There are lots of free or almost free activities to keep your young ones, or young at heart, occupied. Here is our shortlist:
EVERYDAY
Sunsets at Pier 60 Daily Festival
Two hours before until two hours after sunset, weather permitting.
Pier 60, Clearwater Beach
Info: www.sunsetsatpier60.com
EVERY SUNDAY
Corey Avenue Sunday Market
10 a.m. at St. Pete Beach
Info: 813-481-8805
Sunday Market at Pass-a-Grille
10a.m. at Suntan Art Center,
3300 Pass-a-Grille Way, St. Pete Beach
Info: 727-367-3818
EVERY MONDAY
Monday Evening Pickup Beach Volleyball
5:30 p.m. at Archibald Park, Madeira Beach
Info: www.madbeachfun.com
727-392-0665
Yoga
9:15 a.m. at Indian Shores Municipal Center
19305 Gulf Boulevard
Info: 727-595-4020
EVERY WEDNESDAY
Madeira Beach Morning Market
9:00 a.m. On Madeira Way, between
Gulf Boulevard and 150th Ave. N.
Info: 727-278-4285
Anything Goes Art
9:00 a.m. at Treasure Island Community Center
Garden Room, 1 Park Place & 106th Ave.
$3/members, $5/non-members, Tl Art Guild
Zumba
9:00 a.m. at Indian Shores Municipal Center
19305 Gulf.Blvd.
Info: 727-595-4020
EVERY THURSDAY
Treasure Islettes’ Bingo
6:45 p.m. at Treasure Island Community Center
Info: mytreasureisland.org
EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Sunset Cinema
Movies begin at dusk. Free Admission.
Pier 60, Clearwater Beach
Info: www.sunsetsatpier60.com
EVERY SATURDAY
Pass-A-Grille Art Mart
9am-2pm
On the patio, across the street from the Hurricane restaurant.
Info: 727-367-3818, www.suntanart.org
Guided Nature Walk
Fort DeSoto
Info: (727) 582-2267,
select option # 8,
www.pinellascounty.org/park
If you’re into craft beers, Florida’s St. Pete/Clearwater Craft Beer Trail is for you. Take
an hour’s drive from Tarpon Springs south to Treasure Island and discover an array of small,
independent breweries making specialty beers sure to quench your thirst. Go on a tour and
sample beers rated as some of the best in the world by RateBeer.com, an independent
site for craft beer recognized as the most accurate source for beer information.
At Dunedin Brewery, Florida’s oldest craft brewery, try some Red Head Ale or Nitro Stout.
Brews here are handcrafted in small batches, 15 barrels at a time. Just around the corner,
visit one of the trail’s newest breweries, 7venth Sun. Sample beer sweetened with fresh fruit to
cut down on the tartness of a typical German Berliner Weisse-style beer. Beer fans are calling
it Florida Weisse!
Greg Rapp in Pinellas Park started Rapp Brewing Company 15 years ago. He explained
that the craft beer craze in Tampa Bay originated with the Cigar City Brewpub in
Tampa and spread across the region. “The home brew community is huge here,” Rapp
said. “It’s about people wanting something different other than the regular fizzy, yellow,
watery stuff that was being offered.” Rapp brews everything from lagers, ales and
stouts to Belgian and European beers. He said that people who aren’t even beer drinkers
come to his brewery. That’s what he likes about the craft beer community. “We even get wine
drinkers here who don’t like beer and we let them sample a number of beers until they find
something they like,” Rapp explained. “A lot of people don’t realize the spectrum of flavors we
can create in the craft beer community. That’s how the craft beer craze is growing.”
There are 17 breweries along the trail with new breweries opening in St. Petersburg faster
than a frosty mug. Among those, the St. Pete Brewing Company said it captures a taste of St.
Petersburg with its popular Orange Wheat and Pinellas Pale Ale.
If your taste buds have been piqued, check out Tampa Bay Beer Week, which begins the
first Saturday in March and runs for eight days (tampabaybeerweek.com). Take part in special
events and sample beers from more than 40 breweries nationwide.
Dunedin Brewery – http://www.dunedinbrewery.com
Rapp Brewing Company – http://www.rappbrewing.com/
Create unforgettable memories and new family vacation traditions that you’ll revisit for
years to come. From relaxing on its sugar sand beaches to hitting up one of the
many attractions, Florida’s dazzling St. Pete/Clearwater area on the gorgeous Gulf Coast
is the perfect destination for multigenerational travel. Toddlers, teens, octogenarians and all
ages in between are captivated by the bright blue skies, gentle breezes, plentiful amenities,
and an abundance of family-friendly activities that won’t break the bank.
