Wakulla(Wakulla Beach)

Located in the community of Crawfordsville in Wakulla County, Wakulla Beach is a two-mile-long beach with brown sand. A dense patch of coastal flora is present near the beach which has many kinds of plants including moss-draped cypress trees, marsh grasses, and a grove of cabbage palm trees. This beach is part of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

Although Wakulla Beach does not have lifeguards, it has a few amenities including restrooms and a pavilion. Dogs are allowed on Wakulla Beach if they are on a leash, and the beach is open from 8 am until sunset. 

Wakulla Beach offers many fun activities including fishing, boating, sailing, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, and windsurfing. Tourists may also see the remnants of the Wakulla Beach Hotel around the beach – this hotel was built in the earlier half of the 20th century, and was demolished after the area around the beach became a part of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is within which Wakulla Beach and offers many fun activities including fishing, hiking, hunting, photography, and wildlife viewing. In addition, it has an 18th-century lighthouse with wooden stairs. It is important to note that the lighthouse is not open to the public. If you are planning to go in the water near Wakulla Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have rip currents. This beach is ideal for windsurfing due to its frequently windy weather. In addition, visitors can spot wild pigs, fiddler crabs, and wading birds on the beach. The beach is a popular fishing spot and you can catch many kinds of fish here including mullet, red drum, and sea trout. However, if you are planning to fish in the water near Wakulla Beach, please make sure that you comply with the local fishing regulations.  There’s a small hiking trail to the west of this beach – during low tide, you can hike along this trail to reach a creek named West Goose Creek. You can explore many interesting kinds of tide pools and oyster reefs around this creek.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (where Wakulla Beach is situated) is spread over 80,000 acres and offers many fun activities including fishing, hiking, biking, horse-riding, hunting, photography, and wildlife viewing – the refuge is home to many kinds of animals including 250 species of birds, 40 species of amphibians, and more than 50 species of mammals. In addition, it has a 19th-century lighthouse with wooden stairs. It is important to note that while the lighthouse is not open to the public, visitors can explore the lighthouse keeper’s house. The refuge also has a visitor center that has interesting interpretive exhibits and an environmental education building that hosts interesting educational programs and photography classes.

Getting to Wakulla Beach is easy - the beach’s free parking lot is situated along the southern end of Wakulla Beach Road and is within walking distance to the beach. 

There are many attractions near Wakulla Beach. Wakulla Springs State Park is home to the world’s largest and deepest freshwater spring, which is surrounded by Cypress Swamp - it offers many fun activities including riverboat tours, swimming, snorkeling, and bird watching. Visitors can spot many kinds of animals in this state park including manatees, alligators, and coastal birds. In addition, the state park has a Spanish-style lodge built in 1930 – this lodge is famous for its period furniture, original elevators, and colorfully painted ceilings that depict wildlife and old Florida scenery. Gulf Specimen Aquarium is home to many kinds of aquatic creatures including sea turtles, sharks, stingrays, seahorses, hermit crabs, emerald-eyed spiny boxfish, blue crabs, grass shrimp, sea nettles, and dolphins. In addition, this aquarium offers many interesting indoor and outdoor educational tours) to explore the local marine wildlife - and it also offers interactive animal-feeding and animal petting sessions. If you are looking for another attraction near Wakulla Beach, Tallahassee Museum is a unique museum that offers nature trails, wildlife exhibits, exciting zip lining sessions, and fun aerial adventures including canopy crossing, cypress crossing, and tree-to-tree crossing. It also hosts educational programs that offer a unique insight into the local biodiversity.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Wakulla Beach. The Seineyard at Wildwood is an upscale seafood restaurant that serves incredible seafood, salads, sandwiches, steaks, and desserts. Ouzts’ Too Oyster Bar and Grill serve delicious salads, oysters, seafood, steak, nachos, sandwiches, and desserts. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Wakulla Beach, the modestly priced El Jalisco Crawfordville serves incredible Mexican dishes including quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, salads, tacos, nachos, burritos, and seafood - and also serves vegetarian dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Wakulla Beach, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Hotel Duval Autograph Collection is a beachfront hotel that is 45 minutes away by car and offers a few amenities including a fitness center, and a seafood restaurant. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star The Lodge at Wakulla Springs offers a few amenities including a restaurant and complimentary breakfast. As another moderately priced option, the 3-Star Magnuson Hotel Wildwood Inn offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a golf course, tennis courts, a restaurant, and a complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Wakulla Beach, the modestly priced 2-Star Best Western Wakulla Inn & Suites offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a golf course, a fitness center, and a complimentary breakfast.