Atlantic Beach

"Atantic Beach Few beach towns in Florida can boast the independent spirit and atmospheric setting of Atlantic Beach. The northernmost of the Jacksonville Beaches, the mostly residential community has just one hotel—the lovely One Ocean Resort—and the dunes are otherwise backed with pretty beach homes and cottages. The cute shops and restaurants around the area called The Corner, which intersects with Neptune Beach to the south, are almost all of the independent variety. Try Ragtime for Cajun cuisine and Whit's for delicious frozen French custard. And while the beach here doesn't have the clearest water or whitest sand, it's wide and perfect for pedaling a bike at low tide or going for a long stroll. Surfers head to the nearby break called Mayport Poles, near the Navy base, for some of Florida's most consistently breaking waves."