Clearwater Beach

We visited this beach when leaving Tampa and heading back down to Miami, so we made a detour west to visit Clearwater and St. Petersburg. It is easy accessible crossing the Clearwater cswy, but after that you encounter your first problem - finding parking, specially one for a reasonable price. Prices range from 3-7 $ per hour.
Planning to stay only a couple of hours we didn't care much about it so found one.
The beach is very wide, so there's some walking to reach the sea. Sand is perfect, white powder. First, what I noticed there aren't that much trees to provide free nature shade. I don't like sunbathing and being exposed to sun, so we wanted to rent one of many chairs and umbrellas. The price of around 30$ (a day charge) was very unreasonable for our 2 hrs planned stay, so we spread our towels, took a swim in nice waters (there was some seagrass though) and shortened our visit to hour and a half.

My family was looking for a beach to visit for fall break and after reading about clearwater beach, we opted to give it a try. We loved clearwater and it is now one of our favorite beaches. The sand is white, powdered sugar, in texture and the water is fantastic. The waves aren't too big, perfect for kids that want to try body boarding without the possibility of getting slammed on the beach by a rogue wave. Their are vendors that sell cabana rentals with chairs or loungers for the day. These cabanas are around $35-$40 a day and well worth the price. Some beaches require water shoes due to rocks or coral or other things like that, Clearwater is soft sand as far as you would want to wade.

Came here four years ago and decided to come back to get away from the crazy covid-19 in Massachusetts. It was crowded but it wasn't like before covid-19. They had very limited street performers at dusk and very limited people selling their stuff on the pier prior to sunset. The sand was Clearwater soft as usual. The sunset is still awesome.

The actual soft white beach itself is beautiful but overcrowded, the sunset is always spectacular. However the businesses and City Fathers have turned paradise into a tourist trap of traffic clogged streets, price gouging restaurants & businesses that think a visitor is some one that needs the last dollar squeezed out of his pockets, There is too much traffic on the narrow streets and grossly inadequate parking. I had to park miles from the restaurant! The public beach lot is expensive &was full. There was a time when you could drive around and find a spot on the street but now no spot is free. If you park on a public street you must enter a credit card in a computer cash box. They are charging valet rates for a car left on the street! I finally found an unattended private lot that had no prices posted and was charged $50 for a lot with no security! It's cheaper to park in Manhattan. I walked around with a knot in my stomach wondering if my car would still be there. The restaurants were all overcrowded with long waits. It was hard to even find an affordable eatery that didn't rush you in and out. I chose Crabby's by default. It was overpriced and was like eating in a parking garage. A far cry from the old Crabby bills that used to be there.. You can only walk halfway out on the pier without paying a fee for the privilege of walking the rest of the way. I have a snowbird condo in the area and I used to love Clearwater but there are more beautiful beaches in the area: Caladesi and Honeymoon Island and I don't enjoy getting fleeced. I won't be back.

Clearwater is a lovely area and calm water with alot of hotels lining a nice boardwalk filled with restaurants and shops. There are lounge chairs and umbrellas to rent on the beach ($30) but it is definitely a very crowded vibe. There are a lot of day trippers which makes it a very crowded beach. Loves crabbys dockside restaurant by marina and encounters with dolphins boat tour.

Clearwater Beach is another beautiful Gulf Coast Beach. Lots of shopping and restaurants. Family friendly as well. Inflatables near the pier are perfect for kiddos. $35 for an all day pass the kids had a great time jumping, and sliding…swimming in the ocean and playing on the shaded playground. Also, sunsets on Pier 60 bring in local artisans selling some great unique items at fair prices. We truly loved it. The reason I give Clearwater 4 stars instead of 5 though is due to the amount of litter on the beach. I’ve been to Ocean City, VA Beach and Myrtle…and this is the dirtiest beach I’ve ever been to. It’s really sad. People just pack up at the end of the day and leave behind all their trash. Plastic cups, bottles, diapers, and beer cans. Unreal that people are that nasty and lazy they can’t even pick up their own trash when they go. Other than that Clearwater Beach truly is awesome and gorgeous. And a lot of fun! Clean up your trash people!

We came to Clearwater Beach to get out of the snow on a recommendation from a friend. So glad we did. The sand is powder soft, water is warm (even in March), and the beach cabanas are reasonably priced (I highly recommend renting one for the day). The beach was pretty crowded, however there was still lots of room to walk, play, and relax. Stick around for the sunsets, they are amazing!!

Be careful watch out for local homeless drunk people and all of the local bars and restaurants locals and they seem to be displeased with all of the high-end / out-of-towners who come to their town just to hang out for a few days or a week I noticed a slight attitude problem with cashier bartender and server industry. I personally am an Uber driver and have worked in many fields in my life that require me to please the crowd and try to be hospitable and apparently the people who are here are accustomed to showing their true colors. I am from Indiana and Indiana you are allowed to open carry but not in FL I think it might help the situation though.

This is a beautiful beach and there is so much to do. The beach goes on for a long time. We were at the part of the beach that was pretty close to the beach slide and the playground. There is also a restroom here. There are plenty of shops and restaurants around if you get tired (or too hot) of walking around. Pay parking located nearby.

A great play to swim, skimboard, look at shells, run or just walk on the beach. We spent a few hours at this spot and had a great time. Everyone had a chance to get out and about. You can rent little cabanas for some shade for $35 which can be helpful.

Warning though - there are aggressive seabirds wanting to snatch your food, so I would not bring snacks to this beach. One took food out of the little ones' (11 yr old) mouth. In watching others, I doubt ours was an isolated incident.

You will not come here to get away from people as there are plenty of people here (although you can have your own space). Bring some hats, towels and some water to drink and spend part of your day here.

We were in Clearwater for 3 nights and planned one full day on the beach. I delayed it because of mostly cloudy days early but unfortunately our only clear day was super windy. Be careful about the beach on a windy day. We had rented a cabana & chairs for $40 k even though it cut down some on the sand blowing into our faces, the wind must change directions frequently because we were sandblasted quite a few times. We did enjoy watching people chase their umbrellas down the beach @ the multiple attempts to keep beach huts or tents secured before they gave up. We only lasted a hour, then took off for a day in Tarpon Springs.