Crescent Beach

Located in the community of Crescent Beach in South Florida, Crescent Beach is a large curve-shaped beach with white sand.  This beach was listed as one of the five best beaches of Florida by the media company Travel Noire and it was also listed as one of the five best beaches around St. Augustine by Lonely Planet.  This beach should not be confused with another Florida beach with a similar name – this beach is also known as Crescent Beach and it is located on a barrier island called Siesta Key in southeastern Florida.

Crescent Beach has lifeguards on a seasonal basis, usually during summers.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach has many other amenities including picnic areas, restrooms, a boardwalk, showers, and pavilions. 

Dogs on leash are allowed here.

Crescent Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, volleyball, windsurfing, horse riding, parasailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, boogie boarding, boating, bodysurfing, wakeboarding, jet-skiing, water-skiing, surf-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.   

If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, canoe, or snorkel here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  

You can also drive your car on this beach and enjoy a fun oceanfront driving experience.  In addition, horse riding is also seasonally allowed here – if you are planning to drive your car or ride your horse on this beach, you can visit the “Beach Driving Passes” webpage and “Beach Use Permits - Horseback Riding” webpage at St Johns County’s website for more information regarding the horse-riding and car driving rules for this beach 

If you like beachcombing, you can collect many interesting kinds of shells at this beach.  If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, this beach offers excellent Instagram-worthy views of the Atlantic Ocean and the South Floridian shoreline, especially at sunset.  The beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby St. Johns County beaches.

Crescent Beach has multiple beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities on a first-come-first-serve basis – if you want to use a beach wheelchair, you can call St. Johns County Beach Services Department at (904) 209-0752 for more information.

Getting to Crescent Beach is easy – it is located near 6930 Florida State Road A1A South, near Florida State Road A1A’s intersection with Florida State Route 206.  There is a free parking lot here, along with multiple free street parking spaces.  We recommend visiting this beach early during summers because it can get crowded during this time.  We also recommend visiting Crescent Beach Fl weather reports before visiting this beach because the weather here can sometimes get stormy.

Crescent Beach received its name because its shape resembles a crescent.

There are many attractions near Crescent Beach.  Fort Matanzas National Monument has a mid-18th century Spanish colonial fort named Fort Matanzas.  This national monument also preserves the surrounding landscape containing maritime forests, marshlands, and sand dunes – it also offers many activities including hiking, wildlife watching, and fishing and it also offers a unique insight into the local natural and cultural history.  Marineland Dolphin Adventure is an oceanarium that is home to many kinds of animals including dolphins, sharks, native fish species, and sea turtles.  This oceanarium also offers a historic museum and it also hosts many fun interactive sessions with its animals – visitors love to interact with the dolphins here.  Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is mainly known for its formal gardens that have many kinds of native and non-native plant species including camellias and azaleas.  The state park also has many natural habitats including coastal scrub and maritime hammock, along with a unique shoreline with coquina rock formations – you can explore the park’s beautiful landscape through its hiking and biking trails.  Bing’s Landing County Park is an eight-acre park that has many amenities including grills, canoe/kayak launch, restrooms, picnic pavilions, boat launch, and a playground and it also has an oak hammock forest.  The park also has a historic site that was formerly the home of Hispanic statesman Joseph Marion Hernandez, who was Florida’s first representative in the United States Congress.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Jungle Hut Park – also called Jungle Hut Road Park – is a two-acre waterfront recreational park that is a 21-minute-drive away and offers many amenities including showers, restrooms, and picnic areas.  In addition, the park is also a great bird watching site and it also has a beach named Jungle Hut Park Beach. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Crescent Beach.  The Commander’s Shellfish Camp is known for serving excellent seafood for lunch and dinner and it also offers many other excellent dishes including salmon, oysters, crabs, and shrimp.  Blackfly The Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that offers amazing Caribbean-inspired dishes including seafood, chicken parmesan, pizzas, steaks, pork chops, salads, and soups.  World Famous Oasis offers many amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including burgers, wraps, sandwiches, seafood, and eggs – it also hosts fun celebrations during St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas.  Redfrog and McToad's Grub-n-Pub is a popular restaurant which has a casual ambiance and a vivid decor – it offers a variety of regional and international dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including seafood, sandwiches, Irish dishes, pizza, soups, salads, barbecue ribs, and pastas.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Smokin' D's BBQ serves an excellent variety of barbecued dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Crescent Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 25-minute drive.  The 4-Star Casa Monica Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection offers many amenities including a cafe, a restaurant, a gym, a fitness center, a pool, and a sundeck.  The 4-Star Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa is another upscale nearby Crescent Beach resort that offers many amenities including a fitness center, two golf courses, tennis courts, a spa, a water park, multiple restaurants and bars, a marina that offers cruises, and a children's camp.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront that offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, and a restaurant.  A more affordable accommodation option is Beacher’s Lodge that offers a pool and is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in St. Johns County.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Courtyard St. Augustine Beach offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, and a restaurant.  If you are looking for a cheaper and a more flexible form of accommodation, you can stay at a nearby vacation rental property – one such nearby vacation rental is the Crescent Beach Club Vacations.