1. You Can Practically Step Out Your Front Door And Into The Ocean
It's impossible to be far from the ocean in Florida, but you can't get closer than Clearwater. This city of around 110,000 residents sits right on the state's Gulf Coast, offering beautiful beaches and a lifestyle revolving around immediate proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.
2. All Other Beach Towns Bow Before Clearwater
In a state with multiple world-famous beaches, being named “Top Beach Town in Florida” comes with serious bragging rights. In 2013, “USA Today” readers picked Clearwater Beach as No. 1 with a decisive margin—more than a quarter of 30,000 votes covering a list of 10 nominees. The romantic in you should know Clearwater Beach also won “USA Today's” Reader's Choice Award for “Best Place to Watch a Sunset.”
3. Cleveland (District) Rocks!
Clearwater isn't only sand and sea; two miles away, there's a downtown core centered around the Cleveland Street District. The site of major redevelopment, beautification and other investment in recent years, downtown is booming. It's a pedestrian-friendly mix of residential, professional, dining, retail, and entertainment spaces.
4. Clearwater Is So Classy Even Our Dolphins Are Celebs
Winter, the tailless dolphin made famous by the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale, lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This nonprofit attraction is dedicated to “leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation, and release.” Interact with animals, go on a kayak adventure or Eco-Boat Tour, become a trainer for a day, enroll your kid in summer camp and enjoy everything else the place has to offer.
5. It’s Where The Phillies Come From
The Philadelphia Phillies hold spring training at Bright House Field, a stadium built in 2004. It's also home to the Phillies' minor league affiliate team, the Clearwater Threshers. Additionally, the stadium hosted The Big East Conference Baseball Tournament seven of the nine years from 2006 to 2014. And, if you need more baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays are right down the road.
6. Hey Cool Cat—If You Love Jazz, You’ll Love Clearwater
Since the beginning of the 1980s, Clearwater has hosted the Annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday. Catch a mix of local jazz artists and national and international stars during this multi-day series of outdoor concerts. Along with the exciting music, enjoy the gorgeous weather of Florida's west coast in October and chow down on offerings from beloved local food vendors.
7. Stroll (Or Jog, Bike, Rollerblade Or Skateboard) Down Beach Walk
Instead of just another boardwalk, the city spent years and tens of millions of dollars developing Beach Walk. This winding walkway runs right along Clearwater Beach, lined with gorgeous landscaping, public art, hotels, eateries, retail shops, entertainment venues and more.
8. Demand An Encore In The Performing Art Center
The main performing arts center offers a variety of shows for all ages and tastes. Between three primary venues—Ruth Eckerd Hall, the historic Capitol Theater and The Murray Studio Theater—you can catch Broadway and Off-Broadway plays and musicals, operas, dance performances, film screenings, comedy shows, and concerts of all types, including pop, rock, classical, jazz, blues, countr,y and world music.
9. Commune With Nature At Clearwater’s Many Parks
For outdoor experiences beyond the beach, Clearwater has enough park grounds to keep you exploring for a long time.
Moccasin Lake Nature Park offers 51 acres of six separate ecosystems. Bayview Park is considerably smaller, but has nature trails, picnic areas, a butterfly garden, an environmental education center and more. The Pinellas Trail, which runs from Tarpon Springs down to St. Petersburg, passes through town, too.
But it’s behind the main library downtown where you’ll find one of the city's crown jewels, the 20-acre Coachman Park. Meander down a quaint brick walkway, take in the waterfront views and impressive landscaping and catch as many of the diverse, enriching open-air festivals, concerts and other events as you can over the course of the year.
10. It's All Happening At The Pier
Sunsets at Pier 60 began as a festival, but it's evolved into the nightly epicenter of beach life in Clearwater for people of all ages. Evenings at Pier 60 include musical performances, outdoor movie screenings, street performers, arts and crafts vendors, and other fun—with no admission costs.
11. It’s A Great Place To Grow Old
OK, so it isn't exactly crazy-talk to associate Florida with retirement. “Money” magazine, “Forbes,” CNN Money and other financial outlets consistently single out Clearwater as one of the best places to retire in the U.S. Affordable housing prices, a relatively low cost of living, emphasis on arts and culture and the many and varied amenities and recreational opportunities in the city are key factors.
