"Clearwater, FL" Clearwater by our2jbboys

After spending a week in Orlando and enduring the stress of Disney we decided to take a day trip over to Clearwater. As we drove over the bridge into Clearwater my first impression was WOW! What a beautiful place. The water all around was a brilliant blue, the sky was clear and bright and palm trees where everywhere. Gulf Blvd. was lined with beautiful clay tiled roof homes and every lawn seemed to be perfectly manicured.
Our destination was Sand Key Park, a county park located at the north end of Sand Key. When we arrived there was only about ten – fifteen people on the beach and it remained that way for our entire day.
The park is somewhat secluded and made for the perfect place to unwind. If you enjoy shell hunting then you will not be let down at this park. We found many different shells of varying sizes and had our best luck at the very north end near the barrier wall. More could be found just out of reach in the calm surf but we had to leave them for another day – the February water was too cold for wading that far out.
The amenities here are very nice. A well kept bath house and restrooms are provided at the entrance to the beach as well as outdoor showers for a quick rinse after swimming. Garbage cans are conveniently provided throughout the park, including on the beach. Picnic areas are provided with exceptional views and make for great family time. The parking is by meter and costs about a dollar an hour and a bill changer is located at the parking lot entrance that dispenses dollar coins for the meters.
We enjoyed our stay so much we are already planning our next trip.

I sat on the beach watching the kids play and listening to the sounds of the sea for several hours and then decided to go for a walk. I spent about an hour walking the beach and trails and was delighted by the scenery. This is a very beautiful place to visit and deserves to be explored and appreciated.

Once you are on the beach, as you look around you will notice in many ways how this park has removed itself from the surrounding development. Although condos/high rises can be seen from the park, they are well into the distance and, amazingly enough, don't detract from the natural beauty. In fact, some of the areas of the park that I explored made me think of how the first explorers to this area would have seen it.

• Pros:Beautiful and relaxing.
• Cons:A lot of development geared to the vacation/tourist market.