Vacations to Clearwater, FL, are all about sugary soft sands and doing what you want to do. This place can be called the star of the Sunshine State and with its tons of activities, shows, restaurants, and more, it is true vacation heaven for you and your family.
Starting off
For the ultimate vacationer, the starting point here is Pier 60. It is superb for fishing and you can spend many happy and idle hours angling for the catch here, such as flounder, redfish, jacks, and trout. However, your little ones will love the evenings here, which are full of activities for children. Spray painting, stilt walkers, escape artists, street performers, a beach playground – they will have a ball exploring and enjoying everything this place has to offer.
If you like seeing marine animals, a must-visit for you is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Do you remember the famous movie ‘Dolphin Tale’? The star dolphin of the movie, Winter, called this aquarium it’s home! You can also have up and close encounters with turtles, stingrays, pelicans, otters, and sharks here.
Other Attractions
Many people believe that ‘vacations near me’ must have ‘green’ nature in the mix. If you think so too, your next stop should be the 51-acre Moccasin Lake, Nature Park. This peaceful and quiet place has lots of flora and fauna and you will feel immersed in nature once here. It is unbelievably beautiful with nature trails, bubbling brooks, mighty oak trees, creeks, ferns, and more. You can spend many happy hours here just taking in the verdant vistas.
If you like to indulge yourself with good food, Clearwater will in no way disappoint you. There are some excellent outdoor dining options in Gulfport. You can start Mahi Tacos with Baja slaw or Windy Cindy at O’ Maddy’s Bar & Grille. Or you can spend a few romantic hours with your beloved at Pia’s Trattoria. Their Penne Quattro Formaggi al Forno is delicious and best savored with a nice Italian wine.
Those who love Greek Cuisine can tuck into Saganaki or Spanakopita at the Neptune Grill. There are lots of bars here too, like Gulfport Brewery + Eatery, where you can have some cold ‘uns along with some yum munchies.
Art lovers will head over straight to the Dali Museum which houses an expansive collection of works, more than 2400, by Salvador Dali. A super fun place to visit is Fairgrounds St. Pete. The works of many national and international artists are displayed here and it is everything from the completely absurd to the superbly sublime.
And of course, you must keep a day free to spend at Tropicana Beach to watch the Tampa Bay Rays. There are other things to do here as well, such as touching cownose stingrays in a petting tank and playing games in the pre-game party center. You can also enroll your little ones in the Rays Rookies Kids Club here.
