Gulf Lakes Public Beach(Gulf Lakes Beach, Gulf Lakes Beach Access, Gulf Lakes Public Beach Access)

Located in the small town of Santa Rosa Beach, Gulf Lakes Public Beach is a small and narrow beach situated between Eastern Lake and Western Lake at the northwestern end of the state of Florida. Also known as Gulf Lakes Beach, Gulf Lakes Public Beach is a family-friendly beach as it is east and west of Grayton Beach State Park and Deer Lake Skate Park respectively which have many playgrounds.  Gulf Lakes Public Beach is in front of the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by many antique shops, nightclubs, and international lifestyle stores including Chubbies, Lululemon, and Lilly Pulitzer. 

Gulf Lakes Public Beach offers many amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and a party scene. If you are looking for additional amenities, you can drive 15 minutes west to the award-winning Hidden Dunes Beach & Tennis Resort. 

There are many fun activities at Gulf Lakes Public Beach including swimming, hiking, all-terrain vehicles, parasailing, and picnicking. 

Getting to Gulf Lakes Public Beach is very easy – the beach’s parking lot is situated at 8040 East County Highway 30A and is within walking distance to the beach. 

If you are looking for attractions near Gulf Lakes Public Beach, you can drive 20 minutes to Baytowne Wharf, a fun tourist attraction site that offers souvenir shops, art galleries, whale watching tours, boating tours, and fishing trips. Spread across 1,640 acres, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is home to many white-sand beaches, dunes, lakes, plants, and animals – and is an awesome place for clicking Instagram-worthy pictures. If you like golfing, The Golf Garden of Destin is an oceanfront 9-hole golf course with an arcade, air hockey table, family billiards table, and a party room. Another great attraction near Gulf Lakes Public Beach is Henderson Beach State Park, a family-friendly place to camp or picnic. 

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants within a 10-minute drive of Gulf Lakes Public Beach. The American restaurant Surf Hut is located on Miramar Beach and offers burgers, sandwiches, soups, cocktails, and has a long martini list.  Austons on 98 is a seaside warehouse-style restaurant with a 102-feet-long bar and a nice menu including tacos, New England-style clam chowder, and jumbo shrimp cocktail. Another good restaurant near Gulf Lakes Public Beach is Royal Palm Grille, a seafood restaurant featuring oysters, surf ‘n’ turf, groupers, fish ‘n’ chips, and shrimps. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Gulf Lakes Public Beach, you can drive 15 minutes to the luxurious 4-Star Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa that features three pools, three bars, five restaurants, four championship golf courses, a spa, and a fitness center. The 3-Star Huntington By The Sea by Vacasa has many amenities including a pool, bar, restaurant, sauna, and gym. If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel near Gulf Lakes Public Beach, the 3-Star Club Wyndham at Majestic Sun has a pool, fitness center, golf course, and tennis courts – and the 2-Star Quality Inn & Suites offers beachfront rooms.