“The White Sand Paradise that is Clearwater Beach, Florida”

Get away from your normal hustle-and-bustle lifestyle and escape to the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico by visiting Clearwater Beach located on the West Central coast of Florida. Turn off your cell phone and take a stroll on this pristine white sand beach which stretches for 2.5 miles along sparkling seafoam-green waves mixed with cool gulf breezes. Known for its record-setting number of days of sunshine, this tropical paradise is visited by tourists from as far away as Asia and Europe, though many Americans have also come to appreciate this oasis, consistently voting Clearwater Beach one of the top ten beaches in the United States.

Clearwater Beach has changed a bit in the last few years. Many of the all charming ma-n-pa motels have given way to mid-rise condos and new hotels. Not to worry, there are still plenty places to stay in Clearwater Beach, you just need to know how to find them.

Only a 30 minute ride from Tampa International Airport, Clearwater Beach offers entertainment such as parasailing, jet skiing, boat tours (with a common site of seeing dolphins frolicking in the Gulf waters often only a few feet from your boat), restaurants within walking distance of the beach, charter boats that offer fabulous fishing charter boats from a half to a full day’s cruise. And don’t forget the famous pirate ship cruise tours, too!

Pier 60, the central hub of Clearwater Beach, has a playground for children, a snack bar, fishing pier and is home to one of the most famous nightly events: “Sunsets at Pier 60” where visitors partake in live entertainment with street performers doing magic, juggling, musical and dance acts. In addition, on the pier itself, is a nightly arts and crafts display where you can see and purchase homemade items created by local artisans such as jewelry, candles, and other unique gifts.

To get around the northern and southern parts ofClearwater Beach, the Jolley Trolley offers transportation to tourists on an hourly basis. Of course, many people choose to walk along the wide sidewalks and take a more leisurely pace while strolling up and down the streets. With an average yearly temperature of 73 degrees, Clearwater Beach makes it comfortable to be outdoors virtually 365 days a year.

Just up the road across a short beach causeway sits Clearwater Beach Marine Aquarium (www.cmaquarium.org/), a very unique natural attraction where one can view, touch and experience the biology and behavior of bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, river otters, sting rays, local fish, coral reefs, mangroves and more.

For sports enthusiasts, Tampa Bay has become home to New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays spring training as well as home to our own Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Or during the later part of the year one can ride over to Raymond James Stadium on a Sunday afternoon to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneer football team. For hockey fans, the St. Pete Times Forum is home to our Lightning hockey team, winners of the 2004 Stanley Cup. So there are numerous professional sport activities for everyone in your family.

Up the road from Clearwater Beach in Tarpon Springs are the world-famous sponge docks where visitors can shop along the boardwalk or eat some delicious authentic Greek food. Adventurous travelers can even take a tour of one of the sponge boats where divers go down 60 feet or more in the Gulf of Mexico to retrieve sponges and bring them back to be cleaned and prepared for sale to local shops as well as sold to shop and store chains both nationally and internationally.

Of course, let’s not forget several other prominent attractions that one can participate in while visiting Tampa Bay. Busch Gardens and Lowry Park Zoo both within a 1 hour drive fromClearwater Beach are two of the more famous destinations for travelers who enjoy visiting the zoo or scaling a roller coaster at the amusement park. Both are less than an hour’s ride from Clearwater Beach. There is also MOSI (the Museum of Science and Industry) which is a fun place for both kids and adults and is only 10 minutes north of Busch Gardens.

<<< - >>>