How To Take The Ultimate Vacation In Clearwater Beach, Florida

Just take A Crack is your best guide to the excellent excursions to recharge, rediscover yourself and your interactions, and reengage with the entire world. We’ll go over shopping stops, good bars, restaurants worthy of your money, photograph options, memorable drives and ordeals, and other crucial facts you require in advance of you e book.

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

I grew up close by, so I expended a ton of time at Clearwater Seaside. In higher school, our classes would conclusion close to 1 p.m. and we’d all beeline straight for the beach front. It felt like a getaway in my individual backyard. The sand is powdery comfortable, the Gulf of Mexico is a sight to behold, and there are tons of excellent restaurants and things to do nearby ― anytime we’d go for an afternoon or on the weekends, I by no means required to depart.

April and May together with September or even early Oct are suitable. The warmth and humidity is brutal in the summertime, in particular in July and August, so I’d advise avoiding that time of 12 months. You also operate the risk of encountering afternoon thunderstorms ― primarily at the seashore ― in the course of the summer months.

If you’re from a condition that truly has seasons, I highly advise heading when you are around the chilly or not fairly prepared to endure chillier temperatures. The wintertime months can be warm, but you also run the possibility of it getting into the 50s. (I know, tragic.) If you’re genuinely on the lookout for beach front temperature, late spring or early slide are generally your greatest bets.

Clearwater/St. Petersburg has a compact airport, but Tampa Global Airport will likely have the most alternatives if you’re traveling. From there, you are only about a 40-minute drive absent from the primary seashore space. You can e book a transportation like Tremendous Shuttle or can easily consider Ubers or Lyfts. Having all of your transportation set up beforehand will make everything as seamless as probable.

If you are driving, be organized to deal with bridges and traffic ― specifically in the more well-liked journey months. There is in essence one street that goes into the beach front and it’ll get packed immediately. There is also a large roundabout that a lot of motorists get flustered by, primarily when there are a large amount of automobiles. Tolerance is key when navigating Clearwater Beach in a auto.

There are so numerous lodges ideal alongside the seaside that are well worth examining out, primarily if you want direct obtain to the water or a pool. Some of the most well-liked types include things like the Sandpearl Resort, the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach front and the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach.

In addition, there are sweet boutique resorts, like Resort Cabana. Airbnbs are also an alternative, and you can typically come across some excellent ones in a small walk or Uber or Lyft journey.

Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill is a need to-stop by if you are ever in Clearwater Seashore. It’s a ceremony of passage I don’t make the rules. It’s located correct on the water, with a substantial patio that empties out on to the sand. It is the great location soon after a extended working day in the sunlight. Purchase the grouper sandwich and the crab fries and I assure you will by no means be the very same. My mom also enjoys their she-crab soup.

If you are wanting for a thing a minor a lot more “upscale” just one night, the Beachcomber and the Island Way Grill are reliable selections that have been around for decades. There is also the Palm Pavilion or Crabby’s Bar and Grill if you’re looking for something very low-important with a beach front bar atmosphere. And for all you chicken wing admirers, the city of Clearwater is also dwelling to the original Hooters. (There’s also a location on Clearwater Beach.)

I also have to plug a cease at the grocery retail outlet Publix. There’s absolutely nothing at all like taking in a Pub Sub on the beach. It is one particular of life’s biggest pleasures.

Frenchy’s and the Palm Pavilion are superior places if you want to grab a drink on the beach front. They have fantastic, very affordable frozen cocktails (if you’re from a important metropolis, your mouth will drop at the costs). My beloved are the piña coladas, which I know is particularly simple. But after a hot day of swimming and sunbathing, it really hits the spot. They also have rum runners, important lime coladas (another favorite), coconut margaritas and additional.

Numerous dining places, like Frenchy’s and Palm Pavilion, often have stay songs. I suggest heading all through sunset if you can get a desk. Entertainment, a refreshing consume and pristine surroundings. What extra could you inquire for?

There are tons of regional souvenir shops along the beach front, which are terrific for window procuring or acquiring a trinket to commemorate your trip.

The total beach is ripe for shots! If you walk north alongside the beach front ― outside of all of the resorts ― you are going to surely get good shots without having a bunch of folks in the background or pushing together with you. Pier 60 is also a excellent site for images if you want sweeping sights of the Gulf (you might also get a glimpse of some dolphins if you’re fortunate).

I’d personally say skip the pirate-themed boats that go out in the water and opt for a dolphin sightseeing boat, or even go parasailing. Some people enjoy the pirate cruises, but most locals say they’re not truly worth the rate. If you are a water sport admirer, a lot of folks truly rave about the jet ski rentals as perfectly.

I come to feel so at ease when I’m on a wander or sitting on the north part of the seashore. We’d constantly park there for the day when we were being in high university. I have fond reminiscences of lounging in the sunshine with my buddies, gossiping about what transpired in class or who was relationship who at the time.

Every time I go back again, I make sure to stroll up that way, which finishes up becoming about a mile or so absent from Pier 60. It immediately can make me come to feel like a teen all over again. It’s also pleasant for the reason that it’s additional away from the touristy locations, so you get a amount of tranquil that you are not truly afforded in the far more crowded elements.

For some great persons seeing, I surely suggest walking alongside the pier or in some of the far more populated spots. There are also other attractive shorelines close by if you want to change it up for the working day. Test examining out Sand Crucial Seaside or Caladesi Island Point out Park, which supply one more minor slice of heaven of the Gulf.

There are a couple: Initial, be expecting to be uncovered to UV rays and program appropriately. The sunshine will get you if you’re not thorough. Dress in sunscreen ― even if it appears cloudy for the duration of the summer season.

You should also hope afternoon thunderstorms if you’re likely in the warmer months. (I individually like them, but they can be annoying on a holiday vacation.) Storms usually roll in all-around 3 p.m. and can last anyplace from 20 minutes to more than an hour, dependent on the forecast. It’s practical to plan any seashore days or excursions all-around it ― you’ll possible get greater temperature the previously you go out.

Eventually, familiarize on your own with the stingray shuffle. If you check out anytime among April and Oct, that’s ordinarily stingray year. Shuffle your feet in the h2o so they know you’re coming. (For what it’s truly worth, I have by no means experienced a difficulty with them in my life span of going to Clearwater Seaside. Just be aware, do not strain!)

To point out the evident, a bathing go well with and sunscreen. Some men and women like bringing water sneakers for stingray period and beach front shirts mainly because, as described, the sun can be quite sturdy.

Do. Not. Feed. The. Seagulls. They are all over the place, and they want your food stuff. Feeding them just would make them a lot more needy (and it could be risky for them) ― not to point out you are going to annoy all the other beachgoers all around you. Retain your treats, subs and nearly anything else to you. Trust me.