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I'm sitting in a sandy amphitheater watching a rolling landscape of blue unfold before a melting golden orb ringed by oranges, reds and a hint of lavender. A crash of surf, blue waters turning white against the shore – this is the natural drama that drew me to the beaches of St. Petersburg/Clearwater, an area that I now call home.
No matter how familiar or how often I watch them, each sunset over the Gulf of Mexico paints a scene as unique as the beach communities that line the shores. Places for solitude amidst a coastal glory, small towns with surf shops and outdoor ice cream parlors, and shores lined with high-rise hotels, tanned bodies and outdoor bars. Whatever your mood, there is a beach here to meet it.
Come along with me, and I'll show you their most noted features.
Beaches for Play
Clearwater Beach
On my first visit to the area as a 19-year-old student, activity and social interaction (hint, boys) lured me to Clearwater Beach where volleyball, jet skiing and a promenade of youth kept things moving. Nearly 20 years later and now married, I'm still drawn here when I'm in the mood for stone crab claws, people watching and an energy that comes only from human interaction.
Like beach aficionado Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. "Dr. Beach," who ranked Clearwater Beach No. 1 among city beaches in the Gulf region, I've also found this stretch of beach to be more than action and accommodations. Wide, white sandy shores and clear blue waters are more than just a canvas for the activity.
Gulf Boulevard separates the shoreline from seafood restaurants, modern beach shops, condos and hotels, some with Art Deco charm, others with workout rooms and room service.
Liveliness continues as sunset approaches at Pier 60. There's no other place in the area where you will find a combination of fine coral jewelry, a busker who clowns around with canines and live music. It's a good place to pick up a handmade souvenir, and it safely keeps the kids happy. The daily event begins two hours before sunset and continues for two hours afterward.
John's Pass Village & Boardwalk
For a literally higher-level shopping experience, drive south to John's Pass Village & Boardwalk at Madeira Beach, known to locals as "Mad Beach." On this double-decker boardwalk, you can find everything from a new bikini to a Red Skelton painting.
Non-shoppers find plenty of other things to do. Rent WaveRunners at the dock. Board a fishing boat, a sightseeing boat or a casino cruiser. I like to hang on the upper deck and watch dolphins swim through the narrow pass.
Despite the Robert Louis Stevenson novelty of its name, the most unique treasures on Treasure Island fly in the sky and are not buried beneath the tan sands. This wide stretch of beach is a highway for kite flyers and kite riders, those with wheeled carts propelled by kites.
My husband and I also like to stroll up to the bar at the Thunderbird Beach Resort for a cocktail and to watch the air show from a bar stool, but a beach blanket can put you nearer the kite action.
St. Pete Beach
Farther south is the urbanized yet still quaint St. Pete Beach, voted TripAdvisor's No. 1 Beach in the U.S. and No. 5 in the world for 2012, based on millions of traveler reviews. With more than 10,000 residents, this is the most populated beach town in the area. It has 4.5 miles of beach dotted with hotels, motels, a shopping center and restaurants serving everything from gourmet grouper to grilled burgers.
Despite the six-mile barrier islands' activity, old-fashioned Corey Avenue is the heart of this small town. An eclectic group of small shops sell retro furnishings, beads, clothing and art. There's even a general store and a vintage theater that give this two-lane main street an extra nostalgic touch.
If you go: Pack a comfortable pair of walking shoes with your sunscreen. Consider renting a bike or taking the colorful beach trolley.
Relaxing Beaches
Sometimes you don't want to be alone, but want a relaxed atmosphere. The kind of beach where you can stroll up to a thatched-roof bar for a piña colada and still have a romantic stroll along the shore. For lack of a better term, I call these the laid-back beaches.
Sunset Beach
When out-of-town friends visit, I like to take them to Sunset Beach for a laid-back party. A two-lane, dead-end road and a small cluster of rustic outdoor bars and restaurants give this beach an intimate backyard-party atmosphere.
The mood comes in part because this short beach is tucked away. You'll find it as Gulf Boulevard veers inland between Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach. The main thoroughfare splinters off to West Gulf Boulevard, which dead-ends at Sunset Beach's park pavilion. This is one of the few places where you can get a beer and a grouper sandwich and listen to a folksy guitar player on a deck just a step from the sand.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
The other beach where I bring guests is hidden away at the south end of the barrier islands. Pass-a-Grille Beach is the quintessential low-key beach and, as I know, a great place to get married. You'll find no large crowds and no high-rises here. Pass-a-Grille's height restrictions help it keep its Old Florida flavor.
A part of the city of St. Pete Beach, the Pass-a-Grille community begins south of historic Loews Don CeSar Hotel as Gulf Boulevard narrows to two-lanes. A pleasant drive, the road circles the end of the narrow island and offers views of the Intracoastal and Gulf. The island here is only two blocks wide. Across from the sea grass-sheltered beach are older homes, cottages, small motels and the famed Hurricane Restaurant, which is topped with a bar and open deck.