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM
Home to international dolphin celebrity and movie star, Winter and her best friend Hope,
this marine life rescue center on Clearwater Beach is chock full of inspirational stories. While
Winter may take center stage, she has a strong supporting cast of dolphins, stingrays, sea turtles,
sharks, otters and others featured in a variety of exhibits throughout the aquarium.
TARPON SPRINGS SPONGE DOCKS
Get a glimpse of Greece when you visit the sponge docks in scenic Tarpon Springs. Take a
boat to watch sponge divers in action, stroll down Dodecanese Boulevard and explore dozens of
shops filled with Greek merchandise. Get a taste of the islands at one of the many authentic Greek
eateries and bakeries: January 6th marks the annual Epiphany celebration, a 100-year-plus
Tarpon Springs tradition and (all day) festivities.
FLORIDA BOTANICAL GARDENS
The Florida Botanical Gardens in nearby Largo, FL encompass 30 glorious acres of cultivated
gardens and 90 acres of natural landscapes with picnic areas, mosaics, sculptures, water features
and a children’s trail. During the evenings from November 27 to December 31, the gardens
are illuminated by 750,000 lights for a holiday spectacular. Open almost every day of the year,
admission is free!
HERITAGE VILLAGE
Just steps away from the Florida Botanical Gardens, explore Heritage Village, an open-air
historical village. This living history museum, nestled among pines and palmettos, is comprised
of 31 buildings dating back as far as the early 1900s. The village depicts life before television,
cell phones and video games and provides a glimpse of old Florida, bringing the past to life.
http://www.pinellascounty.org/Heritage
For more information on these and other attractions perfect for a clan that spans the ages,
go to http://www.visitstpeteclearwater.com
There’s just something exquisitely special about the sand on Clearwater Beach. It’s soft. It’s warm. It’s sugar white and, of course, there’s tons of it, literally. Run your toes through it once and you’re hooked; it’s soothing, magical, addictive and award-winning, making sand the ultimate reason visitors trek here from all over the world.
Nearly four miles of wide white beach, warm Gulf of Mexico waters and year-round moderate temperatures add up to perfect conditions for visitors. Choices for lodging are plentiful, from a variety of beachfront resorts with glorious views to off-beach cottages, boutique inns and intimate hotels. No worries if you have chosen an off-beach property, the public part of Clearwater Beach will suit your needs perfectly. This action-packed beach offers fun for all with a long fishing pier, kids’ playground, welcome center, refreshment stands and cabana and umbrella rentals.
Clearwater Beach celebrates its jaw-dropping sunsets each night with Sunsets at Pier 60 where artisans, craftsmen, buskers and musicians gather to provide entrainment for all against the backsplash of the setting sun.
On weekends, PG-rated movies ore offered under the stars-free admission but bring your own blanket or beach chair. For more activities, the public Clearwater Beach Marina offers dolphin watching cruises, fishing charters, dinner cruises and watercraft rentals.
A couple of miles north of the public beach lies North Beach, a more laid-back expanse of sand and shore where no commercial services are offered and parking facilities are limited. Hop the Clearwater Jolley Trolley for easy access and head there for tranquil gulf views, an aura of picturesque serenity and irresistible beauty.
Just a mile south of the public beach is county-run Sand Key Pork, a 95-acre combo nature park and beach that features hiking trails, picnic tables, a concession, a doggy pork, umbrella and cabana rentals and some of the prettiest stretches of sand and sea you can ever imagine. Open down to dusk, there is a daily parking fee of five dollars.
Clearwater Beach celebrates its grandeur each year during the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, a 10-day event with sand sculpting, music, food and games. The 2016 event will run from April 15 to 24. Visit http://www.sugarsandfestival.com for more information.
TripAdvisor just announced their choices for the BEST Beaches in the US and guess who is in the Top 10… Clearwater Beach! As a matter of fact, six out of ten best beaches in the U.S. are in Florida. Here is the list of 2015 best beaches in the United States:
1. Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida
2. St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg, Florida
3. Ka’anapali Beach, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
4. Wai’anapanapa State Park, Hana, Maui, Hawaii
5. Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Beach, Florida
6. La Jolla Cove, La Jolla, California
7. Kailua Beach Park, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
8. Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida
9. St. Augustine Beach, St. Augustine, Florida
10. Beach at Panama City, Panama City Beach, Florida
Read more on CNN’s website.