So this is my "home beach" since I live in the area. Great beach, lots of space, most of the time it's not too covered in seaweed- but you gotta check the seasons and when those giant blobs of sargassum are headed our way. The dry area of sand above high tide is large- so be prepared to haul yourself and your stuff over a long distance of hot deep sand. Carts with wheels only roll nicely if you have those big balloon wheels, otherwise you are better off carrying your stuff- I prefer a backpack personally. Many sea turtles nest here, so that's cool to see, but please be a good citizen and not mess with them :).
There's a large area in the water that's sand bar, and only about knee deep, so it's a great beach for water walking, playing catch in the water, and just hanging out cooling off. It does get deeper for swimming, I usually see schools of fish out there but have not encountered anything dangerous like sharks ( though they have been spotted here but not frequently). There are a decent amount of shells, especially after a storm so it's fun to go shelling- though not a huge variety most of the time. The beach building in the center before you actually reach the beach has buckets available too if you just want to walk around and pick up a little trash... I enjoy doing this in the morning before it's too hot- it's a nice walk south past the resorts to the inlet and back too. There are also bathrooms and showers outside to rinse sand off.
Now the people of riviera beach are a whole different review... there seems to be a cohort of obese women that like to dress like they are in a porno when they head to the beach. It's inappropriate and horrendous. I mean people bring their kids to the beach, so people should be more respectful of how they dress in public.. thongs and string bikinis are not appropriate, exposing complete buttocks is not appropriate. Mesh and string does not equate to adequate coverage in public. Paint is not clothing. I've seen it all. Literally all of some people. If you wouldn't allow your 10 year old kid to wear it- you shouldn't either unless you are at a private or clothing optional beach. I wish this cohort of scantily clad residents would keep in mind that this is a PUBLIC beach, people being kids and families, so swimwear should be kept G rated. There are also some homeless that live in the area and are frequently at the beach- I mean where else are they going to shower? if I were homeless id stay at the beach too. They are harmless for the most part, I've never had any issues, they don't solicit for $ here so you won't be annoyed. I've chatted with a few of them. One guy I've seen there regularly has a dog that he lets roam, dog is friendly and wasn't an issue either... so don't panic if you see a dog, you will be fine.
The mall shops are a nice amenity too. 7-11 has all the beach snacks (and booze/ice)- but please clean up and don't leave trash on the beach. Wings has SO MUCH beachy apparel which you can find 2-for specials that make it a good deal especially in the off season. Wings has a lot of ever priced beach toys and chairs too- but so soo over priced.
The restaurants are ok... the one at the south end is by far the best food but you won't be able to get in on a weekend for dinner unless you go really early-they are always busy. The other restaurants aren't great. Mulligans food is just bad, and service while friendly, sucks. the drunken goat lacks good service but at least has better food than mulligans and they have specials that make the prices more reasonable. Milligans is the last place I'd eat at here, just FYI. There is a coffee shop that's just "ok", bagels are too hard though, so I'd avoid those. read more