It
all started more than 11 years ago as a friendly competition over
bragging rights about what beach has the finest, whitest sand in the
world. Tourism professionals in the Sarasota and Bradenton area
persuaded scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in
Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to judge the Great International White
Sand Beach Challenge, with more than 30 entries from beaches around
the state and around the world.
The
competition was held in Manatee County, Florida, on September 14,
1987, and on that day Siesta Key was named the winner of the
worldwide title, which remains in effect today.
Siesta
Key residents and visitors alike have long recognized their
outstanding sand. A 1950s promotional brochure tells the story of a
visitor from New York, Mr. Edward G. Curtis, who sent a pickle jar of
Siesta’s sand to the Geology Department of Harvard University for
analysis. The report in summary follows: “The sand from Siesta Key
is 99% pure quartz grains, the grains being somewhat angular in
shape. The soft floury texture of the sand is due to its very fine
grain size. It contains no fragments of coral and no shell. The
fineness of the sand, which gives it its powdery softness, is
emphasized by the fact that the quartz is a very hard substance,
graded at seven in the hardness scale of 10, the diamond being rated
10 in that scale."
Since
then Siesta Key has received many honors for its powdery white-sand
beaches including recognition as “America’s Best Sand Beach”
and “Florida’s Top Ten Beaches” by the Travel Channel, as well
as Dr. Beach’s “Top 10 Beaches in America.”
Siesta
Key, an eight-mile long barrier island, has long been one of the Gulf
Coast’s favorite destinations with a wide variety of cozy,
family-owned accommodations.
Recreational
opportunities include beach walking, fishing, boating, kayaking,
snorkeling, scuba diving and windsurfing. On Siesta it’s also
popular to use rollerblades and bicycles as alternative modes of
transportation. Boutiques, restaurants and art galleries are found in
Siesta Village.
5118
Ocean Boulevard
Siesta
Key, FL 34242
(941)
349-3800
|
655
North Tamiami Trail (U.S. Hwy. 41)
Sarasota,
FL 34236
(800)
522-9799
(941)
957-1877
|
Photo Courtesy: VISIT FLORIDA.
|