12. Catch Nemo And All His Delicious Friends
Clearwater's marinas are your base for world-class Gulf and deep-sea fishing. The surrounding waters support an incredible variety of sea life, making the city a major destination for fishing enthusiasts from around the globe. Whether you own your own boat, want to rent one, or prefer chartering a guided trip, whatever you need is on hand.
13. Hit The Waters For A High-Speed Adventure...
The Intracoastal waterway and Gulf waters aren't just for fishing, they're also an idyllic setting for boaters. Whether you want hit the water for a high-speed adventure on a jet ski or speedboat or you'd rather take it easy with a breeze in your sails to watch leaping schools of dolphins, you can't beat Clearwater as a launching point.
14. Or Slip Below The Surface To Experience A Whole New World
Head out into the Gulf for an unforgettable scuba diving experience. Explore one of the country's biggest artificial reef habitats and get up close and personal with an amazing array of sea creatures, including countless fish species, sea turtles, rays, dolphins, and maybe even some whale sharks.
15. Clearwater's Home To The World's Largest Speedboat
At 72 feet long, the Sea Screamer is the biggest speedboat anywhere. With dual twin-turbocharged diesel engines, this impressive watercraft gets up to 35 miles per hour. It creates a wake dolphins love to play in, so expect close views. It's also a thrilling way to experience beautiful sunsets and see historic sites and celebrity mansions along the waterfront.
16. Stuff Your Face With The Freshest Seafood You’ve Ever Tasted
All the prime fishing means that super fresh seafood is available everywhere in Clearwater. Favorite local restaurants like Caretta on the Gulf, the various Frenchy's locations, Rumba Island Bar and Grill, Island Way Grill, Keegan's Seafood Grille, and Guppy's on the Beach easily win over regulars. Make sure to sample some grouper sandwiches—they're a local specialty, as are stone crabs. When you want fresh seafood for home, head over to Ward's Seafood Market.
17. Make Your Way Down The Dolphin Trail
The city celebrates its dolphin-watching industry with a public arts program known as Dolphin Trail. Local artists are commissioned to contribute 6-foot tall fiberglass dolphin sculptures, and there are already well over 100 on display. They're mostly congregated in Clearwater Beach and downtown, but some are scattered in other locations around the city and neighboring towns.
18. There Are Courses (And Mini-Courses), Of Course
There are lots of famous golf courses in Florida, and Clearwater lays claim to a number of stunning public and private courses like the Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club. Find the perfect one for your skill level and enjoy ideal golfing weather year-round. The area also has a number of miniature golf courses for family fun, like Congo River Golf.
19. If You're Yearnin' For Learnin'
Along with many highly rated public schools, there are dozens of private schools to choose from. The city is also home to St. Petersburg College, the Pinellas Technical Education Center-Clearwater, Clearwater Christian College, the National Aviation Academy A & P School and other higher education establishments. Plenty of other options are less than 20 miles away, like the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg, the University of Tampa, the University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College.
20. Combine Your Love Of Seafood With Your Love of Blues
The annual Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival indulges your passion for feasting on fresh seafood and bobbing your head to the blues. Hear national and local blues acts over the course of a weekend, and don't miss the event's kickoff, the Blues Walk. It's a restaurant crawl down Cleveland Street, with area restaurants serving up tasty seafood and blues music to set the mood for the festival.
21. Cruise Through Life
Clearwater is the base of operations for several cruises. For example, immerse yourself in fantasy fun on Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise, or sightsee along the Intracoastal Waterway with tropical flair on one of the Calypso Queen cruises.
22. Shop Here, Shop There, Shop Everywhere
Stroll the Cleveland Street District and investigate the unique shops and boutiques populating downtown. When you're beachside, peruse the surf shops and numerous other stores, especially along Beach Walk. The Westfield Countryside Mall and The Clearwater Mall offer lots of shopping, dining and entertainment options, too.
23. Have A Blast At Celebration Station
When the kids are due for an exciting, fun-filled day, take them to Celebration Station entertainment complex; the mini-golf course is just the tip of the iceberg. With batting cages, bumper boats, go-karts, a laser tag facility, an arcade, and carnival rides, there's plenty for everyone to do.
Feature Image Source: Source: Flickr user Lindsey Turner
