The four beaches on Siesta Key are situated on the south side of the key and include Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach, Turtle Beach and Palmer Point Beach. Palmer Point Beach begins on the southern tip of Siesta Key and stretches north to Casey Key.
The sand on Siesta and Crescent Beaches is made of 99 percent pure quartz that feels cool on the feet even when the air temperature is hot. The sand on Turtle and Palmer Point beaches is coarser and more like the sand found at many beaches worldwide. All four beaches offer opportunity for recreational activities that include boating, snorkeling, parasailing and swimming.
Siesta Beach's white quartz sand has helped it earn several honors and an award including the Travel Channel's "Best Sand Beach in America" award (2004) and a No. 2 rating on Dr. Beach's "Best Beaches in America" (2009 and 2010). In 1987, at the Great International White Sand Challenge, Siesta Beach's sand was scientifically proven to be the whitest and finest beach sand in the world.
