Clearwater Florida is a beautiful place. A stretch of beautiful white sand and the most beautiful blue sea, it’s a gorgeous place for sure. To stand on the beach looking out on the Gulf of Mexico is such a sight. It’s well worth a trip and its not too far from Orlando.
It takes around 1 hour 40 minutes to get from Orlando to Clearwater Florida. It’s a relatively easy drive, just a bit of navigation to get to Tampa after that it’s pretty straight forward.
“Clearwater by name, clear water by nature”
Once you get to Clearwater there are plenty of places to park your car and these are clearly signposted. If you look out for the pier and then you’ll be pretty central. The first time we when we found ourselves parked about a mile from the pier but it wasn’t a problem and we had a gentle stroll to the more central areas.
Most people who head to Clearwater for the day do 3 things. At least that’s what we did when we were there, so I’ll tell you about those 3 things and hopefully, you’ll have a fantastic day too.
Clearwater Boat Tours to see Dolphins in the Wild
We had a boat ride on ‘Little Toots” some people prefer “SeaScreamer” I’ll leave you to imagine what each boat looks like, I don’t think you’ll be far wrong.
Little Toots is a tug boat, it creates a wave behind it that the Dolphins love to play in because the boat quite small you’re really close to the Dolphins too. Little Toots actually guarantee you’ll see Dolphins which is awesome. As a family, we like to see animals in the wild so we’re not keen on places like SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. We’d rather take the trouble to see animals in their natural environment if possible, so this boat trip is perfect for us. Hopefully, you’ll find it just as good as we did.
The boat is quite big but not very fast so you feel really safe. You leave the Marina and head out into the Gulf of Mexico. They also show you some millionaire’s homes along the coast too. It’s an awesome thing to do at Clearwater, Florida.
The price is currently around $25 for adults and $15 for Children between 4-11.
Seascreamer is a blast. It’s faster than Little Toots but they are both fun. With Seascreamer they know what the Dolphins like so they head to the right area, place a cool song (I won’t spoil it by telling you which one) and then you set off really fast and the Dolphins become the stars of the show. Great fun for all the family.
Clearwater Aquarium
This non-profit Aquarium is a great way to spend a couple of hours learning about sea animals and seeing the conservation work that goes on. Numerous forms of marine life are permanent residents at the aquarium, all of which have serious injuries that prevent their return to the wild. It’s also good to get out of the baking sun for an hour or two. You’ll drive past the Aquarium if you head towards the Pier and the beach so it’s very easy to find.
I’ll be honest I was going to read through the Wikipedia page on Clearwater Aquarium and recycle it here but the Wiki page on Clearwater Aquarium is really good so head over there to read it directly from the source. Clearwater Aquarium is well worth a visit and if you’ve seen the movie Dolphin Tale you might just recognize a very famous resident!
The prices for the Aquarium are as follows…
$21.95 Adult
$16.95 Kids (ages 3-12)
$19.95 Senior (ages 60+)
Children 2 & Under – Free!
Clearwater Florida Beach
Wow! It’s that good. It’s beautiful, it’s amazing, it’s stunning. Just go!
It’s also red hot, like unbearably hot depending on the time of year you go. So we hire a cabana and some deckchairs and set up a camp for the afternoon. Expect to pay around $50 dollars for 2 deck chairs and a Cabana. Unless you have your own I think this is a must. There isn’t much shade on the beach.
The sea is so warm, now my wife has a slight phobia of the sea, she’s seen too many episodes of Planet Earth! But there are sharks and the occasional shark attack around the coasts of Florida so be careful. However, the beaches do a really good job of letting people know when there’s something to worry about. So follow any signs you might happen to see regarding where to swim or not to swim and you’ll be fine.
2022 Update. We were in Clearwater in December 2021 and the sea was FREEZING!!!
Remember to have fun!
A final note on Clearwater Florida. The sunset over the sea is supposed to be stunning so if you can stay for that, you’ll be in for one last treat before you head back to the madness of the theme parks!
If you’ve enjoyed this article why not look at our to shopping in Orlando here.
Well, that’s it for my little guide for a day out in Clearwater. Have fun and say hi to Clearwater, Florida from me!
