Sunset Beach
8000 W Gulf Blvd
Treasure Island, FL
A soft, wide Gulf beach at the quiet end of the island, framed by dunes and a boardwalk, famous for its sunsets and its come-as-you-are drum circle.
Sunset Beach is the calm, come-as-you-are end of Treasure Island, the wide stretch of Gulf sand at the island's southern tip where the tone drops from resort bustle to barefoot neighborhood. There are no high-rises crowding the shore here, just soft dunes, a mile-long boardwalk, and a run of low beach cottages and Key West-style houses set back from the water. It is the kind of beach where locals bring a chair and a cooler and stay until the light goes.
And the light is the whole point. Treasure Island faces due west into the Gulf of Mexico, which means the sun sets straight over open water, and Sunset Beach earned its name honestly. Every clear evening the sky puts on a show, and on Sundays the beach fills with drummers who gather on the sand and play until the sun drops below the horizon, a tradition that has become the island's warm, unofficial heartbeat.
What Guests Love
- Some of the best sunsets on the Gulf coast, watched from an uncrowded, walkable beach
- The dune boardwalk that runs nearly a mile around the tip of the island
- The free Sunday drum circle that gathers on the sand and drums until the sun goes down
- A relaxed, residential feel with none of the crush of the bigger resort beaches
Worth Knowing
- This is the quiet end of Treasure Island, more neighborhood than resort strip, so bring what you need for the day
- A restored beach pavilion has restrooms, showers, and a playground, and the sand is soft and gently sloping
- The Blind Pass end draws anglers and is known for fishing, so watch for lines when you walk the point
- Beach warning flags fly for surf and rip conditions near the pass, so check them before you swim
Details
Treasure Island, FL
Learn about Sunset Beach
The quiet tip of a barrier island
Treasure Island is a barrier island strung along the Gulf coast west of St. Petersburg, and it got its odd name from an early real-estate stunt: a developer supposedly buried fake treasure chests in the sand to lure buyers and reporters. Sunset Beach, at the island's southern end, was once its own little community before it was folded into Treasure Island in 1955, and it has kept its own character ever since.
That character is residential and unhurried. Instead of a wall of hotels, the streets behind Sunset Beach hold mid-century fishermen's cottages, a scatter of small vintage motels from the 1950s and 1960s, and taller Key West-style homes on stilts. The result is a beach that feels like a neighborhood, wide and open, where you can find a patch of sand to yourself even in season if you walk a little way down.
Blind Pass, the boardwalk, and the sunsets
The southern tip of the island is where the Gulf meets Blind Pass, the tidal inlet that separates Treasure Island from St. Pete Beach across the water. It is a lively, moving stretch of shoreline, popular with anglers who cast for whatever the tide brings through the pass, and a good place to watch pelicans, gulls, and the occasional dolphin working the current just offshore.
A boardwalk runs nearly a mile over the dunes around the point, a fine path for a slow walk or a morning jog with the water on one side and the grasses on the other. A restored beachfront pavilion near the middle of the beach has restrooms, showers, and a playground, so a family can make a full day of it.
But the beach truly belongs to the evening. Because the island faces west, the sun sets straight down into the open Gulf, and Sunset Beach is one of the best free seats on the coast to watch it. People drift down with chairs and towels as the afternoon wears on, and the whole beach quietly turns to face the water as the color builds.
The Sunday drum circle
Sunset Beach's best-known ritual is the Sunday drum circle. Through the afternoon, drummers, dancers, and onlookers gather on the sand near the pavilion, and as the sun sinks toward the water the drumming builds into a loose, joyful pulse that carries down the beach. Anyone is welcome, whether you bring a drum, a tambourine, or just yourself, and there is no cover, no schedule, and no skill required.
It is a come-as-you-are tradition that captures the spirit of this end of the island, easy, inclusive, and a little bohemian. Sunset Beach has long been known as one of the Tampa Bay area's most welcoming beaches, and the drum circle is where that friendliness is most obvious, strangers keeping rhythm together while the light fades over the Gulf.
You do not have to drum to enjoy it. Plenty of people simply walk down at golden hour, spread a towel, and let the sound and the sunset happen around them. It is one of those small, unpolished local things that turn a nice beach into a memorable one.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Treasure Island
Blind Pass
At the beach
The tidal inlet at the island's south end where the Gulf meets the bay, a favorite spot for fishing, shelling, and dolphin-watching.
John's Pass Village
About 2 miles
A working waterfront boardwalk of shops and docks at the neighboring pass, and the launch point for dolphin cruises and fishing charters.
Fort De Soto Park
About 12 miles
A large county park on a chain of islands with award-winning beaches, a historic coastal fort, and miles of trails and mangroves.
St. Pete Beach
Across Blind Pass
The broad neighboring beach town just south across the pass, with a long sweep of Gulf sand and the pink 1920s Don CeSar landmark.