While growing up in Clearwater, I treated the beautiful, white-sand beaches as my personal stomping grounds. Armed with baby oil and bikinis, my teenage friends and I reveled in the sun and sand.
Now, still a kid at heart, my favorite day is spent taking my boys, ages 6 and 8, to my old haunts. I like to add a little fanfare, mixing my childhood experiences with new ones. The beach isn’t quite as relaxing for me these days, but it’s still just as much fun. And when we want to switch gears, we head back to the mainland for some hands-on activities.
A Day at the Beach
9 a.m.
My kids and I head to Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach, where our little guys play at the public park. This area is situated right on the sand, so nobody gets hurt when racing down the slide onto nature’s landing pad. To avoid a meltdown induced by french fry theft, I strategically guard my kids’ food at the snack bar to protect it from the watchful eyes (and beaks) of the gulls.
After a brief stint at the park watching the kids go down a giant blow-up shark waterslide, we stroll Beach Walk, the winding waterfront promenade footed by the giant new pink Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort before heading to the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, where we're stationed for the weekend. The resort offers volleyball, outdoor ping-pong, kayak rentals and parasailing for the adventurous types whose days include more than a pail and shovel. I love that we can walk away from the outdoor beach club shop and outdoor beach club desk with whatever we need for the day, including sunscreen and complimentary beach towels. It’s convenient to get everything on site, especially when the kids are getting antsy to kick their flip-flops off and run to the beach.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We board Captain Memo's Original Pirate Cruise at Clearwater Municipal Marina. This two-hour tour gives us a much-needed break from entertaining our crew. Captain Memo’s pirates keep our kids busy with water games, face-painting, limbo dances, treasure hunts and snacks. We sip cocktails at the bar while our pint-sized pirates dance the day away and collect their loot. If you go, you may not see Johnny Depp, but you might get lucky and spot wild dolphins swimming next to the big red ship.
2 p.m.
I love to check out the latest beach fashions at Mandalay Surf Co. For more than 30 years, locals have come to this store in Clearwater to get outfitted for surfing and skimboarding. If you’ve never seen skimboarders in action, they use foam-core boards to cut out in the water or perform tricks along the shore. A 24-hour hotline (727-442-3227) reports whether the surf’s up or not.
While the area does not immediately come to mind when you think of board sports, local surf riders say that you will be surprised at the size of the waves that sometimes develop in the Gulf of Mexico.
For novices, Mandalay offers private surfing lessons that should be booked at least a week in advance, if possible. The shop houses its major sale items (up to 75 percent off) in a storefront next door to the main location for non-surfing bargain-hunters like me who appreciate fashion more than function.
3 to 6 p.m.
We drive down the street and park in front of the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill. Here, we rent a cabana for a little siesta. Depending on the tide and the time of year, broken seashells can be hard on the tender-footed, so I always make sure to put my kids in aqua sport shoes before they get out on these sands.
We take turns watching the boys body surf and bodyboard. One of us plays lifeguard while the other takes a much-needed nap.
6 p.m.
Just prior to dinner at Frenchy's Original Cafe, I pop next door to Frenchy's Off the Hook Catchables and Keepers to purchase small bags of fossilized sharks’ teeth with a card identifying the different types, as well as seashore souvenirs for friends and teachers.
Inside Frenchy’s, we put our name on the notepad behind the bar. The line moves quickly, and we’re soon poring over the menu. Critics often rate the fried Cajun grouper sandwich as the best menu item, but my top pick is the Crabby Shrimp sandwich, available only at the original location. I craved it when I left the state for college.
The kids are totally distracted while waiting for their kids-menu food. They whittle away the time playing the matching game, trying to figure out which tooth came from which shark.
The movie How to Eat Fried Worms intrigues my boys, but nothing entices them more than fried Oreos at Frenchy’s. My kids will tell you it’s the best dessert in the country.
7 p.m.
We check out Sunsets at Pier 60. Craftsmen, jugglers and musicians grace the pier during the coolest hours of the day. Since my boys never run out of steam, we let them harness up for the bungee trampoline run by Emerald Coast Bungee. They love to finish the day with a great front flip followed by a frozen lemonade from the concession stand. We nix a passionate plea for a second turn and head home.
If you follow this schedule, I can guarantee your kids will sleep at night!
Besides the Beach
If you’ve had enough of the beach, or want to expose your kids to other stellar experiences, try these family-friendly days out.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
For a close encounter with the Florida ecosystem, check out the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), whose motto is "Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release."
This hidden gem and working marine biology facility is famous for its permanent resident dolphin, Winter, who lost her tail after being caught in a crab trap. While awaiting a prosthetic replacement, she learned how to swim sideways. Her inspiring rescue, adaptation and survival story is documented on film and can be viewed at the entrance to the aquarium. You can see Winter, along with her surrogate mother and dolphin friends, up close and personal daily.
The CMA has dolphin shows, photo opportunities and programs such as “Trainer for A Day.” CMA also offers behind-the-scenes tours of its working animal hospital. This haven for rescued sea turtles, otters and other sea animals is definitely worth the trip.
Peerless Pier
The Pier on the St. Petersburg waterfront is another great place to take the kids to avoid sandy sneakers. There have been seven piers since 1889. This one is open 365 days a year, and the natural surroundings are a great place to catch a fish – or watch someone else hook a big one in Tampa Bay.
My 7-year-old and I ride the trolley from the Dolphin Parking Lot to the end of the pier, where we rent a Deuce Coupe at Wheel Fun Rentals. They rent bikes and surreys, too, but once my son saw this fancy cruiser, he made up his mind. As he learns how to steer this car-shaped bicycle-built-for-two and avoid strolling pedestrians, he says, “Mommy, this is the best day of my life!” I am sure the only thing better would be a Segway tour around the pier when he’s older. But, for now, this experience is heaven for the under-10 set.
While inside The Pier’s upside-down pyramid building, we see a candle-maker, fire-eater and face-painter, and eat some retro candy cigarettes (not so politically correct, but I give in). I feel as if we’ve entered a time warp; I ate chocolate-chip mint ice cream with my grandparents at the same pier in the 1970s. Since we are in a nostalgic mood, we browse through D.D. Collectibles, where they sell signed celebrity guitar picks, Grateful Dead and sports memorabilia. It’s quite clear, as I play tourist in my hometown, that both Clearwater and St. Petersburg are filled with kid-friendly activities. I may have traded in the tanning oil for sunscreen and the bikini for a cover-up, but I still love a good day at the beach – and beyond.
