TAMPA BAY AREA BEACHES
Clearwater Beach
This beach means business - from a nearby marina to restaurants, souvenir shops, motels, hotels and condos and at least a dozen water-related recreational options. The sand is wide, white and usually full of people. True beach partiers will be at home in these sands. Sunsets at Pier 60 are awesome. There's also a great playground near the pier.
The View: Face west and see the wide horizon. In every other direction, you'll see hotels and businesses. Clearwater Beach's Billion Dollar Beach Makeover means construction will be a mainstay for a few years.Saturdays parking is a nightmare...arrive early.
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Fort De Soto Park
You don't have to live here long to understand why Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach, put this at the top of his list of best American beaches in 2005. "The sand is almost like Ivory soap, very fine, and the water is so clear," he said then. "It feels like I've really gotten away from it all when I'm here." That pretty much says it all, but keep in mind that the different sections of De Soto have distinct personalities.
All about relaxing? Go to the North Beach, where the sand is as soft as flour and nearly as white. The water is crystal clear near the shore with tiny colorful fish frolicking throughout. From here, you look out on the wide-open gulf.
Hit the East Beach, where you're wise to tread lightly and beware stingrays. You also get an eyeful, from the soaring Sunshine Skyway to impressive ships coming and going.l for biking, walking or skating; nature trails; and a canoe trail. Two piers - one on Tampa Bay and one on the gulf appease anglers, and history buffs will want to explore the fort.
Picnic preferred: Snack bars can be found on the piers and at the fort, but there are plenty of tables and shelters for those who plan ahead.
Parking: There are ample free spots wherever you go.
3500 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde; (727) 582-2267; www.pinellascounty.org/park, then choose the park from the drop-down menu; sunrise to sunset; fishing, swimming, boat ramps, canoe trails, canoe and kayak rental, barrier-free trail, picnic areas, nature trails and boardwalks, biking, walking and skating trails, snack bar, dog park and beach, showers, camping, lifeguard hours vary.
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Pass-a-Grille
The beach is packed during the day, especially on weekends. But be aware: There are no lifeguards.
The parking machines take quarters, debit cards and credit cards. But the cool thing is: You can add time to your space at any pay station. Parking is free after dark.
Grab a bite: The most famous food spot on this southern end of St. Pete Beach is the Hurricane, 807 Gulf Way. The behemoth restaurant and bar also has an ice cream parlor with a walk-up window. But also check out the Seaside Grill across the street, which offers big breakfasts and burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and other beach food into the afternoon.
Along Gulf Way, from First to 22nd avenues, St. Pete Beach; (727) 367-2735; no set hours; swimming, no lifeguards.
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Honeymoon Island State Park
Isolated, quiet and kind of hidden. This one is definitely for the lover in you. Couples take advantage of loveseat-styled wooden swings spaced along the beach, and nature lovers should check out the new nature center and the park's trails.
Admission, please: The park charges $5 per vehicle (up to eight people); single occupant vehicles are $3. And for those who just want to see the sunset, arrive one hour before and get in for $3.
Parking: Plentiful.
1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin; (727) 469-5942; www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland; 8 a.m. to sunset; concessions/restaurant, guided tours, kayaking, nature trail, pavilion, dog beach, picnic area, playground, wildlife, lifeguards 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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Madeira Beach
Signs here announce "Alcohol permitted," and there's a liquor store on Gulf Boulevard. 'Nuff said.
Parking:The city has parking lots with meters at John's Pass Park, John's Pass Village and several spots along Gulf Boulevard. They are open from 6 a.m. to midnight every day, so parking is pretty easy.
14400 Gulf Blvd.; (727) 391-9951; www.ci.madeira-beach.fl.us; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; swimming, showers, no lifeguards.
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Highway heaven: Ben T. Davis Beach
If you commute along the Courtney Campbell Parkway, you zip past this little beach daily. Next time, pull over. Nestled along the fringes of the Tampa side of the causeway, the park offers a convenient respite. The shooshing of the waves even mutes the roar of the speeding traffic.
Convenient cuisine: Throw some shrimp on the barbie - many of the picnic shelters have grills nearby - or walk over to the Castaway restaurant for some grilled seafood or a frosty adult beverage on the big patio overlooking the water.
Who's there: With its easy access, this beach draws sun worshippers in tiny bikinis as well as office workers taking a break with their slacks rolled up. If you want to swim, you can do so under the watchful eye of lifeguards at a cordoned area, and volleyball games abound.
The view: You definitely want to face the water; otherwise you'll be looking at tall office buildings and hotels. You also get a good look at the planes landing at Tampa International Airport.
