Day 12 started with pure awesomeness. *Finally* a beach where we could just relax immediately and take in the sights without being overwhelmed or tripping over a thousand peoples’ things. 😬 Manasota Key Beach was one of our favorite places we’ve been, and once again, this was completely on a whim, going to show that if you plan to do the same, just know that you’ll have wins and losses, but the wins are ones that we’ll definitely be back to! So let’s talk about it!
A Slow Morning, Shark Teeth Finds, and Our Great Beach Stay
Waking up after a late night in again was rough for sunrise, but much easier knowing that we had a close-to-the-beach bed to take a nap in if needed! We got up early, and although it was still a bit cloudy for the sun shining through the palms, it was perfect for spending an hour or so digging through the sand searching for fossilized shark teeth!
We had heard about this key from my dad which had been in the area before, where he found like, 400 in just a day or two! 😳 Not to mention the beautiful plethora of seashells that you can seriously just dig into any part of the sand and find! (See pic above!) It was such an amazing thing. (Much unlike Siesta Key, which we’ll get into in the posts to come).🧐
After grabbing a handful of shark teeth just chilling on the sand, (yes, really!), we decided to grab some local breakfast at a spot down the road, called Word of Mouth. It was FABULOUS guys. Go there. Really. Like, right meow. We had french toast, bomb potatoes, bacon, tea and coffee, of course, and also a burrito and some crepes. We wanted leftovers, don’t judge.
Once we were fully fueled again for our shark teeth adventures, we made our way back to the Seafarer Beach Resort (the hotel on Airbnb that we found last minute!) It was one of our all-time favorite stays. It literally seemed too good to be true, so we were pretty weirded out that we found it with just a few hours to spare before checkin.
But alas! It was quite legit, and everything we hoped it would be. Absolutely zero complaints. The staff was super helpful, communicative and kind. The place was incredibly clean, had everything we might have needed, including screens to find more seashells and shark teeth!! Like, guys! This place is so underrated and it should really be more on the map.
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Ocean Views, Beach Days, and the Shark Teeth Method We Use
Did I mention that they also have a pool?! Ummmm, like overlooking the literal ocean?!! 👀
Yes, yes they do. And they also had a perfect patio area to have our meals or coffee on, including a bird friend that walked up and said hello! It was cute, strange, and also trying to get inside…so keep your doors closed peeps. 😁
To top it off, they had beach chairs, towels, umbrellas, you name it. And guess what? It didn’t cost us an extra $175 to snag some.
We spent some time digging in the sand again and around the exterior of the water, then took a break to go grab some snacks and drinks for the beach chilling time. Then I took a short nap, gazed at the ocean some more, and we got back to our hunting for shells and teeth!
This time however, we realized that if you stand in the water about waist deep, you’ll be right above the shelf where a lot of the good teeth are hiding! We tried out all of the sifters that were available, but noticed that our favorite way to do it was as a team. Ben used the big rectangular screen with piping on the outside to dig down under the water and sand, then I’d grab the teeth (and cute shells) and plop them in a jar I was carrying that floated as well. (Convenient!) This method allowed us to move quickly and find a ton super fast. Highly recommend! (We’d then dump the container into a ziplock bag back on the chairs!)
If I was digging by myself though, I preferred the little round scooper, since it wasn’t super heavy to hold with one hand and was easy to carry a container for my finds in the other. By the end of the day, we had our methods down pat! (Which made me a little sad we wouldn’t be spending more time here).☹️
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A Beach Walk, a Bee Sting, and a Few Lessons Learned
Once we were ready to be done for the day, I made some more steak salads from the groceries we grabbed the day before. (Yay for gift cards funding some more food runs!) Afterwards, we went on a long walk on the beach and tried using some headlamps on the red and white settings to find some more teeth in the dark. (This is much harder than it looks!)
Also, did I mention that I did not see *one singular bug* on this entire trip so far…until now! I stepped on a poor little bee. 🥺 He was just chilling on the sand during our walk, and I literally thought I stepped on glass or something! After a few steps, I needed to sit down, and Ben went back to find him hanging out there. The ridiculousness though.😅🤌
Luckily, I brought along my handy dandy camelback, that I had some chapstick, water, and sunscreen inside! I used my water to wash it off since I was having trouble finding the stinger, and then once it was out, carried on down the beach some more hoping the sand and saltwater would make it feel less itchy!
(I started bringing this tiny pack along with us for shorter walks. The hubs always considers his walks much shorter than I do, which means I usually get parched, hangry, or chapped lips before we end up even close to turning around to go back. So now, I bring those things along, including a little TP, so that I’m always prepared and never annoyed.🙂) Pro tip for a healthy relationship folks. 😂
Sunsets, Ice Cream, and Benedryl to End the Evening
Once we finished watching the sunset and only finding a few more shark teeth, we went back to the Airbnb and had our breakfast leftovers but also decided to grab some DoorDashed ice cream (along with some much needed Benedryl since I blow up like a walrus from anything that stings me!)😩
It was a great end to a wonderful day, with perfect weather and only one soon-to-be itchy foot. We’re already planning to go back here before the tiny human comes, (check out my recent post if you want the scoop on all of that!)😌 since this location is for adults only…which was very nice and very quiet! Much appreciated.
As always, check below for the expenses of the day! Tell me your thoughts in the comments, (or tag me on social!) and share your story if you’ve ever been to the area. (Or tell me about how many teeth you found!!)🦈 Yay for fossil hunting!🕺
Southern States Road Trip Expenses for Day 12:
- Airbnb: $268.49
- Breakfast: $93.36
- DoorDash (dinner condiments for leftovers & ice cream, of course: $45.66
- Total: $407.51
Thank You For Following Our Manasota Key Beach Trip!
Thanks so much for being part of this journey with us. From shark teeth hunting to slow beach days, we’re so grateful to share these moments and hope it inspires your own adventures.
