How To Take The Ultimate Vacation In Clearwater Beach, Florida

Choose A Break is your best manual to the great trips to recharge, rediscover on your own and your interactions, and reengage with the entire world. We’ll go over browsing stops, wonderful bars, places to eat really worth your money, image alternatives, memorable drives and experiences, and other significant details you want right before you e book.

Under, we chat with Lindsay Holmes, senior wellness and travel editor at HuffPost, about why you will want to set Clearwater Seaside, Florida, on your bucket checklist.

I grew up nearby, so I used a ton of time at Clearwater Seashore. In large school, our courses would finish all around 1 p.m. and we’d all beeline straight for the seashore. It felt like a vacation in my very own yard. The sand is powdery gentle, the Gulf of Mexico is a sight to behold, and there are tons of excellent dining places and things to do nearby ― every time we’d go for an afternoon or on the weekends, I never ever preferred to depart.

April and May together with September or even early October are best. The heat and humidity is brutal in the summer, specially in July and August, so I’d propose keeping away from that time of year. You also operate the chance of encountering afternoon thunderstorms ― in particular at the seaside ― for the duration of the summer season months.

If you’re from a state that actually has seasons, I extremely endorse heading when you are around the cold or not quite ready to endure chillier temperatures. The wintertime months can be warm, but you also run the chance of it finding into the 50s. (I know, tragic.) If you’re really looking for beach climate, late spring or early tumble are frequently your best bets.

Clearwater/St. Petersburg has a modest airport, but Tampa International Airport will most likely have the most solutions if you are traveling. From there, you’re only about a 40-moment generate away from the main beach front region. You can e book a transportation like Tremendous Shuttle or can easily acquire Ubers or Lyfts. Finding all of your transportation set up beforehand will make everything as seamless as feasible.

If you are driving, be geared up to deal with bridges and targeted traffic ― in particular in the far more common travel months. There’s primarily just one road that goes into the beach front and it’ll get packed speedily. There’s also a big roundabout that many motorists get flustered by, particularly when there are a large amount of autos. Persistence is important when navigating Clearwater Seashore in a automobile.

There are so a lot of inns proper together the seaside that are really worth examining out, specially if you want direct entry to the water or a pool. Some of the most well-known types contain the Sandpearl Resort, the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Seashore and the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach front.

Furthermore, there are sweet boutique hotels, like Resort Cabana. Airbnbs are also an alternative, and you can generally uncover some great types inside a short wander or Uber or Lyft experience.

Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill is a must-visit if you are at any time in Clearwater Beach front. It is a ceremony of passage I really do not make the regulations. It is situated ideal on the drinking water, with a massive patio that empties out on to the sand. It’s the ideal place following a very long day in the sunlight. Buy the grouper sandwich and the crab fries and I promise you are going to in no way be the exact same. My mom also loves their she-crab soup.

If you’re hunting for a thing a very little extra “upscale” a person night, the Beachcomber and the Island Way Grill are sound options that have been about for a long time. There’s also the Palm Pavilion or Crabby’s Bar and Grill if you’re hunting for some thing lower-critical with a seashore bar ambiance. And for all you chicken wing lovers, the metropolis of Clearwater is also dwelling to the authentic Hooters. (There’s also a locale on Clearwater Beach front.)

I also have to plug a cease at the grocery shop Publix. There’s completely nothing at all like feeding on a Pub Sub on the seashore. It’s one of life’s biggest pleasures.

Frenchy’s and the Palm Pavilion are great spots if you want to seize a consume on the beach front. They have fantastic, affordable frozen cocktails (if you’re from a major city, your mouth will drop at the selling prices). My favorite are the piña coladas, which I know is really essential. But right after a warm day of swimming and sunbathing, it genuinely hits the spot. They also have rum runners, crucial lime coladas (another favorite), coconut margaritas and a lot more.

Quite a few restaurants, including Frenchy’s and Palm Pavilion, often have reside tunes. I endorse going for the duration of sunset if you can get a desk. Leisure, a refreshing drink and pristine scenery. What more could you talk to for?

There are tons of local memento retailers alongside the beach, which are wonderful for window purchasing or locating a trinket to commemorate your vacation.

The whole beach is ripe for pics! If you stroll north alongside the seashore ― further than all of the hotels ― you’ll certainly get superior photographs with out a bunch of individuals in the history or pushing alongside you. Pier 60 is also a great site for photos if you want sweeping sights of the Gulf (you could possibly also get a glimpse of some dolphins if you are lucky).

I’d personally say skip the pirate-themed boats that go out in the drinking water and choose for a dolphin sightseeing boat, or even go parasailing. Some persons love the pirate cruises, but most locals say they’re not actually worthy of the price. If you’re a h2o activity lover, many folks truly rave about the jet ski rentals as nicely.

I come to feel so at relieve when I’m on a wander or sitting down on the north part of the beach. We’d often park there for the working day when we were in superior school. I have fond recollections of lounging in the sunlight with my buddies, gossiping about what occurred in class or who was dating who at the time.

Each individual time I go back, I make positive to stroll up that way, which ends up becoming about a mile or so absent from Pier 60. It immediately helps make me really feel like a teen once more. It’s also pleasant because it’s further more absent from the touristy regions, so you get a amount of peaceful that you’re not genuinely afforded in the much more crowded parts.

For some great people today looking at, I surely recommend strolling alongside the pier or in some of the far more populated parts. There are also other wonderful seashores close by if you want to switch it up for the working day. Attempt examining out Sand Important Seaside or Caladesi Island Point out Park, which present another little slice of heaven of the Gulf.

There are a handful of: Initially, anticipate to be uncovered to UV rays and strategy accordingly. The sunshine will get you if you’re not thorough. Put on sunscreen ― even if it would seem cloudy through the summer season.

You should really also be expecting afternoon thunderstorms if you are going in the hotter months. (I personally adore them, but they can be troublesome on a getaway.) Storms commonly roll in all-around 3 p.m. and can past any place from 20 minutes to around an hour, dependent on the forecast. It is helpful to approach any beach front times or excursions around it ― you are going to probably get improved temperature the earlier you go out.

At last, familiarize on your own with the stingray shuffle. If you go to at any time in between April and Oct, that’s typically stingray year. Shuffle your ft in the h2o so they know you are coming. (For what it’s well worth, I have never experienced a challenge with them in my life time of going to Clearwater Seashore. Just be mindful, really don’t worry!)

To point out the evident, a bathing match and sunscreen. Some folks desire bringing water sneakers for stingray time and seashore shirts for the reason that, as pointed out, the sunlight can be really robust.

Do. Not. Feed. The. Seagulls. They’re in all places, and they want your foods. Feeding them just helps make them extra needy (and it could be perilous for them) ― not to mention you are going to annoy all the other beachgoers around you. Preserve your treats, subs and anything at all else to you. Rely on me.