Area Attractions

Clearwater Beach is ideal for sunning, swimming, socializing, playing volley ball, walking the beach or just plain relaxing. The beach is broad and has soft, white sand. The Gulf waters are generally calm and warm by comparison to the Atlantic and Pacific beaches.

A favorite for locals and visitors of all ages, Clearwater Beach welcomes the public. The area is very popular with young adults, particularly during spring break. Clearwater takes good care of its beach and clearly takes pride in this natural treasure.

Except for parking, there are no access fees to the beach. Cabanas and sun umbrellas are available for rent. Lifeguards are on duty during the main part of the day. Restrooms and beach showers are among the facilities. Use of the beach volley ball areas are open to the public at no charge. Nearby is a children’s playground and concession.

Central to the beach is Pier 60 – a well-built concrete pier that extends over a 1,000 feet into the Gulf and offers excellent strolling and viewing as well as fishing. The pier features a bait house and covered pavilions. Pier 60 also hosts a sunset festival from late afternoon until early evening with a Key West style atmosphere. Local artists offer crafts and paintings while street performers provide entertainment.

The Clearwater Beach Walk is a beautiful winding promenade between the beach on one side and restaurants, hotels and retail stores across the boulevard. The promenade is a place for pedestrians, roller bladers and bicyclists to enjoy, socialize, dine or just enjoy the beachside atmosphere.

Nearby are numerous casual restaurants, beach bars, gift and ice cream shops. Within the Clearwater Beach area are a variety of hotels, resorts and condominiums – some which offer vacation rentals.

Across from Clearwater Beach is the Clearwater Marina. The marina offers boat charters, fishing, rentals, sightseeing, dolphin-watching cruises, jet skis, sailing, parasailing and more.

Adventure Island - Tampa Bay’s only outdoor water theme park.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - An extraordinary atmosphere filled with naturalistic animal habitats and shows, hair-raising roller coasters, Rhino Rally and more, dazzling live entertainment.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium - A very unique natural attraction where one can view, touch and experience the biology and behavior of bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, river otters, sting rays, local fish, coral reefs, mangroves and more.

The Florida Aquarium - A world-class educational facility featuring nearly 5,000 aquatic plants and animals which tell the tale of water, native land and marine animals in Florida.

Florida Botanical Gardens - Specialty gardens featuring Florida plants including wildlife nesting habitat, restored wetlands and natural bridges.

Heritage Village - An open-air living history museum featuring 23 turn-of-the-century structures.

J.B. Starkey’s Flatwoods Adventures - Working cattle ranch which returns visitors to the simpler life of the “Cracker Cowboy.”Designated an important bird area by Florida Audubon Society.

Lowry Park Zoo - One of the top three zoos of its size in North America featuring more than 1,500 animals representing 350 exotic species including the manatee.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park - A showcase of the plant and animal species native to the area. Preserve featuring rescued and rehabilitated birds, reptilian, insect and fish displays, plant and energy exhibits, and nature trails through a diversity of natural Florida habitats, allowing viewing of native birds, insects, amphibians, mammals and reptiles.

Sunsets at Pier 60 - A “street” festival located on the promenade portion of Clearwater Beach’s famous fishing pier, celebrating the setting of the sun and featuring artists, craftsmen and performers with weekend musical entertainment.

Sponge Docks/Historical Downtown Main Street - Tarpon Springs: Authentic Greek heritage and community

The greater Clearwater area offers the best in art and culture. The area is enriched by and enlightened through our world-class museums. Outstanding theaters offer a wide range of performances for every age. Festivals occur practically every weekend. Experiences are available for children through many “hands on” venues. The area’s best kept secret is Pinewood Cultural Park with its living history museum, botanical gardens and art museum.

Gulf Coast Museum of Art - Features contemporary Florida art with a special focus on contemporary craft media objects from the 12 Southeastern states.

MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) - Largest science center in the Southeastern United States and home of Florida’s only IMAX DOME theater.

The Armed Forces Military Museum - The Armed Forces Military Museum depicts the nation’s most visceral conflicts with vivid audio-visual flair. Visitors can wind their way through the 35,000-square-foot space to absorb more than a dozen artifact-packed permanent exhibits including replicas of iconic wartime scenarios.

Dunedin Fine Art Center/ David L. Mason Children’s Art Museum - Only children’s art museum on the West Coast of Florida and one of three in Florida with award-winning exhibitions featuring Floridian art.