Redington Shores
When I'm farther north along the coastline with my hubby, I like to stroll Redington Shores Beach. Distinctive for its broad beach, this beach is ideal for lovebirds. (Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio vacationed here.)
With a fishing pier that extends 1,021 feet into the Gulf and stays open 24 hours, it's also a fine place to spend the evening with friends, a cooler and a fishing rod. You might be surprised by what you catch.
Indian Rocks and Other Beaches
First developed as a getaway for the wealthy, Indian Rocks Beach now also appeals to beachcombers with eclectic tastes, like myself. Its narrowness (in places you can see the Gulf and the Intracoastal at once) and quaint hotels, motels and cottages give it intimacy. Flip-flops and sarongs are welcomed attire at some of its quirkier restaurants and bars. It's also known for having some of the finest gourmet restaurants in the Tampa Bay area with varied wine lists.
There are several other beaches – Redington Beach, North Redington Beach, Indian Shores and Belleair Beach – that also fit into the laid-back category. Public entrances and parks with metered parking still offer access to day-trippers.
If you go: Bring change for parking meters, and avoid parking on restricted residential streets and business lots. You might get ticketed or towed.
Best-Rated Beaches
The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area is home to 56 kilometers of beautiful beaches, many of which have been rated in the top 10 beaches in the United States. Caladesi Island was rated America's No. 1 beach for 2008 by Dr. Beach. In 2005, he named Fort De Soto Park America's No. 1 beach, TripAdvisor named it No. 1 in 2008 and 2009, and Parents magazine recently named it America's best family beach.
Fort De Soto Park
Fort De Soto Park has consistently ranked among nation's top beaches, and not just because it's beautiful. At the southern tip of the coastline, this county park has it all – paved bike trails, campgrounds, large picnic pavilions, a fishing pier, a military fort-turned-museum and snack bars, all while still having beaches where the only movements are the waves and the sea life beneath them. Parents magazine touted its lifeguards, restrooms and calm waters as a result of an offshore sandbar.
My husband and I go there mostly to swim with our golden retriever dogs (designated dog beach only) and to compete to find the biggest sand dollar. The park has one of the few beaches where dogs can legally swim. As for sand dollars, you often can find them with your feet in the chest-deep waters. The bed locations vary from year to year, but when you find one, you'll know it. There are usually so many lining the Gulf's floor that you hardly can step without feeling the hard, round creatures beneath your feet.
Caladesi Island
North of Clearwater near Dunedin, you can get away to another beach that regularly makes Dr. Beach's list, Caladesi Island State Park. Ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2008, Caladesi is accessible by public ferry, boat, kayak or canoe.
This pristine island is a great place to pretend you're in the movie "Endless Love." Well, almost. Don't forget your bathing suit. Other than a bathhouse, snack bar and boat docks, there's no development here, just horizons of white sandy beach and a canopy of maritime hammocks. A vendor rents chairs and umbrellas near the bathhouse, but I like to wander beyond the threads of civilization where the sands are marked only by the claws of birds. The island's tip is a good place to find shells, and on the inland side you might peer into the eyes of an osprey.
Other Beach Parks
With a coastline making up eight barrier islands, there are many beach parks to choose from.
Honeymoon Island State Park
If you don't want to take a boat to the island, the Caladesi Island docking point on Honeymoon Island State Park is a fine beach substitute. This beach park has undeveloped beaches (including a dog beach) and a tiny café that serves cold beer and hot sandwiches. Beach changing rooms and showers are also available. Honeymoon Island rates as one of the country's most visited parks.
A nature center opened here in 2007. The center allows visitors to witness firsthand Honeymoon Island's diverse world of natural plant and animal life through a variety of ecotours and exhibits.
Sand Key State Park
Although part of Sand Key State Park is shadowed with sleek, high hotels and condos, there's an undeveloped half-mile beach at the key's northern tip that's a convenient getaway. Nestled in a 95-acre state park, this beach, like Fort De Soto, has it all. Lifeguards, bathhouses, picnic pavilions, bike trails and a dog park help rate this beach consistently among the nation's top 20.
Wile away on this wide stretch and gently sloped beach and watch the faster pace beach of Clearwater across the pass. Near the jetties, surfers sometimes find waves big enough to ride.
Shell Key Preserve
Living closer to the southern end, my favorite place to get lost is Shell Key Preserve. Like Caladesi Island, Shell Key Preserve is accessible only by boat or Shell Key Shuttle and within sight of the mainland. Nevertheless, its miles of undeveloped beaches allow me to pretend this it is my private retreat.
Few visitors venture beyond sight of the ferry drop-off, but I find solitude and shells on the other side of the island. I anchor my beach umbrella, close my eyes and let the sound of the waves lull me into a peaceful nap. When I feel a need to explore, I search for shells or wade the translucent waters near the marked waterfowl nesting grounds and watch the native and migratory birds.
If you go: Pack sunscreen, water, a snack and an umbrella, as vending and shade are limited.
