Florida Beaches Have America’s Most Instagrammable Shorelines

• Clearwater Beach in Florida tops the charts with 1.4 million hashtag mentions on Instagram.
• Florida claims half of the top ten places for the most photographed American beaches on Instagram.
• Waikiki Beach in Hawaii secures third place with over 1 million Instagram media tags.
  

Florida has been named home to America’s most Instagram-worthy beaches, with the Sunshine State grabbing half of the top ten spots in a new social media popularity ranking.

Researchers at the tide forecasting platform Tideschart looked at Instagram hashtag data for the top rated 25 beaches across the United States, according to Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards to find out which one people love photographing most.

Clearwater Beach in Florida claims the top spot as America’s most Instagrammed beach with 1,453,813 pictures tagged with this location on Instagram. The nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 festival, which is open to all ages and free to enjoy, helps to solidify its popularity and offers plenty of opportunities to capture a picture of a special moment.

Panama City Beach, Florida, took the second spot with 1,186,947. The beach ranked 19th on Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards, but scores high with social media users looking for the perfect beach shot. This beach, which is a two hour drive west of Tallahassee, enjoys around 320 days of sunshine per year. This, combined with the white sandy beaches, makes it difficult not to get a share-worthy picture.

Waikiki Beach in Hawaii took third place with 1,053,954 mentions. This beach has an interesting history, from being a playground for royals to becoming the birthplace of modern surfing culture. There is a lot to appreciate. In addition to this, with 278 sunny days a year, there are lots of chances to snap a great picture.

Fort Lauderdale Beach in Florida ranks fourth with 857,193 tagged posts. Within an hour’s drive of Miami, this beach gets around 250 days of sun per year. Holiday events, live music, and family-friendly activities happen often throughout the year. These offer great photo opportunities to capture lasting memories.

Santa Monica State Beach in California rounded out the top five with 509,741 mentions. This classic Southern California icon, which is often featured in films and television, is also home to an amusement park and aquarium. The proximity to Los Angeles, which is an 18-minute drive, makes it easily accessible to many visitors.

Ranking sixth through tenth are La Jolla Cove in California, Siesta Beach in Florida, St. Augustine Beach in Florida, Coronado Beach in California, and Lanikai Beach in Hawaii. These picture-perfect spots received between 391,682 and 225,749 hashtag mentions each.

Ryan Blundell, founder of Tideschart, commented on the findings,

“One thing that ties these beaches together is that they’re more than beaches, they are cultural melting pots, from surfing and nightly festivals to live music, there is more to do than simply walk across the shore. People want to share a picture online that says ’this is who I am and what I’m about’ and these beaches offer an incredible chance for that.

“The difference between traditional travel ratings and social media presence is particularly interesting. Siesta Beach ranks first on Tripadvisor but seventh for Instagram hashtags, suggesting that factors beyond visual appeal influence overall beach rankings.

“The rankings revealed that beaches with stellar Tripadvisor ratings don’t always generate the most social media buzz. Henderson Beach State Park in Florida, despite boasting an impressive 4.7 Tripadvisor rating, ranked 23rd for Instagram hashtags with only 10,210 mentions.

“Failing to get a great vacation picture can put a damper on your time. Here are three easy-to-remember tips to take a great picture fast: 1. Find a clutter-free background. Walls, doors, or scenic views are some of the best. 2. Frame the subjects. Unless you are trying to show the scenic surroundings, move closer so there isn’t as much empty space in the picture. This will make it more impactful. 3. Take your pictures in the early morning or late afternoon. These times offer the best lighting conditions.”

Methodology: This study analyzed Instagram hashtag data for the top 25 US beaches according to Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice rankings. Each beach was ranked based on the total number of posts using its most relevant hashtags.

Sources:

Tripadvisor – https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cUnitedStates-g191
Inflact – https://inflact.com/tools/instagram-hashtag-generator

Tideschart News Release