St. Pete / Clearwater Beach:

beach and water activities/attractions

from p.1. reasons to visit St. Pete & Clearwater Beach

Below are a sample of outings easily available within the cluster of 29 communities (with 35 miles of shoreline) that make up the peninsula southwest of Tampa where St. Petersburg is located.

Beach Walk: Turtle Nests
Imagine that, as you walk along the white-sand beach one morning, you see strange markings in the sand.

Cordoned-off turtle nest near Sand Key park.

  Now imagine that beside you is a wildlife specialist from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium who tells you all about the giant loggerhead turtle who heaved herself onto the sand the night before to lay her eggs.

The Marine Aquarium monitors 28 miles of shoreline for its Sea Turtle Nesting Program. From late April through August, each new nest is cordoned off and given a due date; near that date, volunteers sleep under the stars to help baby turtles make their way to the sea.

The Marine Aquarium offers walking tours, Sealife Safaris, customized boat outings, and other programs. You can also visit the small but interesting Aquarium, a "working" aquarium actively involved in sealife rescues. Don't miss the paintings done by dolphin Sunset Sam!

 

The Pier building -click to see pix

St. Pete Pier
Families will find fun at the St. Petersburg Pier, which juts out a mile from the mainland. Next to a funky little Feed The Pelicans shack rises a large inverted pyramid; inside is the Aquarium, shops, restaurants, etc.

 

Visit Dunedin
The quaint community of Dunedin takes pride in its Scottish heritage and  has a cute shopping area, a small museum, and good eats.  Click on the pic for more info.

Watery Outings

• Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise is sure to please young kids: with pirate props, songs and games with the costumed crew, and a water squirt-gun free-for all.

• take a sailboat trip with Dolphin Landings, pass under a huge draw-bridge, do some shelling and swimming on a barrier island, and hopefully spot dolphins along the way.