The 24 miles of pristine, windswept beaches here comprise the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on Florida's east coast. They include family-friendly Apollo Beach on the north end with its gentle surf, untrammeled Klondike Beach in the middle – a favorite of nature lovers – and Playalinda Beach to the south, which is surfer central and includes a nudist section near lot 13.
Mosquito Lagoon, with islands and mangroves teeming with wildlife, hugs the west side of the barrier island. Rangers offer two-hour pontoon boat tours (per person $20) from the visitor information center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In June and July, rangers lead groups on nightly turtle-nesting tours (adult/child eight to 16 years $14/free; 8pm to midnight); reservations required.