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Horseshoe Beach is an
isolated, laid back, friendly fishing village located and surrounded on
three sides by the Gulf of Mexico. The small coastal town is located
on Florida's "Big Bend" coast and our city limits sign at the cattle-gap
reads - Welcome to "Florida's Last Frontier". We are 18 miles to the closest
major highway (US-19), approximately 70 miles west of Gainesville, 115 miles
south of Tallahassee and 160 miles north of Tampa.
We have approximately 85 full-time residents, but on weekends and holidays
our population can swell to over 300. Horseshoe Beach has a great sense of
community and friendliness. Surrounded mainly by protected wildlife areas,
Horseshoe will always remain an escape back to nature and Old Florida.
There are only a handful of stop-signs in town and the most popular vehicle
to cruise around town is a golf cart.
The Horseshoe Beach area was settled in the early 1800s. The land was owned
by lumber interests until 1935, when C.C. Douglas and Burton Butler
purchased the land. They offered each resident the lot he or she was living
on for $10. The town was incorporated in 1963, has a
City Council and Mayor, and is in the process of building a new water
plant and paving several streets.
The town now has a restaurant (The Horseshoe Beach Cafe), a full-service
marina (Horseshoe Beach Marina), an ice cream & hot dog stand (The Chocolate
Shop), two churches, a number of comfortable rental cabins, a US Post
Office, a City Hall & Fire Department, a waterfront park, and a general
store with groceries & a full-assortment of boating & fishing supplies.
Our waters have an
abundance of sea trout, red fish, cobia, tarpon, mackerel, grouper and
flounder. Our shell-fish are blue crabs, stone crabs, oysters, scallops, and
clams. Scallops, when in season, bring many families to our coast for the
annual scallop round-up. Don't forget our shrimp! For the sea-kayakers,
and other watercraft users we have several off-shore islands to explore. You
might just find your own private beach. With
so little traffic, our roads are great for bicycle touring, while the
back-woods' wildlife management roads are great for wildlife watching.
Hiking along our rural roads is a good way to share our last of Florida's
wilderness coast ... you should see a few American Bald Eagles and maybe
even a Florida panther.
With dedicated Wildlife Management Areas primarily to both sides, the
gulf-front town of Horseshoe Beach will always remain small and an escape
back to the natural surroundings of Old Florida. If you are looking for
large beaches, shopping, busy streets, and abundant nightlife, Horseshoe is not the place
for you. If you're seeking great fishing and a quiet place to escape and
relax today's hectic lifestyle, where you can still hear nature and see all
the stars at night, then you will fit right in!
Horseshoe Beach is truly
"Florida's Last Frontier" and will remain that way for many years to
come.
Click below to read what
"Florida Fishing Weekly" wrote about Horseshoe Beach:
Florida Fishing Weekly Articles
CLICK HERE to view a
10-page Egret Landing Condominium Informational Packet & Directions than
can be easily printed.
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