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Twenty miles southwest of Tampa, Pinellas County's
finger-like peninsula dangles into the Gulf of Mexico, offering
nearly 400 miles of shoreline and encompassing the eight resort
communities of Clearwater Beach, Dunedin, Indian Rocks Beach, Madeira
Beach, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Tarpon Springs and Treasure
Island. Families will find the soft sandy beaches provide a refreshing
break from the fast pace of nearby attractions. All Florida beach vacations boast
361 days of sunshine and an average water temperature of 75 degrees,
making nearly every day a good one for shelling, sunning, swimming,
fishing or sailing.
For all west central Florida beach vacation explorers, Bradenton and the Gulf islands of Anna Maria and Longboat Key boast 27 miles of dazzling sand beaches unmarred by high-rise condominiums or hotels. Shelling, sunbathing and swimming opportunities abound at numerous public beaches, while airboat rides offer an up-close look at the vibrant marine ecology of the Gulf islands.
Two Pinellas-area piers provide additional diversions.
Jutting out into Tampa Bay, the quarter-mile-long St. Petersburg
Pier features an inverted five-story pyramid housing a festival
marketplace of shops, numerous eating establishments, an aquarium
and large observation area. Plus, families can rent electric boats,
visit the H.M.S. Bounty exhibit in the winter months, play miniature
golf, or celebrate the end of a beautiful Gulf Coast day at Pier
60 in Clearwater Beach. Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Pier 60
offers a sunset celebration patterned after Key West's popular Mallory
Square festival, but with a decidedly family-friendly atmosphere.
Craftsmen, artists and entertainers perform nightly, two hours before
and after sunset. Stretching for 35 miles from Longboat Key
to Englewood, Sarasota County's numerous public beaches offer powdery
white sand full of shells, rock jetties with ideal fishing spots
and calm Gulf waters popular for snorkeling. During your Florida beach vacation,
you can visit South Lido Park, a 100-acre public recreational
area at the tip of Lido Key. Here, a variety of rich coastal Florida
environments including bayous, lagoons and mangrove hammocks, can
be explored along wooden walkways, nature trails and canoe trails.
Great blue heron, tiny red fiddler crabs and pink shrimp are among
the hundreds of species easily spotted throughout the park. Or visitors
can go fossil hunting on Venice Beach, dubbed the "Fossilized
Shark Tooth Capital of the World," for the sharp teeth routinely
found along its shores.
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