The other night, I never went to bed. Instead, I went to Blowing Rocks.

The first time I saw a photo of Blowing Rocks Preserve, I added it to my bucket list. And, funny thing. Once I did, I started noticing more and more Instagram photos of this rocky, limestone beach—many taken at dawn, given its location on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

And, despite my extreme night owl tendencies, all those Instagram posts convinced me that sunrise at Blowing Rocks was a must. The problem? I live three hours away. Do the math, and that has me waking up at, like, 3 am. to drive across the state. Major deterrent. So, I kept putting it off. But my fellow Floridian Instagrammers relentlessly enticed me with otherworldly photos of this place—otherworldly in the sense that it just doesn’t fit the Florida mold. It really doesn’t! In fact, I distinctly remember thinking, “This is in Florida?” after seeing that first photo.

FINALLY, I took my own advice and decided to just GO. Labor Day weekend seemed the perfect opportunity for my Blowing Rocks adventure, with Saturday being the most ideal day. Since going to bed early is basically impossible for me, I figured it would be easier to just not sleep at all Friday night before leaving at 3 am But, I also didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel! So, Thursday night, I stayed up till 5 am, then slept in till 2 pm on Friday. Waking up that late definitely helped power me through that 3 am drive. (Because I don’t drink coffee. Blehh. Or any caffeine, really.)

I made it to Blowing Rocks (sans caffeine) just before sunrise, and didn’t even care that distant storm clouds covered the sun. Didn’t even care. The rocks alone were worth the drive, and I was grateful that those clouds were out to sea instead of over my head!

Y’all. I think I’ll let my photos do the talking now. But, I also want to offer you a few tips, since I’m pretty sure you’ll want to visit this place, too. (And you must!)

Tips for Visiting Blowing Rocks Preserve

For sunrise, start at Coral Cove Park, not Blowing Rocks Preserve.

Coral Cove opens at 6 am—with free parking!—whereas the park at Blowing Rocks doesn’t open till 9 am. Bummer. (FYI. Coral Cove Park facilities include clean restrooms, a playground for kiddos, and a lifeguard stand.)

The walk from Coral Cove (north) to Blowing Rocks is just over a mile on a beautiful stretch of sand. It’s not ideal for those lugging camera equipment, but at least it’s not uphill!

Plan your trip for high tide at Blowing Rocks

A local lady on the beach told me I lucked out with the tide being high, because it forces the crashing waves through the natural ‘blow holes’ in the rocks—hence the name Blowing Rocks.

Bring shoes or flip flops

Do you typically leave your shoes in the car at the beach (like me)? If so, I advise against it this time, if you want to walk on the rougher portions of the rocks. The soles of my feet were pretty tough after regular beach walks, but wow was I thankful for the flip flops I packed in my beach bag!

Give yourself extra time to explore

You’ll want to walk the full length of the rocky coast. Take a hundred photos. Watch the waves create bursts of salty sea spray when colliding with the limestone rock. Go shelling in the tide pools. Heck. Have a picnic! Just stay long enough to be fully present and enjoy the wonder of this strangely stunning spot along the Atlantic.

Watch for sea turtles

May through October is sea turtle season, which means you could either spot a mama turtle laying eggs in the wee hours or see baby sea turtles hatching from the marked nests dotting the shoreline. I was fortunate to watch THREE baby turtles making the journey from nest to sea! And oh my goodness. I witnessed a miracle. For those few minutes, I became their personal cheerleader. You got this, buddy! Look at you go! Almost there! You made it!!

My adventure to Blowing Rocks was a smashing success! (Bad wave pun intended.) I only wish this beach were closer to Sarasota, because I would absolutely make adventuring here a weekly occurrence. As much as I adore my Gulf Coast beaches, I must admit—right here, right now, in writing—that Blowing Rocks Preserve is officially my new favorite Florida beach!

Have you experienced Blowing Rocks Preserve? If not, make it happen SOON.