Cleanest Beaches nearby Tampa?

[Who'syourMickey]

We are going on a wish trip and our daughter wants to jet ski and see the beach. I have heard on various threads that the water in the bay by the castle (another jetski option) is full of bacteria and that some ocean water has dangerous levels of bacteria during certain times of the year. Our daughter has an eye disease and even though she wants to see the beach and we want her to, if she gets exposed to polluted water it can effect her vision, or cause an irritation. Everytime she gets an irritation or red eye it results in hours of examination at the opthomologist. Worse case the irritation could contribute to eye inflamation. We have a scuba mask for her to wear to keep water out of her eyes.

We want to go ahead with the plans for her to see the beach and jetski but want to find out the cleanest beach possible to do this. We have a 1/2 day planned at Busch Gardens Tampa, and would like to take her to a beach around there first. So far I found a jet ski place at St. Petes after hearing that Tampa bay is polluted.

Then I googled the map and looked across and wondered if a beach farther up twards the gulf of mexico would be better. Does anyone have any advise to which beaches to go to or if there are any specific ones to avoid?

 

[NotUrsula]

Much would depend on the time of year and the tide patterns. When is your trip?

In that area, bacteria is actually not the worst issue if her eyes are the weak point. The worst issue is red tide; in recent years it has been endemic through much of the central Florida west coast for several months out of the year. She would not even need to be in the water for it to cause problems; it goes airborne and can cause eye irration over a mile inland if there is a serious bloom.

 

[jenrein]

We live in Ocala and a favorite beach of ours is Clearwater. Its beautiful. The whole bacteria thing is something I am not familiar with at all. I do know of something that occurs in warmer water but only freshwater and not the saltwater. I will say I would skip Sand Key.

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Our trip is this year in 30 Days!!!! Sept 19-25

Our proposed beach day would be saturday the 22nd.

How are the crowds on a Saturday at the beach?

The plan was to leave 210 Bass rd Kissimme, Fl Give Kids the world
at 6:00-6:30

drive to a beach and jetski for about an hour at 8:30
from a rental place without reservations
the place we called said you didn't need a reservation.

see the beach for another hour or so

get fast food on the way to Tampa

Spend 1/2 a day at Busch Gardens Tampa (complementary tickets)

Drive back to Give Kids the World in Orlando


Would clearwater beach fit into this scenario nicely? Any opinion on St. Petes? I remember that any more than two or three hours on the beach is enough before you get kind of hot, so I thought the drive to Tampa would be a cool down break mid day to get to Busch Gardens.

Do either of you have an opinion on Busch Gardens vs. Animal kingdom? We would be opting out of the animal kingdom to see the beach and go to Busch Gardens Tampa. My girls are really going to miss devine because we had talked about searching for her in the walking trail, but when the choice came down to it, my daughter chose the beach and Busch Gardens over AK. But we've never been to either. Our daughter is more a fan of rides like rollercoasters and water rides and does not like shows, so I didn't think she would be missing out on the Lion king show at AK.

 

[jenrein]

I am not going to be much help...all I can tell you is that the beach is crazy packed every weekend day. You will need to park in a side lot of some hotel and walk down the street to get to the beach. The earlier you go the better. I have not yet been to Busch Gardens...we have lived here for a month and have not gone yet. I personally could skip Animal Kingdom every trip to Disney and not care- the whole animal thing is borrring to me. Traffic through Tampa is usually less than desirable so plan extra time for that. Otherwise I would look up the address to the Spyglass hotel and plan to park there- we can usually get a spot there and the walk to the beach is about 10 minutes. You cant miss the hotel coming back because there is a huge Hot Air Balloon painted on the side of the building. Other than that...have a nice time!

 

[maraki527]

Clearwater Beach and make sure you eat a Post corner pizza if you go there.

 

[Bill_Lin]

AK is an important component in our planning. There is something special between kids and "zoo" animals. I always enjoyed seeing new animals and learning about them when I was a kid. My DD just adores most animals and is really engaged when interacting with them. I guess when a person knows there own life has been seriously at risk, they tend to see living things differently.

I am hoping that we can do a short day at AK though. We really want to do the Safari and walk the African and Asian trails. Our DS15 really wants to do EE and we all want to do Dinosaur. It seems like we could do all of that fairly easily with Wish Trip GACs.

