Resort area and a residential area on the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida characterized by white sand beaches stretching for 2.5 miles and sits on a barrier island
General Information
Open 6am to 9pm daily
How to Get There
Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway from the city of Clearwater, Florida, of which it is part.
Clearwater Beach is characterized by white sand beaches stretching for 2.5 miles (4 km) along the Gulf and sits on a barrier island. It has a full marina on the Intracoastal Waterway side and is linked on the south by a short bridge to another barrier island called Sand Key, where Sand Key Park is located.
The area offers shopping, restaurants, and activities such as parasailing, jet ski rentals, boat tours (with a common sighting of dolphins in the Gulf waters), miniature golf, fishing charters, and "pirate ship" cruises.
Clearwater has frequently been ranked one of the best beaches in the United States. Its Sandpearl resort was named one of the best beach resorts in the U.S. In January 2013, Clearwater Beach was awarded the designation of Florida's Best Beach Town by a USA Today reader poll ranking 10 Florida beach destinations. In February 2019, Clearwater Beach was named the best beach in the United States and sixth-best in the world by TripAdvisor.
Pier 60, named for State Road 60 which terminates in Clearwater Beach, is a central spot for beachgoers and has a playground, a snack bar with attached souvenir shop, and a long fishing pier. Numerous restaurants and shops can be found adjacent to the beach.
In July 2008 the long-anticipated Beach Walk project was completed, featuring a compact pedestrian zone with high-end hotels and condos. The beach is also known for its nightlife scene.
A paved bicycle trail lined by mangrove trees is available nearby which parallels the Clearwater Memorial Causeway to the city.
Just up the causeway from the Beach, in the Island Estates area, is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (home of Winter, the bottlenose dolphin featured in the movie Dolphin Tale).
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Clearwater Beach" which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
