On a summer Saturday in Gasparilla Sound, boats sit anchored a few lengths apart on a stretch of sand with no bathrooms, no shade, and no restaurant. It still got more Argo trips than anywhere else in Florida.
Our Southeast list was full of prime rib and dock-and-dine stops. Florida boaters went somewhere else: to the water itself. Sandbars, springs, a reef, and a couple of islands you can only reach by boat.
Below are the 10 destinations Argo boaters set as trip destinations most often in Florida during the 2026 season, from the Keys to the Georgia line.
8 (tie). St. Augustine Municipal Marina (St. Augustine, FL)
You can’t tie up much closer to history than this. The marina sits at ICW mile 778 on the seawall downtown, a short walk from the Castillo and the old city’s brick streets.
Most transient boaters here take a mooring ball. The city runs two downtown mooring fields, San Marco to the north of the Bridge of Lions and Menendez to the south.
Tip: Reserve your mooring before you arrive. An empty ball doesn’t mean it’s yours. The marina assigns them by length, draft and how long you’re staying.
Good to know: Marina office: 904-825-1026. The Bridge of Lions opens on a schedule, so check the times before you plan your arrival. Website: citystaug.com
St. Augustine Municipal Marina in Argo
8 (tie). Anclote Sand Bar (Tarpon Springs, FL)
About three miles off Tarpon Springs, a sandbar rises just north of North Anclote Key. At low tide, it’s a beach in the middle of the Gulf. At high tide, it disappears.
It sits next to Anclote Key Preserve State Park, where an 1887 lighthouse still stands on the main island. There are no stores out here, and nobody lives on the island except a park ranger.
Tip: Plan around low tide. That’s when the most sand is showing, and the scene is at its best.
Good to know: Bring everything you need, including water. The closest supplies are back on the mainland.
8 (tie). Shell Key (Tierra Verde, FL)
Shell Key is one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands in Pinellas County, part of an 1,800-acre preserve of mangrove islands and seagrass flats you can only reach by water.
It’s a key nesting and wintering spot for shorebirds, so only the north and south ends are open to the public. The middle of the island is off limits.
Tip: Leave the cooler of beer and the dog at home. Alcohol and dogs are both prohibited anywhere in the preserve, and that catches a lot of sandbar regulars off guard.
Good to know: There are no restrooms on the island. The closest ramps, parking, and restrooms are at Fort De Soto Park. Website: pinellas.gov
7. Alligator Reef Lighthouse (Islamorada, FL)
The 136-foot iron lighthouse has stood about four miles offshore since 1873. It’s named for the USS Alligator, which ran aground on the reef in 1822.
The water around it is some of the clearest in the Keys. Parts of the reef are only about eight feet deep, which makes it a good first snorkel for kids and new swimmers.
Tip: Anchoring isn’t allowed on the reef. It’s inside a Sanctuary Preservation Area, so you’ll tie up to a mooring buoy. On holiday weekends, several dozen boats crowd in, so go early.
Good to know: Fishing and taking anything, including shells and coral, are prohibited inside the preservation area.
Alligator Reef Lighthouse in Argo
6. Silver Glen Springs Entrance (Ocala National Forest, FL)
At the end of a spring run off the west side of Lake George, about 65 million gallons of water a day pour out of two vents. The water stays around 72 degrees all year and is clear enough to see the bottom at eight or nine feet.
On weekends, the run fills with party boats and houseboats. By early evening, the day-trippers head home and it gets quiet fast.
Tip: The approach is shallow. Stay between the red and green markers on the way in. Boaters with more than about three feet of draft usually anchor outside and take a dinghy up the run. Set your boat’s draft in your Argo boat profile before you go, so your route reflects what’s actually under you.
Good to know: The state proposed banning anchoring in the spring, and a 2025 state law paused that process. Check current rules before you go, and stay clear of the roped-off swim area.
5. Cabbage Key (Pine Island Sound, FL)
Cabbage Key made the list twice, once for the island and once for the inn.
Look for Channel Marker 60 in Pine Island Sound, about four and a half miles west of Pineland, with Cayo Costa just to the north. The island has no roads and no bridge. Everyone arrives by boat.
