Hernando Beach, Florida, United States
Poised on the calm, relatively shallow Gulf of Mexico, Hernando Beach is a sun-baked, thriving community laced with canals. It’s where boats live and launch from marinas and backyard docks. It’s home to second homes, families, retirees and visitors thrilled with their coastal discovery.

Nature is evident throughout Hernando Beach. It’s bounded by the 11,206 acre Weeki wachee Preserve, home to a mosaic of wildlife, lakes and trails. To the west is the languid Gulf of Mexico. This central region of Florida’s Gulf coast boasts a lush estuary. Tidal marshes and flats host abundant wildlife such as manatee, dolphin and otter. Sandhill Cranes, herons, ibis and egrets strut about the neighborhood. Wild turkeys roam the brush. Bald eagles and osprey are frequent sights among the treetops or soaring overhead.

Offshore, healthy seagrass beds are habitat to a biodiverse array of marine life including fish, sea turtles, invertebrates and, everyone’s favorite bivalves between July and September: scallops.

Fine and casual dining choices – some waterfront – abound for breakfast, lunch and at day’s end. Spent the day on the water fishing or scalloping? Bring your catch to some of the “You Hook It, We Cook It” establishments for a savory, fun experience. And of course, with the Gulf of Mexico as backdrop, daily Technicolor sunsets glow as their own form of entertainment in this coastal community so rich with natural beauty.