Parking: There is plenty of metered parking close by.
Beware: The beach was closed to swimmers recently because of high levels of bacteria. Be sure to check for posted signs.
BEACH BARS
1. Conch Republic. You can’t miss this complex, with its orange, red and purplish colors (yep, it reminds us of a Key West sunset, too). This large restaurant/bar screams tourist spot, but head outside to the bar fronting Gulf Boulevard and you’ll swear you’re on Duval Street. 16699 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach.
2. Fetishes. Want a small intimate meal with an award-winning wine selection? This eighttable restaurant is almost blink and you’ll miss it tiny. But the food (surf ‘n’ turf, crab cakes, Chateaubriand) consistently gets great reviews, and the service is personal and top-notch. 6690 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach.
3. Candy Kitchen. Like a kid’s fantasy come true, this 600-square-foot space is packed with delicious relics from our candy past: Mary Janes, Slo Pokes, Candy Necklaces and BB Bats, just to name a few. But there are also Mexican jumping beans, Gumby, Pokey, Slinkies, a Drinking Bird and every childhood cheap thrill you could want. We’re feeling a sugar rush just writing about this place. 13 711 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach.
4. Salt Rock Grill. Gorgeously designed and renowned for its straight-ahead cooking (an early-bird dinner features mile-high meatloaf ), fresh seafood, raw bar and deep wine list, the restaurant also has a fantastic patio bar that overlooks the Intercoastal Waterway. It’s a perfect
Wastin’ away again
There’s something about being on the beach to make you thirsty for a cold one. These bars hit the spot for us.
5. The Wharf. This edgy outpost looks like it came out of a novel set in New Orleans or Memphis — the outside seating is contained in narrow spaces that make you feel as if you’re on a dilapidated riverfront dive that could collapse any moment. Just be careful if you have small kids with you (or accident-prone friends).
The two sets of steps leading to the boat docks have no railing and no gates. 2001 Pass-a-Grille Way, Pass-a-Grille.
6. Mahuffer’s. You can’t miss it, with a junked car out front that proudly proclaims “We don’t sell Budweiser.” Inside, it looks like a cross between fish camp gone to seed (complete with a firebox in the middle surrounded by car seats) and a seriously well-used beach bar (buoys, shells, bras, bric-a-brac). Don’t bring the kids (but judging from our visit, well-behaved dogs are welcome). 19201 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores.
7. Red Lion Pub. Is that a red British phone booth on the side of the road? Yep, and the theme continues when you go inside and find darts and a long selection of British Isle beers on tap at its long and sturdy bar. Like many Gulf spots, it has a small area out front with tables. 1407, Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
8. Cuso’s Club and Cantina. One side’s an open-air bar with a bright mural outside and a nifty neon bikini sign on the wall inside. The other’s a well-chilled, dark, woodsy bar that rocks with live music most weekends. On our visit, we chatted up an iguana named Boogie. 2405 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
Fun in the sun
9. Lenny’s Surf Shop and Beach Cycle Center. You’ve seen this spot since 1981 with its colorful outdoor paint job right as you turn on to Blind Pass Road. It’s a scooter/surf/ bicycle shop in one big showroom-a-ganza. If you want to get into a laid-back state of mind, cruise in and look over the large selection of tchotchkes (Woody station wagon keychains!), flip-flops and beach clothes. 7512 Blind Pass Road, St. Pete Beach.
10. Nekton Surf Shop. Locals know this shop as the home base for world-class surfer Cory Lopez, who along with his brother, Shea, grew up here. You’ll love its trendy T-shirt collection.
Forget Ed Hardy; these will turn heads on your next club night. 1313 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
11. Suncoast Surf Shop. As you round the curve into Treasure Island from St. Pete Beach, a neon sign beckons on the right, in front of a two-story blue house. Established in 1966, it’s devoted to the surfing and skating lifestyle, with clothing and accessories downstairs and surf boards and skate decks in its upstairs loft.
9841 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island.
12. Smuggler’s Cove. One of the new breed of putt-putt golf courses (no zany windmills or dinosaurs that you putt through … sigh), this one has a large pirate ship as its central theme and features live baby alligators that you can feed. There are two locations — one in Madeira Beach (15395 Gulf Blvd.) and the other in Indian Shores (19463 Gulf Blvd.).
A mural of manatees swimming underneath the Skyway Bridge adorns the side of a building behind the Sea Horse Restaurant in Pass-a-Grille.
Bottom left, The Wharf restaurant and bar sits over the water at 2001 Pass-a-Grille Way. Bottom right, Smuggler’s Cove, 15354 Gulf Blvd., is a modern miniature golf course.