Dunedin Historical Museum - The original station for the Orange Belt Railroad System dating to 1889, houses history of Dunedin and Pinellas County.

Florida Holocaust Memorial Museum and Educational Center - Third largest of its kind in U.S. featuring art, photography and documentary exhibits from around the world.

Florida International Museum - A Smithsonian Institute Affiliate with a permanent collection of early 1960s popular culture with a focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis and a Kennedy collection. New wing houses Smithsonian artifacts. Special exhibition slated from February to May will feature 250 superlative pieces from the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg with artifacts spanning over 800 years of Russian history.

Gulf Coast Museum of Art - A diverse exhibition schedule representing all periods and styles, particularly contemporary Florida art and southeastern fine crafts, a student exhibition gallery, lectures, seminars, film programs and a comprehensive studio teaching program for adults and children.

Great Explorations - Hands On Children’s Museum – Stretch mental muscles, test wits, fire up the imagination with exhibits in the arts, sciences, technology and health, all designed to be touched, moved, explored at the ‘Children’s Hands On’ museum popular with all ages.

Heritage Village - A 21-acre, turn-of-the-century Pinellas County village. Attractions include restored houses of local pioneers, the Lowe Barn, an old railroad depot, and some 10 other historical structures. The Pinellas Historical Museum traces the county’s history from the Spanish-Indian period to contemporary times.

Leppa-Rattner Museum of Art - Extensive collection of art mediums by Abraham Rattner, noted figurative expressionist artist, and Allen Leepa, renowned abstractionist, plus works by other expressionist artists of the period.

Medieval Brass Rubbing Center and Museum - Features a permanent collection of over 150 commemorative brass facsimiles.

Museum of Fine Arts - Only comprehensive art collection from antiquity to present day on Florida’s West Coast. Collection of 4,000 objects includes works by Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and Rodin.

St. Petersburg Museum of History - With a rotating gallery, features the history of commercial aviation in Florida with a replica of the Benoit and a timeline exhibit depicting the development of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.

Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History - Features artifacts of our regional area from prehistoric times to Aboriginal Indians and pioneers, with four educational exhibits a year.

Salvador Dali Museum - Features the world’s most comprehensive collection of Dali’s work. Collection includes 94 oils, 200 watercolors and drawings and 1000 graphics, sculptures and objets d’art.

Science Center of Pinellas County, Inc. - A hands-on teaching museum with interactive exhibits exploring physics, archaeology and inventions, the Carol Samuels Observatory and a 16th century Floridian Indian Village featuring the mounds and temples of both a Chief and a Shaman, a Village Cook’s hut, an Indian garden and a realistic archaeological excavation of an Indian midden.

Tarpon Springs Cultural Center - Promotes and preserves the city’s Greek heritage, culture and natural resources.

Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum - Contains history and ecology exhibits and information, particularly how the marine and natural environments shaped the city’s development, the local people and the sponging industry.

Ybor City State Museum - Features exhibits detailing the founding of Ybor City and the development of the cigar trade. Ybor City National Historic Landmark District One of only three historical landmark districts in the state, a cultural and historical community offering shopping, art galleries, fine and casual dining, micro-brewery, a restored cigar factory, museums and walking tours.

Royalty Theater - Totally restored to its original 1920s glory, this community theater features all types of entertainment.

Ruth Eckerd Hall - Ruth Eckerd Hall is recognized as one of the best acoustic facilities in the state of Florida. The building is a Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation design and features international, world-class artists from Broadway to classical music, pop stars to comedy, and modern and classical dance.

Francis Wilson Playhouse - In its 69th season, this community theater offers musicals, comedies, dramas and mysteries at affordable prices from September through June. The Playhouse offers summer acting programs for children and adults.

Bill Irle Early Bird Dinner Theater - Musicals and dramas are presented with earlier than customary show times throughout the year.

American Stage Company - Intimate setting for contemporary and classic productions. November through June. Produces Shakespeare in the Park.

Mahaffey Theater - A multi-entertainment facility hosting concerts, broadway shows, the performing arts, circuses, and ice shows in both the arena and recently renovated theater.

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center - Largest performing arts center in Southeastern United States, with three theaters providing the entire range of theatrical performances.

• Tampa International Airport
• St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport