Clearwater Beach Travel Guide

Clearwater is the smallest of the three cities in the Tampa Bay area and, as its name promises, it's the site of many great beaches, making it an attractive winter escape for families and groups of friends (and lots of college students during spring break). In addition to swimming and other aquatic activities, there are plenty of fun things to do in Clearwater and more to come, as its downtown Cleveland Street district undergoes redevelopment.

Sights

Clearwater Beach is the most popular spot for most visitors to the city. It reaches for 3 miles along the gulf and features clean water and sugary white sand. If you don't catch sight the occasional pod of dolphins passing offshore, you can stop by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see dolphins and many other cool attractions, including sharks, and finding sharks teeth, otters, sea turtles and more.

If you want to get out on the water yourself, kayak and Jet Ski rentals are available along the beach. Or for a more relaxing...

Clearwater is the smallest of the three cities in the Tampa Bay area and, as its name promises, it's the site of many great beaches, making it an attractive winter escape for families and groups of friends (and lots of college students during spring break). In addition to swimming and other aquatic activities, there are plenty of fun things to do in Clearwater and more to come, as its downtown Cleveland Street district undergoes redevelopment.

Sights

Clearwater Beach is the most popular spot for most visitors to the city. It reaches for 3 miles along the gulf and features clean water and sugary white sand. If you don't catch sight the occasional pod of dolphins passing offshore, you can stop by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see dolphins and many other cool attractions, including sharks, and finding sharks teeth, otters, sea turtles and more.

If you want to get out on the water yourself, kayak and Jet Ski rentals are available along the beach. Or for a more relaxing time you can board a charter fishing boat to bring you out into the Gulf of Mexico. There's no license required to fish here.

Other Clearwater Beach activities include the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 event, which features the eponymous sunset, as well as music, magic shows and other live performances. It's a good family excursion, with a lot of local fare unique crafts and gifts on sale and a number of shops in the area offering arts and crafts, souvenirs and other gifts.. http://www.sunsetsatpier60.com

If you're here in the spring, try to make it over to Bright House Field, the ballpark where the Philadelphia Phillies play their spring-training games. Spring games are a far more laid-back -- and inexpensive -- day out than a trip to a big-league stadium.

Shopping and Dining

There are hotels and condominiums up and down the beach and, to go with them, a wide variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. You can enjoy the water early in the day, then hit the stores for souvenirs in the afternoon and have dinner in the evening. Seafood is, of course, a specialty and many of the establishments boast enchanting views of the gulf as well.

To get an even closer look, climb aboard one of the dinner boats that venture out on the water each evening. They're often accompanied by dolphins playing in the bow wave. If you're a gaming fan, there are also several casino cruises plying the gulf.

Clearwater's city center, which is roughly 2 miles from the beach, is being developed into the Cleveland Street district. It's a downtown hub with new boutiques, galleries and restaurants opening regularly. Drop by and get a glimpse of an urban neighborhood in the making.