Clearwater Beach - Florida - Orlando / Florida Guide
Florida Guide > Days Out
When visiting Florida no trip would be complete without taking a trip over to Clearwater Beach. Located around 1 ½ hours from Orlando, Clearwater Beach is one of the nicest beaches in the whole of Florida with white coloured sand and excellent weather. The beach really is a sunbather’s paradise!
Getting to Clearwater is in itself a great experience having to drive along a freeway in the middle of a causeway. These roads have many places to stop off if you are a keen photographer.
Obviously the main reason for wanting to go the Clearwater is the great World class beach and excellent fish restaurants. If you are after fresh fish you have come to the right place with many caught the same day. During the peak periods the beach can get very busy, so it is always advisable to get there as early. Parking is located along the beach in designated places, again these do fill up quickly. Each parking area has a machine and allows you to pay by the hour, with many offering a discount for longer stays. If staying in one of the many hotels along the coast these also offer parking, however this is normally extra on top of your room rate.
Once on the beach you can either use the sun loungers that are there or one of the parasols. These are policed by people on the beach and can be hired out for either a half day or full day. We paid around $25 to hire 3 chairs and a parasol for the day. Alternatively you can bring your own.
What a lot of people don’t realise when they visit Clearwater Beach is just how hot the sand can get. We went in Sept and could not walk on it without wearing sandals. Even though the sand is white it can get very hot in the summer months. In winter the area is normally a little warmer than in land due to the warm breezes off the Gulf of Mexico.
If you like a little adventure you can go on a glass bottom boat ride, or take out one of the many speedboat rides in one of the harbours. If you are even more adventurous you can even hire a jet bike. This is well recommended and costs around $50 – 60 per hour, but does allow you to explore a lot of the coastline. Depending on the time of year some of the boat rides offer Dolphin watching as some can be found not too far off the coast.
If you have the time and can stay until late into the evening (and the weather is good) you can experience some of the best sunsets on the west coast of Florida.
If you have never been to Clearwater it is well worth the drive and you won’t be disappointed when you get there. If you are looking for a day away from the parks where you can re-charge your batteries look no further.
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