Shore things

Florida's beaches are playgrounds for tourists and residents alike, with each stretch of sand offering a unique character. It all depends on what you're looking for: peace, a party? There is a different case to be made for most of the state's natural tanning beds. Here's a guide to get you started.

East Coast

For partying: South Beach is the best known part of Miami Beach. In daylight, the cognoscenti gravitate to Lummus Park, aka Glitter Beach, along Ocean Drive from Fifth to 14th streets. Watch for jaw-dropping models in photo shoots and A-list celebs enjoying the white sand and gentle surf. At night, just cross Ocean for chic/expensive restaurants with outdoor seating — and to see and be seen. Topless sunbathing is not legal but seldom policed, and the area is gay/lesbian friendly. The park/beach includes volleyball nets and paths busy with 'bladers and joggers.

For playing: Former resident Jimmy Buffett wasn't singing about Key West in "Margaritaville," but there is plenty of attitude changing available in the self-named Conch Republic. Before heading for the beach, get a rental bike or moped and cruise the residential streets (not touristy Duval). Visit Ernest Hemingway's home (hemingwayhome.com have a drink at Capt. Tony's Saloon (once frequented by Buffett, capttonyssaloon.com and eat at the iconic Blue Heaven (blueheavenkw.com. Then head to Smathers Beach for small waves, tanning, personal watercraft — or a just a view of hard bodies.

For families: Daytona Beach might seem counterintuitive as a family destination, especially if you've seen it at spring break, but the rest of the time, it rates high in visitor surveys as a great family destination. It draws about 8 million visitors annually to 23 miles of shoreline. At low tide, the drivable beach broadens to as wide as 500 feet. At the east end of Main Street sits the 1,000-foot-long pier, great for admiring the coastline, fishing the surf or relaxing with a drink. The adjacent boardwalk offers a games-filled arcade and quick beach food.

For singles: It's been more than half a century since "Where the Boys Are" introduced America to the collegiate spring break. And Fort Lauderdale, where the novel-turned-movie was set, has tamed the party-crowd image. Emphasis on the arts and upscale shopping near the waterfront has made Lauderdale attractive to the more-mature beachgoer. Nonetheless, you can still hoist one in the landmark Elbo Room, seen in the movie. The beach has earned a coveted Blue Wave Award for the cleanliness, as determined by an environmental coalition.

For peace and quiet: The name Canaveral National Seashore (nps.gov/cana/index.htm is familiar to many only because of the neighboring Kennedy Space Center. But the seashore is a step back into Florida as it was centuries ago. The 58,000-acre park is on a barrier island that provides a habitat for 14 species of animals considered either threatened or endangered. They coexist with day-trippers who come to swim, surf, hike backcountry trails or relax along the 24-mile coastline.

For fishing: You can surf-fish along most of Florida's coastline, all of which is public. But John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (pennekamppark.com was the nation's first underwater park. Located in Key Largo, Pennekamp is noted for bonefish, redfish and tarpon. Spearfishing in the park's 70 nautical square miles is forbidden. But rangers lead snorkeling and scuba tours, and you can even view the coral reefs from a glass-bottom boat.

West Coast

For partying: While Fort Lauderdale used to epitomize spring break, Panama City Beach has become popular for year-round merrymaking. Decades ago, MTV hyped the party scene here, which in turn increased the coastal community's popularity. Crowds now keep the 27 miles of area beaches — yes, they are clear of oil residue from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout — hopping during the day and the shoreside bars throbbing at night. Also close at hand: amusement parks and top-notch golf courses.

For playing: Something to boast about after visiting St. George Island State Park: You climbed to the top of a lighthouse. It's a monthly event at the park, ranked No. 6 of all U.S. beaches in 2011 by marine ecologist Dr. Beach (drbeach.org. The park covers 1,962 acres, including 9 miles of undeveloped beaches. Besides its lighthouse and dunes, this barrier island offers coves and salt marshes, and trails thread through almost 4 miles of pines and oak forest. Canoes and kayaks can be rented, there's a catch-and-release fishing trip, plus 60 pet-friendly campsites.

For families: Clearwater Beach is a 3-mile stretch of soft white sand about 25 miles north of St. Petersburg. Beach volleyball is popular, concessionaires rent boats, captains run dolphin-watching cruises. Or you can see a real-life movie star: Winter, the dolphin whose tail was lost to fishing nets but who now has an artificial one, was featured in 2011's "Dolphin Tale." Winter lives in the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. A tradition: strolling Pier 60, especially to watch magnificent sunsets in the Gulf.

For singles: The powdery Siesta Key Beach, in the Sarasota area, is perfect for strolling, shell collecting, dolphin watching or paddling a rental kayak near them. Just off the sand, browse art galleries and studios, or scope out bars and restaurants to plan your evening. If you meet that special someone here, share a picnic at a shoreside table, or drive inland a few miles with your date to the acclaimed Ringling Museum of Art (ringling.org. And Siesta Key boasts many rental cottages in which to get cozy.

For peace and quiet: You can rent a bike, canoe or kayak to enjoy the nearly 2,000 acres of Grayton Beach State Park (floridastateparks.org/graytonbeach in the Panhandle. There's even a boat ramp into a 100-acre brackish lake, which allows for wildlife watching or fishing for both fresh- and saltwater species. But you also have a milelong beachfront to enjoy. A nature trail winds almost 5 miles through a coastal forest. In the Panhandle, Grayton Beach is halfway between Panama City Beach and Destin.

