Crescent Beach

Crescent Beach is a beach town in St. Johns County, Florida, in the First Coast region of the state.

Understand

The town is on one of the numerous barrier islands on Florida's east coast. It is bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. To its north are the towns of Butler Beach and St. Augustine Beach, and to its south is Matanzas Inlet, Fort Matanzas, and the small town of Summer Haven.

The town has a subtropical climate bordering on temperate. The beach can be battered by tropical storms during hurricane season, between June and October. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cool to mild.

Due to the town's unincorporated status and its proximity to St. Augustine, addresses in the city use "St. Augustine" as their city even though the town is several miles outside the St. Augustine city limits.

Get in

FL-A1A provides access to the town, passing through it to the north and south.

See

• 1 Fort Matanzas National Monument, 8635 A1A South (parking available west of FL-A1A), ☏ +1 904 471-0116. Daily 9AM to 5:30PM. This small watchtower was built in the 1740s on a small island south of the city to control access via the Matanzas River. Eight ferries a day take visitors from Anastasia Island to the marsh where the fort sits. Free passes for the boat can be picked up at the visitors center there, where a half-mile boardwalk nature trail loops through the woods and dunes (a good way to spend the time waiting for the next ferry). Free admission. (updated Jul 2018)

Do

• 1 Crescent Beach Park, 6930 FL-A1A S (junction of FL-A1A and Cubbedge Rd). Park providing beach access. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park, 8295 FL-A1A S (parking available west of FL-A1A), ☏ +1 904 209-0335, kussia@sjcfl.us. Provides parking, hiking trails, and views of the Intracoastal Waterway near Fort Matanzas. (updated Jun 2023)

Eat

• 1 Safe Harbor, 6896 FL-A1A S (junction of FL-A1A and Cubbedge Rd), ☏ +1 904 615-1532, info@safeharbor-seafood.com. Seafood restaurant. (updated Jun 2023)

Sleep

There are scores of condominiums in the town, but many of these are sold rather than charged on a nightly basis.

• 1 Beacher's Lodge, 6970 FL-A1A S, ☏ +1 904 471-8849, toll-free: +1 800 527-8849. Includes condo/balcony suite rentals. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 Devil's Elbow Fishing Resort, 7507 FL-A1A S, ☏ +1 904 471-0398, fishdevilselbow@yahoo.com. Cottages with a boat launch facing the Intracoastal Waterway. (updated Jun 2023)
• 3 Silver Sands, 8448 FL-A1A S, ☏ +1 904 460-2501, manager@gosands.com. (updated Jun 2023)

Go next

• St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach to the north via FL-A1A
• Hammock Beach and Palm Coast to the south via FL-A1A and Palm Coast Pkwy

Routes through Crescent Beach

St. Augustine ← Butler Beach ←

'N  '

→ Hammock Beach → Daytona Beach