Hi there!
Lido Key is located along the Gulf coast of Florida.
The Lido Key beach is one of the best beaches in Southwest Florida.
You will see amazing water color if you go to a Lido Key beach!
If you go on a good weather day.
Lido Beach is THE main beach of Lido Key.
I made a stop at Lido Key when I was doing a drive from Tampa to Key West, and here are my pictures along with what you need to know!
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And you will even get amazing views on your drive to Lido Key!
Best Lido Key beach hotels
Lido Key has beachfront hotels!
Lido Key beachfront hotels include the Lido Beach Resort and Sandcastle Resort. (Read the reviews at partner website booking.com!)
There really is no bad section of a Lido Key beach!
There is also the Ritz Carlton Sarasota that is not on Lido Key, but across the bridge in Sarasota. (map)
If you are staying at the Ritz Carlton Sarasota, then you can have exclusive access to the beachfront Ritz Carlton Beach Club on Lido Key. (reviews)
Not directly beachfront, but just a short walk across the road to the beach is the Cirque St Armands Beachside. It’s possible to get a room with ocean views! (gulf views… 😜)
Can you swim at the Lido Key beach?
Yes, you can swim at the Lido Key beach!
You will find shallow areas along the beach at Lido Key, and the water color is inviting!
👆 On this particular day in April, the water temperature at Lido Beach was 75 degrees. With this water temperature, plenty of people would say it’s possible to go swimming at Lido Key in April!
Are there shells on Lido Beach?
👆 Lido Beach shells! There are shells on Lido Beach!
Lido Key is not really known as a spot to go for a Florida shelling beach.
Still, if Lido Beach is your beach of choice otherwise, you might as well walk the beach to see if you can find some shells!
I did see some shells at Lido Beach not walking far.
But of course, as it goes with shelling in Florida, your experience may vary!
Can you find sand dollars on Lido Beach?
There was also a hand-written sign telling you not to take sand dollars.
👆 You are not allowed to take sand dollars from Lido Beach.
So this would also seem to indicate that you do have a chance to find sand dollars on a Lido Beach!
You might see sand dollars while snorkeling at Lido Key, or even just doing a walk along Lido Beach!
Here is what a shelling enthusiast from Sarasota said on tripadvisor about shelling on Lido Beach:
We love to snorkel close to shore to find sand dollars galore!
You can even spot them when walking down the edge of the water in the sand.
So, bring your snorkeling gear for shelling!
Lido Key beach lifeguards
Lido Beach does have lifeguards.
There was a lifeguard when I went in April.
The boring safety message for swimming at Lido Beach and any of the Lido Key beaches!
The ocean is powerful!
The Gulf of Mexico is powerful!
Rip currents exist!
Know before you go!
Take care out there!
Look for the beach flag warnings… and take extra caution based on the color of those beach flags!
You will see a green flag, yellow flag, or red flag.
You will see a beach flag at a Lido Beach lifeguard station.
Even if the beach flag color indicates that there are “calm conditions,” it’s still the ocean, so take care!
Do you have to pay to go to Lido Beach?
There is no Lido Key beach entry fee, so Lido Beach is a free public beach.
So there is free public access to Lido Beach!
The Lido Beach parking is also free! (Better to arrive early for parking though!)
So you can go to the beach for FREE on Lido Key!
If you want to be on the beach a bit further north away from the main part of Lido Beach, there is a small paid parking lot. This will be basically right as you get to Lido Key when you are coming from St Armands Circle.
And then between that small paid parking lot and the main Lido Beach parking lot, there is parking along the side of the road. There are some nearby beach access paths as well.
More for your Southwest Florida road trip and beyond
- Best beaches in Southwest Florida
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Best shelling beaches in Florida
- Tampa to Miami
- Tampa to Key West
- Miami to Key West
More below about a Lido Key beach trip!
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Trip to Lido Beach
My trip to Lido Beach was in April 2022. Your experience may vary!
Lido Beach is a pretty long beach.
You can arrive at Lido Beach and walk the beach in either direction!
