by Courtney Jones

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

The economy is down. Coming off the long winter, your waist line is up. But never fear happy campers, here's some helpful news! I've compiled a list of favorite family beach destinations ranging from family friendly to ultra family friendly, including the family pet. So grab your sandals, suck in your gut and let's load up! Oh yeah, don't forget the kids.

I might as well start with Florida. Locals know, (by that I mean anyone living in the Southern United States,) that Florida is the crem de la crem of the beach world. The Florida Coast offers 1100 miles of beaches, all sparkling with sunlight, sand and surf. For the nature lover, Brown Pelicans and sea turtles are common sights as well as the magnificent Great Blue Heron who is known to stop by from time to time and carefully prance on the beach while displaying it's distinctive bobbing head to the delight of everyone. Nature abounds on the beaches and can be observed on many of the guided or if you prefer, unguided tours that Florida's state parks have to offer. In most cases, the good folks who run the nature centers at these parks have left you plenty of room to park, walk the family dog and explore the beaches and inland trails. Many of the parks offer lodging ranging from cabins to campsites, prices for both being drastically lower than what you would pay for a condo or hotel rental. Now I know what you're thinking, that you would miss the sound of the ice machine engaging down the hall somewhere around two o'clock in the morning way too much. I promise you you won't and you might just find you enjoy the sound of chirping crickets more. My favorite Florida state park beach? Easily Caladesi Island State Park. Around the St. Petersburgs area, this beach is as near pristine as mother nature allows. Accessible by boat or ferry only, this beach is prime real estate for picnicking, snorkeling, swimming, and wildlife watching, including the sea turtles who nest here. A marina on the island offers treats and kayak rentals and for those of you who have always wanted to kayak around the roots of a mangrove tree full of calling birds dripping with saturated color, this is your chance. Take it all in quickly though, to maintain the integrity of this paradise, visitors are limited to a four hour trip.

Panama City and Destin Beach are close communities that offer a less naturalistic approach to vacationing, but if you have have teenagers in the family, this may be where you want to take them. There's good clean fun for

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