Bill

 

[Stephres]

I don't know about bacteria, but we live a half an hour from Clearwater Beach and love it. It is very clean and nice. Where we go they rent big beach umbrellas and chairs so you can escape the sun. The restaurants are also excellent. I'm sorry but I don't know much about St. Pete. We have been to Indian Rocks and it is very nice there as well, not as many places to eat though. I hope you have a terrific time!

 

[Who'syourMickey]

I am very sad about missing the AK too Bill. I am rethinking it. I thought that Busch Gardens would be the same thing since they had a safari too, but when I called them today to ask if they have a wish lounge like disney, thinking dd might be hot and need to cool off after the beach, they said no, just outdoor picnic tables with umbrellas. Somehow I found out then that the safari at Busch Gardens cost an extra $30 a person. It is an add on not included in the ticket. It looks like Busch Gardens will not replace the AK. BG doesn't have divine either, and my children are beside themselves about seeing her.

Clearwater beach sounds very nice and thank you for the pizza recommendation. A question I have is that sometimes dd's arthritis flares up when we least expect it. You mentioned a 10 minute walk to the beach at clearwater. Can this be done with a stroller? I know you can't take a stroller through sand very well and I haven't thought this part through, the part where we get her from the car to the beach if her feet hurt too much to walk. Any suggestions?

 

[NotUrsula]

The good news is that you should not have a problem with red tide next month. Here is the website for the red tide testing: http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=12373

You will also want this website, the Pinellas County water sampling report:http://esetappsdoh.doh.state.fl.us/irm00beachwater/beachresults.aspx?county=Pinellas

The problem with the requirements that you have are that you want clean water AND jet ski rentals -- generally the two are kind of mutually exclusive, as the fuel waste from a lot of watercraft will tend to pollute the water somewhat. If she really wants a jet ski experience I'd say stick with Clearwater; the more pristine natural beach parks in the area don't have the rental concessions you are looking for.

Clearwater is a powder-sand beach, and quite wide. The beach at Clearwater is a couple of hundred yards wide, and the sand is soft and deep, it is difficult for even the able-bodied to walk in sometimes. It is a public park beach, and has a few beach wheelchairs available on a FC/FS basis. However, as someone else has pointed out, it is also murder to find parking there on a weekend, unless you are a hotel guest in the area. On a Saturday in September you would probably be looking at arriving no later than 7 am to find parking and get a shot at one of those wheelchairs.

If I were you, I'd call around to the larger beach hotels and see if any of them will quote you a day rate. It isn't common to have day-rates in Clearwater, but your situation isn't common, either, so I think it is worth it to speak to a manager and try. That would get you close-in parking and the use of the hotel's beach access, and possibly sand wheelchair rental access, too. You might not actually get the use of a room to rest and change in if hotels are full, but even the parking would be worth it to me if I were in your shoes.

If for some reason you decide against BG, another really interesting place in the area is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (www.cmaquarium.org). CMA is a rescue facility that treats wounded marine life and places them on display if they cannot be re-introduced to the wild. You can get really close to the animals that are there, and the scientists are very willing to talk to kids.

Good luck, and I hope that your daughter's day is as special as she wants it to be.

 

[maraki527]

There is a verrry Nice Hilton hotel on the beach. It is a bit more expensive than some of the other ones but it is worth it.

 

[Ishy]

There is a verrry Nice Hilton hotel on the beach. It is a bit more expensive than some of the other ones but it is worth it.

The Hilton there is now the DoubleTree (I am staying there next weekend) - the weather channel has broadcast from there during florida hurricanes. The beach is wonderful and there are lots of rentals right on the beach. It is just north of St. Johns Pass boardwalk where they do Pirate cruises, shopping and lots of other rental places and fishing things to do. There are beach access parking along gulf blvd as well.

To the OP, you have a full day planned between the gulf beaches, jetski, and busch gardens! with lots of driving. You may consider driving out the night before and staying at one of the hotels - getting up early to start your day... It has been years since I was at Busch Gardens - I remember seeing the animals but I dont remember there being an extra charge. That would stink. I hope the day goes well for you, whatever you decide to do - you may have just as much fun if you were to rent watermice in the 7 seas lagoon or downtown disney. I would allow an hour travel from the beaches to BG - Have fun! I love the Gulf Beaches

 

[Who'syourMickey]

This thread has been very helpful and I thank everyone who has responded.