You’ll drive across a bridge with views to get to Lido Beach!
No matter which direction you drive from, you’ll be driving over a bridge to get to Lido Key!
I was driving from Myakka River State Park near Sarasota so I drove through downtown Sarasota to get to Lido Key.
There will be a bridge from Sarasota to St Armands Circle that is a bridge drive with views!
St Armands Circle is a shopping and restaurant area near Lido Key.
And on your way to St Armands Key and Lido Key, you can also stop by the roadside Ringling Bridge Causeway Park for more views! (map)
And then you’ll further drive through St Armands Circle and then onwards to Lido Key! There is no noticeable bridge between St Armands Key and Lido Key. You’ll be on Lido Key before you even realize it! (map)
You can also drive to Lido Key by starting from Bradenton and that will take you through the south end of Anna Maria Island, then you’ll drive through Longboat Key, and then you’ll get to St Armands Circle and the onwards to Lido Key. (map)
And then finally, you can also get to Lido Key by starting your drive on Anna Maria Island just a bit further north too. (map)
Lido Beach rentals
Are there chair rentals at Lido Beach?
Yes, you can rent beach chairs at Lido Beach, along with beach umbrellas!
There are some beach sports on Lido Beach.
Lido Beach boxing?!
👆 There was a sign for beach boxing at Lido Beach. On this particular Wednesday in April, the Lido Beach boxing was at 11am with walk-ups encouraged and donations appreciated.
Lido Beach jiu jitsu?!
👆 There was a sign for beach jiu jitsu at Lido Beach. The Lido Beach jiu jitsu was taking place on Saturdays and Sundays, with more information available on facebook.
There is a bathroom at Lido Beach.
There is a changing room in the Lido Beach bathroom.
There are outdoor showers at Lido Beach.
There is food at Lido Beach.
You will find a concession stand that sells food at Lido Beach.
Otherwise, stop by a Publix grocery store before you go to Lido Beach so you’re all set on food and water for the day!
There is a picnic area at Lido Beach.
You can eat with views at Lido Beach!
There is free parking at the Lido Beach parking lot.
The most convenient parking for Lido Beach can be the main Lido Beach parking lot.
This is near the beach conveniences.
While it is a pretty big parking lot, Lido Beach is popular so there is a chance for it to fill up.
And then you will look for the nearest Lido Beach access to you!
There is more free parking along the side of the road.
Big parking lot = more people on the beach near that parking lot!
If you don’t mind being further away from the beach conveniences of Lido Beach, then you can park along the side of the road and use the public beach access paths that less people use.
And then you can walk to the nearest beach access!
There’s a small paid parking lot right as you get to Lido Key.
👆 Driving from St Armands Circle to Lido Key, approaching Lido Beach North parking lot and more roadside parking.
👆 Lido Beach North parking lot to the right. Roadside parking for Lido Beach and road to main Lido Beach parking lot to the left.
There’s the Lido Pool near Lido Beach.
You can use the same Lido Beach parking lot for the Lido Pool.
ENJOY LIDO BEACH!!
And that’s a bit about the Lido Key beach along the Gulf coast of Florida!
👆 Back to Sarasota you go: Driving from Lido Key to Sarasota!
More for your Florida road trip:
- Best Marco Island beaches
- Best Captiva Island beaches
- Best Sanibel Island shelling beach
- What to pack for shelling in Florida
- Best shelling beaches in Florida
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Tampa to Miami
- Tampa to Key West
- Tampa to Marco Island
HAPPY BEACH TRIP TO LIDO KEY!
Here's some info on Florida trip prep!
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Best shelling in Florida
- Tampa to Miami drive
- Things to do in Everglades National Park
Things to consider packing for Florida!
You can find these things on Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate.
Teva is a popular outdoor shoe brand, and they have sandals perfect for walking! Take a look at walking sandals for women and walking sandals for men.
There are waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
How to save money on your trip
I tend to use booking.com or hotels.com to look for the cheapest hotels. You can also try the expedia hotels site or see if you like any of the vrbo vacation rentals.