some other beaches. But the nuisance was minor and we enjoyed ourselves fully.
Besides the lovely beach Delnor Wiggins State Park offers fishing, camping, hiking, boating, snorkeling and wild life viewing. We were told that frequently you can see dolphins playing off shore in the calm waters.
I would highly recommend this park for families traveling to the Southern Gulf coast of FL. The calm waters, clean beach, amenities (food, chair/umbrella rentals, showers and bathroom facilities) and the variety of activities available here make it one of our most favorite beaches ever.
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