Clearwater Beach

Welcome to the St. Pete / Clearwater area beaches, which we here at Beach Directory call The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay. This area is the home of the Beach Directory web site. We struggle a little bit with our identity here - should we call ourselves "the Tampa Bay area"? Or the "St. Pete / Clearwater area"? Either way, ours is a wonderful area, and the most visited area along the Florida Gulf Coast. Despite all the visitors, the beaches are surprisingly uncrowded. The most crowded it ever gets is roughly what you see in the picture on the left. Come visit !

Regardless of where you stay along the Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay, you will be close to a variety of attractions: Just across the bridge in Tampa, you will find Busch Gardens, a theme park that many prefer over the Disney parks or Universal Studios. Its atmosphere is very relaxing, and many feel that it offers more variety and greenery than other theme parks. Downtown St. Petersburg: half an hour drive from the beach communities, here you will find The St. Pete Pier, a unique recreation and shopping spot, the Salvador Dali Museum and the grand old Vinoy Hotel. Close to downtown, Tropicana Field is the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team. Many people combine a visit to the ballpark with a visit to downtown. Want some nightlife? Head over to historic Ybor City, which is the place to go out in the Tampa Bay area. Ybor city is also where the Guavaween festival is held every October. On the way to Ybor City, stop at the University of Tampa with its Russian-Floridian architecture-. These are just a few examples of what our area has to offer...visit our attractions section to find out more.

Downtown Tampa Photo courtesy of Aerial Innovations, Inc.

Golfers on the green Photo courtesy of Aerial Innovations, Inc.

There's plenty to do in the beach communities, too. From North to South: Clearwater Beach offers a large marina, where you can either go out for an adrenaline-rush aboard the Sea Screamer, go dolphin watching, or go out on the Gulf on a variety of other types of boats. Indian Shores is the home of the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. The sanctuary has some permanent residents, but releases about 20 birds per day that have been nursed back to health. Free admission, but donations gratefully accepted. The cities of Madeira Beach and Treasure Island face each other across John's Pass, the location of the famous John's Pass Boardwalk and Village (see picture below). Here you can shop, fish, eat, go out on a waverunner, go parasailing...whatever you want. St. Pete Beach, with it's famous historic landmark the Don Cesar Hotel (pictured below) offers a vibrant entertainment scene. These are just a few examples of what each beach community has to offer...click on the name of each community on the left to find out more.

The Don Cesar Photo © Aerial Innovations, Inc.

John's Pass Boardwalk and Village Photo © 2001

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