The inn and the cottages around it started as a private retreat in the 1930s. The Rinehart family built their home here, and the little Dollhouse Cottage was once a playhouse for their kids.
Tip: Climb the water tower for a 360-degree view of the sound. It’s best right around sunset.
Good to know: No boat? A water taxi runs from Pine Island.
4. Cabbage Key Inn (Pine Island Sound, FL)
The Rineharts’ old house is now the inn and restaurant, a short walk uphill from the docks.
The walls and ceiling of the bar are covered in signed dollar bills, a tradition that goes back to the early 1970s. The owner estimates $55,000 to $70,000 is hanging up at any given time, and about $20,000 falls off every year from the humidity.
Order the cheeseburger. It’s the best-seller, and legend says it inspired a certain Jimmy Buffett song. Save room for the Key lime pie, which comes out frozen.
Tip: Bring a dollar and a marker. Signing your own bill and finding a spot on the wall is part of the visit.
Good to know: Restaurant: (239) 283-2278. Website: cabbagekey.com
3. Fernandina Harbor Marina (Fernandina Beach, FL)
The first big stop in Florida for southbound ICW boaters sits at mile 716.7, right at the foot of downtown Fernandina. Restaurants and shops are a block away.
It’s a big marina, with about 100 slips (30 transient) and a mooring field, and it can take boats up to 250 feet.
Tip: The tide range here is about seven feet, and the Amelia River current runs hard. Plan to dock near slack water if you can.
Good to know: VHF 16, working channel 68. Phone: (904) 310-3301. Website: fernandinaharbormarina.com
Fernandina Harbor Marina in Argo
2. Pine Key, formerly Beer Can Island (Tampa Bay, FL)
For years it was the bay’s best-known party island. Pine Key sits about two miles offshore between Tampa and St. Petersburg, and the Tampa skyline is right there across the water.
It’s had a rough couple of years. It went up for sale in 2024 and took a beating from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Today it’s private, with a tiki bar open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to sunset, weather permitting, and food on weekends, plus a DJ or live band a couple of times a month.
Tip: The island is only about nine acres above water, but more than 60 acres of shoals spread out around it, mostly to the south and west. Watch your depth on the way in.
Good to know: Going ashore is for members and their guests. Check beercanisland.com before you go.
1. Boca Grande Sandbar Beach (Gasparilla Sound, FL)
The most popular spot in Florida has nothing on it. The sandbar sits in Gasparilla Sound between Gasparilla Island and Placida, near the Boca Grande Causeway, and you can only get there by water.
On a regular weekday, it’s quiet. On Memorial Day weekend and during the Boca H2O music festival, it’s packed boat to boat.
Tip: Low tide shows the most sand. On big weekends, get there early and leave plenty of room when you anchor.
Good to know: There are no bathrooms, shade, trash cans or food. Pack it in, pack it out. When you want lunch or ice cream, Boca Grande village is close by.
What the List Tells Us
In the Southeast, boaters set a course for dinner. In Florida, five of the top ten have no restaurant at all. Boaters drop the anchor, get in the water, and bring their own lunch.
That makes tides and wind matter more. A sandbar that’s perfect at low tide is gone at high tide, and a choppy afternoon makes a four-mile run out to the reef a lot less fun. Check the tide and wind in Argo before you head out.
The spots also cluster. The Tampa Bay area has three on the list, and two more are a short run apart in Charlotte Harbor.
Three Weekends Built From the List
- Tampa Bay sandbar weekend: Pine Key, Shell Key and the Anclote Sand Bar. Three different sandbar scenes, from party island to no-alcohol bird preserve.
- Charlotte Harbor day trip: The Boca Grande Sandbar in the morning, then lunch and a cheeseburger at Cabbage Key.
- First Coast ICW run: Fernandina Harbor (mile 716.7) to St. Augustine (mile 778). About 61 statute miles, with two historic downtowns at either end.
Plan Your Visit
Search any of these in Argo, save the ones you like, and share them with your crew.
With Argo Premium, you get routes planned around your boat’s draft and height, plus 7-day tide, wind, and wave forecasts, so you know when the sandbar will be showing and whether the run offshore is worth it.