For fishing: Projecting into the Gulf from the community of Dunedin, Honeymoon Island State Park (floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland is a sliver of land that offers superb fishing. The regular catch includes flounder, trout, redfish, snapper, whiting, sheepshead; occasionally, someone hooks a tarpon. Four miles of coastline include mangrove swamps, salt marshes and sand dunes. Watch the resident ospreys and shore birds to see where they're biting. There are also picnic pavilions, nature trails and bathhouses.

Robert N. Jenkins has spent more than half of his 43 years in Florida as a travel writer and editor. For this subjective list, he mixed his favorites with those of colleagues.

ctc-travel@tribune.com

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A grand place on the North Shore of Lake Superior

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Sandwiched between the magnificence of Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, Grand Marais seems ho-hum. But don't let its disheveled downtown deceive. This is one of the best bases for exploring the North Shore. Stay in a hotel overlooking the lake, stroll to a gourmet dinner, shop at an art gallery or a classic five-and-dime, and explore the outdoors. The town may not have the charm of Lutsen's clapboard lodge or the flash of Naniboujou Lodge's painted dining room, but in the end it wows as much as the surrounding scenery.

THE BASICS:

Tucked against Lake Superior, Grand Marais, population 1,351, was once a sleepy fishing village. All that's changed, in part because it occupies one of the most scenic spots along the Arrowhead. At the edge of town, a windblown spit of land juts out into the lake, helping to form a big bay and a calm harbor, so the town looks embraced by Superior.

Get tourist information at http://www.grandmarais.com.

WHAT TO DO:

The Gunflint Trail — which cuts inland to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and where moose sometimes wander onto the road — begins its winding way in Grand Marais, but you don't really need to drive along that road to feel lost among the elements. Instead, take a walk along the bay beach to Artists' Point, the peninsula of rock and pine trees that juts out into Superior. It's the locals' go-to hike.

If you want more miles, not to mention views, of the lake, head just outside of town to Pincushion Mountain Trail System (www.pincushion trails.org). Or pop onto the Superior Hiking Trail (www.shta .org) from a number of entry points near Grand Marais.

Perhaps you'd rather hike from store to store downtown. The Sivertson Gallery (www.sivertson.com) offers warm tea for sipping while browsing its collection of works from Inuit, Alaskan and regional artists. The locally made jewelry is nice eye candy, too.

Joynes Ben Franklin Department Store can hook you up with everything from Uggs and Carhartts to Barbie dolls and Norwegian sweaters (joynesbenfranklin.com).

With its diminutive size and purple shutters next to the beach, Drury Lane Books looks like a fairytale house (www.drurylanebooks.com). That's appropriate given its small but spellbinding collection of books for children and adults.

Around the harbor bend from downtown is the North House Folk School, a collection of clapboard buildings where artisans preserve northern crafts by teaching hands-on classes (www.northhouse.org). Subjects include knitting, kayak-making and surprises such as "deer processing for carnivorous locavores." Visitors are welcome to explore the campus and stop by the gift shop.

HIDDEN TREASURE:

If you're in need of gear — or inspiration — check out Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply (www.stoneharborws.com) on the bay. The hot spot for outdoor sports opened in June 2010 and has been selling and renting essential supplies — and some unusual cool outdoor toys — ever since.

In the summer, there are kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. But when snow flies, this place becomes the cutting edge of winter fun. You can rent the usual cross-country skis and snowshoes. But you can also rent — or buy — Wintergreen clothing (beyond warm and pricey to own), Snowtrekker winter tents and the wood-burning stoves to keep them cozy, and Marquette skis, a sort of ski-snowshoe hybrid that lets you hike up a snowy trail and ski down the other side. Want some tips for your first time? Snow Harbor offers guided outings.

The place also sells nordic skates, which are specialized blades that attach to cross-country ski boots and are made for gliding over the bumps and cracks of frozen rivers and lakes. It's your route to explore the Boundary Waters by skate.

WHERE TO EAT:

Judi Barsness not only cooks exceptional meals at her sophisticated harborside restaurant, Chez Jude, she also teaches others how to do the same by offering cooking classes (www.chezjude.com; closed in November and April). At Crooked Spoon Cafe, inventive, delicious dinners include Lake Superior fish with cucumber-corn relish (www.crooked spooncafe.com; closed after today until Dec. 27). For live music and chili with a micro-brew beer, head to Gun Flint Tavern (www.gunflinttavern.com). Breakfasts are divine at the Pie Place (www.northshorepieplace.com); don't miss the maple sausage.

WHERE TO SLEEP:

Only in Grand Marais' website (www.grandmarais.com) offers links to a variety of lodging options, from cabins to B&Bs. I've enjoyed East Bay Suites, with luxury units that have sleek kitchens, stone fireplaces and expansive views of the lake just beyond the balcony (www.eastbaysuites.com).

GETTING THERE:

Grand Marais is northeast of Duluth, Minn., on Lake Superior, along Hwy. 61. The drive from the Minneapolis/ St. Paul takes about 4 12/2 hours.

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