Beaches north of Clearwater?

[jerseygirl81]

We would like to take a day trip to the beach during our trip to Disney in August. We went to a beach south of Clearwater years ago and I was wondering if there is a beach that would be convenient to drive to North of Clearwater to avoid the traffic in that area. I realize Int.4 is a pretty direct route to the beach area. Is there another way to go to another west coast beach that is more direct than going down Int. 4 and north to other beaches. I realize the east coast beaches are closer to disney but we prefer the gulf. Thanks, Linda

 

[Just2DisneyKids]

I love the Gulf Coast beaches too, we used to live in Tampa! But there really is not another Interstate quality road that will get you from Orlando to the Gulf Coast beaches. You need to get from Orlando to Tampa on I-4 and then depending on which beach you are heading to, go from there. If you are looking for a less touristy beach north of Clearwater, I highly recommend Honeymoon Island State Park. You pay $6 or $8 per car, and during the week, the beach can be practically empty. Beautiful white sand and lots of seashells!

 

[ultra63]

the best beaches are south of ie Sand Key, Treasure Island, Fort DeSoto

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You might also consider going south instead. My parents used to live in the St Pete area (Tierra Verde) and spots like St. Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille could be options.

 

[eticketride]

There are really no beaches (worth going to) north of Clearwater until you get up to the Panhandle area. Even though looking at a map would suggest you could just take 50 over to Hernando Beach, there ain't no "beach" there. There is a man made beach around that area, but it is not something you want to travel for.

I would suggest going east to Cocoa Beach instead. It's only an hour away from the Disney area and there are some nice beaches over there. Lori Wilson Park and Jetty Park would be my top recommendations for a place with showers and ample parking. If you are set on going to the Gulf coast, I would say Ft. Desoto is your best bet. It's almost all interstate except for the last 4 miles or so, and even that is not bad. If you avoid rush hours, you should be able to get from your hotel to Ft. Desoto in just under 2 hours.

 

[fla4fun]

There are a couple other ways to get to the Gulf Coast, but they would both be out of the way for you leaving from Disney. I-4 is the most direct route, and so long as you time it so you aren't hitting during morning or evening rush hour, you should be fine. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get from Disney to the edge of Tampa, and then about an hour or so to the beach from there, depending on which beach you go to.

I used to live over there, and we liked Sand Key and Fort DeSoto the best.

I understand preferring the Gulf over the Atlantic, especially if you like to swim. The waves on the Atlantic side can be a bit rough at times. Still, I go to Cocoa Beach quite a bit, and they have nice parks over there. If you time it right, you can not only enjoy the beach from Jetty Park, but watch the cruise ships going out as well since you're at the Port.

 

[pumpkin21]

You should check out Honeymoon Island State Park - fabulous beach area around Dunedin. You can also take a ferry out to Caladesi island.

 

[sunkissed4]

I agree with Honeymoon Island, we go every weekend in the summer. It's beautiful!

 

[neffernie]

I second Honeymoon Island (north) and Fort DeSoto (south). Fort Desoto will probably be easier to get to because like a PP said, it is all highway- I4 then 275. Fort Desoto also has more options. You can swim, snorkle, rent canoes and kayaks, explore the fort, or go to the protected shallows and watch crabs and stingrays swim by. I think they charge per car now. Something like $5. I remember reading they were going to start but never when or if they did.

 

[jerseygirl81]

Thanks for all the info can you tell me if those beaches on the west coast have any bathroom facilities? Thanks Linda

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I 3rd honeymoon island. It is such a nice park/beach. Clean restrooms nice showers and changing rooms. A cafe to eat at and miles of shore line to walk. With tons of shells!

here is a link to look at

http://www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland/

 

[eticketride]

I 3rd honeymoon island. It is such a nice park/beach. Clean restrooms nice showers and changing rooms. A cafe to eat at and miles of shore line to walk. With tons of shells!

here is a link to look at

http://www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland/

While I love Honeymoon Island also (and go there at least once a week), I caution you that some people are less than thrilled with the amount of rocks on Honeymoon Island. It is in a constant state of erosion/renourishment and the main beach lacks the powdery white sand that you would find on Clearwater Beach. For that matter, most of the Pinellas County beaches lack the fine sand anymore, due to beach renourishment projects. Honeymoon is pristine and isolated and devoid of condos, but sometimes the rocks (some quite large) surprise visitors. I've lived here forever, let me know if you have any specific questions about Pinellas County beaches.

Also, Honeymoon will cost you another 30 minutes or so, depending on traffic, versus Ft. Desoto. Once you cross the Courtney Campbell Causeway, you will be stop and go for about 12-15 miles or so before you get to the beach.

 

[yankeesmom21]

Honeymoon Island is gorgeous but don't go there expecting soft "panhandle" white sand. As the PP said, it is rocky. Lovely but not soft sand.

 

[2girlsmom]

Honeymoon is my family's beach of choice, it is $8 per car (up to 8 passengers), they have nice clean bathrooms and the cafe, it is generally not crowded and I have never had trouble finding parking (vs clearwater where I have ALWAYS had trouble getting a spot and usually ended up paying $20 to park). St Pete Beach is beautiful as well and has a lot of dining, etc options around it, same with Siesta Key. We live in Pasco County, so tend to not go that far south. We have at times also gone to Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. They just started charging, I think $5 per car. This is a county park/beach and does have kelp bed fairly close to shore. They say that manatees will sometimes come in to the kelp bed but we have never seen that in our experience. But I do agree that while there are a couple other ways to get to the gulf from the Disney area, none will be as efficient or easy as I4, and the north of clearwater beaches will add drive time of at least 15-30 minutes from clearwater itself.

 

[cyb]

You could try Fred Howard Park, I haven't been there in years but it used to be nice.