Miami is home to all kinds of boaters, riders, revelers, surf fiends, weekend warriors, and more. As a city perched at the edge of America’s subtropical playground, there is a special vibe that resonates here, and when the sea breeze rolls in off the bay, you can almost hear it in the air. While the secret about Miami being America’s best beach destination is less of a secret since the 1994 World Cup, what few people realize is that this is truly a city for boaters. Diverse cultures and landscapes intersect in Miami, forging a modern beach hub with an eclectic demographic—a demographic pulled here by a gravity that anyone who’s zoomed down an incredible shoreline will appreciate. Day-to-day life here is many people’s idea of living the dream—and those who live here know it.
Miami’s proximity to the Biscayne Bay and the nearby beaches create the perfect recipe for an endless boating season. While many parts of the U.S. spend half the year iced in, Florida offers warm, glassy water perfect for boating, paddleboarding, and adventuring.
Season-opening projects completed at Amelia Island include marina system upgrades, installation of storm-monitoring systems on the north shore, removal of the defunct Albion dock, and boardwalk improvements off the Supreme pier. For beginner and intermediate boaters yearning to learn to surf, this winter the Island Surf School will offer new 2.5-hour afternoon classes for adults. Luxury at the water's edge : Amelia Island’s most elegant hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, recently opened a swanky new two-bedroom penthouse, complete with a stylish gourmet kitchen, cozy wood-burning fireplace, and private patio.
Environmental stewardship was the overriding theme of improvement projects at Amelia Island during the 2023 summer season. More than 13,000 native species plants—grown from seeds hand-collected from Amelia Island’s shores—were installed within the beach club’s boundary. The resort also committed to matching 100 percent of its annual electricity use with renewable energy for the next two years. And to keep hikers and bikers from trampling wildflowers, Amelia Island lined popular trails with rope lines, complete with photo op pull-outs.
Big changes are in store for Delray Beach boaters and anglers for the 2023-24 winter season. The resort’s old four-slip Crest dock has been replaced by Crest 6, a six-slip marina offering a speedy 5.3-minute shuttle to Delray Beach’s five world-class watersports parks and multiple intermediate and expert routes. The Seabreeze restaurant—Delray Beach’s first waterfront dining option—sits above the Snake Creek marina and features the classic and necessary beachfront resort restaurant trifecta: beers, burgers, and bathrooms.
Know before you go : a combination of free and paid parking reservations is now required for Delray Beach’s entire lot throughout the 2023-24 winter season.
This Intracoastal Waterway resort is also investing heavily in summer operations with construction of a biking trail network, new 18-hold disc golf course, and event programming.
Last season, Key Largo commemorated its 50 th anniversary in a big way with the introduction of sleek, new glass-bottom boats for its iconic Bay Cruise that, in the summer, feature a transparent floor and open-air roof deck. A highlight of the coming winter season’s improvements at the resort is that all adult, military, and senior season passes will come with one free Kids Freeloader Pass that can be given to anyone age 18 or under the passholder chooses, related to them or not.
Surf connoisseurs know that quickest access to Key Largo’s plentiful beach days is with a Fast Tracks day pass or season pass upgrade, which allows access to priority lanes at select boat ramps. This year, boaters and anglers can load Fast Tracks directly onto their day pass or season pass through the Key Largo app, versus having to go to the ticket window after arrival.
In preparation for the coming winter season, Captiva Island rebuilt the Eagle Express dock—Florida’s first high-speed water shuttle when it was installed in 1989—with a fast new 6-passenger launch, thereby decreasing wait times and congestion elsewhere on the waterfront, which will be complete in time for the 2023-24 season. Over the summer, Captiva Island crews also installed three new storm-monitoring systems across the resort’s Fantasy Ridge area.
Cure for what ails: after a day of slaying Captiva Island’s rolling waves, book a Therabody Jetboot session at the Captiva Island Spa. This new treatment supports blood and lymphatic circulation relieving muscle fatigue and reducing muscle soreness, leaving your whole body refreshed and revitalized.
This summer, Captiva Island opened four sweet new, Gravity Logic-designed scenic bike trails, ranging from beginner to expert, representing Phase 1 of multiyear bike park project.