Florida State Parks 75th Anniversary Logo
An aerial picture of the park taken in 2008 shows Shell Island and the Grand Lagoon. Picture of the park entrance. Photo of the Gulf Beach Area and the Jetties. This view shows RVs in campsites as seen from the Lagoon Entrance of the Campground coming from the Boat Basin Area.
St. Andrews State Park
Sunset photo of the waves rolling into shore.
Historic photo of the front entrance gate of the park taken in the early 1950s. 1950s Entrance
Photo of the beach area from Sandy Point to the Jetties. Beach 1950-1960s
Postcard image of the Kiddie Pool area during the early 1970s. Kiddie Pool 1970s
Historic photo of the World War II-era barracks during the 1940s. 1940 Barracks
Photo of the Lagoon Campground from 1959. 1959 Campground

History and Culture

Named by Dr. Beach (Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman) as America¿s Best Beach in 1995, St. Andrews is well known for its sugar white sand and crystal-clear emerald green water. This 1,260-acre park is located on a peninsula with over 1.5 miles of beach on the Gulf of Mexico and Grand Lagoon.

Historic photo of the front entrance gate of the park taken in the early 1950s.

1950s Entrance

The entrance has evolved from the old style of wooden gates to a modern keyless entrance over the years. The entrance station itself is now located beyond the sign at the front of the park.

Photo of the beach area from Sandy Point to the Jetties.

Beach 1950-1960s

The Beach area has changed over the years from having tree stumps to being total sand, sea oats, and dunes. All of the tree stumps have completely been removed by storms and dredging over the years.

Postcard image of the Kiddie Pool area during the early 1970s.

Kiddie Pool 1970s

The Jetties Use Area known as the Kiddie Pool area was used as a place for young ones to learn how to swim from the 1950s-1980s. This area has also changed over the years due to renovations as well as storm surges.

Historic photo of the World War II-era barracks during the 1940s.

1940 Barracks

This picture is of the World War II barracks during the 1940s. During this time in the park's history, the Army/Coast Guard used the park as part of St. Andrews Military Sound.

Photo of the Lagoon Campground from 1959.

1959 Campground

The original campground only had 15 sites and no asphalt. Since this photo was taken, the campground has evolved into a 176-site facility. It has four bathhouses with electricity and water available at each site.