Kennerly: What's your fave stretch of Florida sand?

It might be because I live a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean or that I've sunned and funned on beaches all over Florida.

Perhaps it's that my husband and I like adventure, finding spots to call our own on our own, without 500 people explaining why the beaches we prefer are inferior to their choices.

But besides water, sand, a decent view, a drink near by and a restroom within a mile or so, I never really thought much about what I want from a beach — until I saw a cool online tool called the Florida Beach Finder.

Offered at visitflorida.com, the state's official consumer web site, it helps guests narrow down which spots, among the Sunshine State's 825 miles of beaches, match one's preferences. About 100 beaches, with street-view imagery and photos, are now listed.

By using four slider bars, one gauges the importance of adventurous or laid-back. Family friendly or romantic. Action-packed or secluded. Au naturel (no, that does not mean nude, for those whose minds went there) or manicured.

Anyhoo, I slid the bars up and down — not to be confused with sliding in and out of beach bars though I like that, too — and it turns out I've been going to places I like.

Nearby Cocoa Beach is an 89 percent match for my style, which includes not totally secluded. Cape Canaveral, close to home, too: 84 percent. I linked up well with New Smyrna, Captiva Island and Siesta Key beaches, among my favorites. And I got a 93 percent hit on Pass-a-Grille, on the Gulf Coast, our home away from home.

The Visit Florida folks told me more:

• In 2013, there were an estimated 93.7 million visits, including both domestic and international, to Beach Finder.

• Some of Florida's most-famous beaches (per Dr. Beach, TripAdvisor and other travel sites) include Cocoa Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, St. Pete, the Florida Keys and Siesta Key (near Sarasota).

• Yes, there are nude beaches on the Beach Finder. The trek team who put Beach Finder together captured images on all accessible beaches. No identifying features are visible. None of my bar-sliding put me on one of those beaches. Not even Playalinda, Brevard's nude beach, where a very polite older man once covered his lap with a hat while I interviewed him about why he is a naturist.

Finally, I quizzed friends. Results were as I expected: all over the map.

Shell-seekers like Sanibel. Keys-lovers enjoy Bahia Honda. Big waves? Some folks dig 'em.

Joan Crutcher's memories stretch from Satellite Beach to Melbourne Beach and across the years.

"Full-moon ceremonies, turtle-watching, bonfires, you name it ... many memories etched in sand, traveling the tides of South Brevard beaches," she said.

You can find other responses in the online version of this story and on Facebook at Britt Kennerly at Florida Today.

Crutcher's thoughts, though, tell me that what makes a beach best are memories forged there.

And trust me: If you smile just thinking about how you solve the world's problems as you stroll hand-in-hand with the love of your life on Brevard's Hightower Beach, you don't need anyone else to tell you why it's special.

Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @bybrittkennerly or at Facebook.com/bybrittkennerly.

Find your dream Florida beach

Want to enter what you want from a beach and see where the Florida Beach Finder sends you?

http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/beach-finder.html

Facebook followers share which Florida beaches are among their favorites:

• Janet Letnes Martin, Hastings, Minnesota: Cocoa Beach!

• Drew Fritz, Tampa: Bean Point, Anna Maria Island. Clean, uncrowded, gorgeous sunsets, no irritating jet skis or parasailing. In a residential neighborhood with great restaurants nearby, and a free shuttle bus to take visitors to and fro.

• Joan Crutcher, West Melbourne: "My favorite stretch of beach has many memories of my youth up to this day ... Satellite beaches to the north, down south to Mel Beach by the old Casino. My first encounter with the ocean, my first surfing experience, hanging out as a teen, taking my kids and grandkids there, seeing launches, from the missiles back in the day to the shuttle."

• R. Douglas Thurston, Indianapolis: Shelling on Sanibel is fun, but that's not really what I think of in a beach. My favorite is Siesta Key. The sand is silica, as I recall. Pretty, white and not hot to walk on.

• Traci Wilson, Melbourne: "We recently took our son to Canova Beach to watch the sun rise. He played in the surf along with the sandpipers while the pelicans and seagulls were skimming the water to catch their breakfast. It was beautiful."

• Shaun Finley, Cincinnati: "Growing up in different regions of the United States, some of my fondest memories were created while living in Florida. Treasure Island beach was the place to go for folks living in rural Florida outside of Tampa. Treasure Island was one of the first beaches to host the building of the world's largest sandcastle in the '80s. People from all over the world flocked to see this man-made wonder. The best moments while swimming at Treasure Island were watching the sunset, with wispy clouds hanging on the horizon. The colors were so vibrant that the energy radiated through your soul and it made you feel calm and quiet. Beautiful serenity that could not be man-made."

• Arlette Cooper Tinsley, Columbus, Indiana: "Sanibel Island beaches — so different with all the shells! My kids never get tired of it. Our favorite place to go."

• JimBeau Wilmoth, Gainesville: "Floridana Beach has the H20, sand; it's very clean, great for surfing. And you can always count on something delicious to be on the other end of your line — the salt water produce is abundant ... a little farther up north, you get the same at Crescent Beach."

• Lucy Schultz, Cincinnati: "St. Pete Beach — love the solitude, the openness, the lack of pop stands!"

— Compiled by Britt Kennerly