Clearwater Beach

The sand here is quartz washed down from the Appalachians over a very long period, ground fine and white, and it stays cool underfoot in a way darker sand does not. The beach is wide and shallow-shelving, which suits families. Pier 60 runs a sunset celebration every evening with craft stalls, buskers and street performers gathering a couple of hours before dark. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium nearby is a rescue and rehabilitation facility rather than a display collection - it became widely known for Winter, a dolphin fitted with a prosthetic tail after losing hers to a crab trap line, and the film made about her. Red tide, an algal bloom, closes the beach in some years.

What you actually see

• Fine white quartz sand - washed down from the Appalachians.
• The Pier 60 sunset market - nightly, starting before dark.
• A rescue-based aquarium - rehabilitation rather than collection.
• Shallow warm Gulf water - the reason families come.

When to go

October to May; summer is hot with afternoon storms. A full day.

Honest expectations

Parking is charged and fills early. Spring break in March changes the character considerably. Red tide blooms can close the beach with little notice. Summer afternoon thunderstorms are near-daily.

Nearby

Caladesi Island is north by ferry; Tampa is east.