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Clearwater & St. Pete Best Beaches: A Local's Guide to Tampa Bay's Gulf Coast
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items The Gulf beaches are only about 90 minutes from Kissimmee, and that sugar-white sand is worth every mile. From Clearwater Beach's lively pier to the quiet dunes of Fort De Soto, this local's guide covers the best beaches, parks, and beach-day stops a...
Home of Winter the dolphin from Dolphin Tale - it's a real rescue and rehab center, not a show park, and the kids leave caring about marine life. Pair it with a Clearwater Beach afternoon; it's a 5-minute drive.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium | Florida's Marine Life Rescue Center
Regularly ranked among America's best beaches and you can only reach it by ferry from Honeymoon Island - which is exactly why it stays uncrowded. Undeveloped, shell-covered, and worth the boat ride.
Caladesi Island State Park | Visit St Petersburg Clearwater Florida
Drive right up to it, park, and you're on one of the best shelling beaches on the Gulf. Osprey nests in the pines, a dog beach at the north end, and the ferry to Caladesi leaves from here.
Honeymoon Island State Park | Visit St Petersburg Clearwater Florida
Five miles of quiet Gulf beach plus a historic fort, kayak trails, a fishing pier, and one of the best dog beaches in Florida. Our pick when we want space to spread out instead of Clearwater's crowds.
Fort De Soto Beach
The old-Florida south tip of St. Pete Beach - pastel cottages, a walkable little main street of cafes and galleries, and sunsets people applaud for. Our favorite place to end a Gulf coast day.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Just south of Clearwater Beach over the bridge - same beautiful sand, a fraction of the crowd, and actual parking. There's a shaded playground and a dog park, which makes it our default family stop.
Sand Key Park
The grouper sandwich here is the reason people drive across the state - Frenchy's is a Clearwater Beach institution with several locations along the sand. Get the original grouper sandwich and a she-crab soup.
Frenchy's
The ‘Pink Palace’ is the landmark of St. Pete Beach - a 1928 hotel that's worth walking through even if you're not staying. Grab a drink on the beachside terrace and take the photo everyone takes.
Don CeSar
A boardwalk of shops, seafood shacks, and dolphin-tour boats in Madeira Beach. This is where we book the dolphin-watch cruise and eat grouper on the water - a solid rainy-hour backup plan too.
John's Pass Village & Boardwalk
The best rainy-day (or too-hot-day) pivot on the Gulf coast - the largest Dali collection outside Spain, in a building with a giant glass ‘enigma’ spiral. Downtown St. Pete around it is worth a stroll too.
The Dalí Museum
A low-key beach town between Clearwater and Madeira with no high-rises and 27 public beach accesses. If you want quiet Gulf sand without resort crowds, this is the one locals point you toward.
Indian Rocks Beach
One of the widest beaches on the Gulf coast - so much sand between the parking and the water that it never feels packed. Sunday sunset drum circles at the north end are a fun local tradition.
Treasure Island Beach
Gulf beach parking lots are far from the water, so a big-wheel wagon is the difference between one trip and four. This is the single best beach-day purchase we've made - chairs, cooler, and kids' gear in one haul.
Beach Carts With Big Wheels For Sand
Backpack straps, a cup holder, and a little cooler pouch - the chair everyone on the Gulf coast owns for a reason. It reclines flat enough to nap, which is the real point of a beach day.
Tommy Bahama Beach Chairs
A 100-year-old botanical garden in the middle of St. Pete - flamingos, koi ponds, and shade everywhere, which matters in August. Cheap tickets and an easy hour when you need a break from the sun.
Sunken Gardens