So far we have figured out from this thread that by going to clearwater beach it should be fairly clean yet still have jet ski's (the irony of wanting to jet ski yet want a non polluted beach is not lost on me) We usually make choices with the environment in mind.

My husband said that he would be willing to carry her to the beach if her feet hurt I also talked to my daughter and she is willing to cancel going if her feet hurt and do something else. Getting there by seven to get the beach wheelchairs would be too exausting to get up that early with the one hour and fourty seven mininute drive from Give Kids the World. Renting a hotel on the beach is not in our budget, just the jet ski, possibly lunch somewhere nicer than fast food if it had good air conditioning to rest from the heat and served all beef burgers (corn and wheat allergies). My husband thinks it would be easier to carry her than to push a wheelchair through sand.

I do want to go where we can rent beach chairs with an umbrellas to keep out of the heat.

I think we might skip Busch Gardens now and just head back to Orlando afterwards and back to the village. Then do a different day and go to the AK for animals.

Thank you all!

 

[NotUrsula]

This is the website for the City of Clearwater Parks Dept.: http://www.clearwater-fl.com/gov/depts/parksrec/index.asp

I think it might be wise to give them a call and ask about the beach wheelchairs; maybe under the circumstances they would allow you to reserve one for your daughter that morning. I suggest this because I would be worried about your husband's stamina if he had carried her two hundred yards across the sand in Florida heat/humidity -- he might be exhausted before she even got into the water. These are not ordinary wheelchairs, they have huge tires that ride over the sand and do not get bogged down.

Parking will probably be a bit easier for you than for most of us if you have a disabled permit, which I'm guessing you must. Still, it is a WIDE beach, and if your budget is tight you are going to want to pull a cooler down to the water.

 

[mom2aredhead]

The Hilton on Mandalay Ave is still the Hilton - it is right smack in front of you when you cross over the bridge into Clearwater Beach. Maybe the PP that mentioned Doubletree was thinking about a different hotel?
Anyway, when we stayed there, they had daily public parking for non-resort guests, but I cannot remember how much it was. The hotel is RIGHT ON the beach and is next to a park/pier, which also has a public parking lot. There are a few restaurants within walking distance, and there is a marna kind of diagonal across the street that may be able to help with the jet ski rental.
Their website is http://www.clearwaterbeachresort.com/
HTH - it was a beautiful hotel and great location on a beautiful beach- I know you're not planning on staying there, but it certainly doesn't hurt to call and ask what amenities can be purchased and used by non-resort guests.

 

[mom2aredhead]

"Beach Club Membership" Clearwater Florida Vacation Package
Hit the surf in full force with this exhilarating Clearwater Beach vacation package. Grab a beach chair, and lounge beneath an umbrella. Grab a drink from our Tiki Bar - the only beachside food and beverage service in the area.

Available in two- ($45), three- ($55), and four-day ($95) passes, this sunny Clearwater Florida vacation package offers an ideal getaway, including:

Daily beach chair and umbrella usage, including "sunset" rentals
10% savings on Bicycle Rentals, Water Sports Rentals, and Fun Factory activities for kids
25% savings on daily the cocktail special, offered in hotel restaurants, the cocktail lounge, and the Tiki Bar
10% savings on all dinner entrées and breakfast buffet
10% savings on sunset picnic basket dinner
$2 specialty coffee drinks at Mandalay Coffee Shop

Maybe you can talk them into a 1 day pass??

 

[Who'syourMickey]

We don't have a handicapped tag. I have been carrying her for years or using a wagon in the back of my car. We found out that to get a handicapped tag we will need to do is go to the driver's licence office and have the form filled out by her doctor. She will go months without a problem and then the arthritis can come on suddenly without warning then it can go away, and we have been fairly lucky for the last 2 months with more not arthritis days. It is in her ankles, toes, wrists, and knees, so on what we call an arthritis day, walking is painful. Even on a bad arthritis day, when she sees the beach, I imagine she's going to jump out of that wheelchair and go running through the water.

The phone number for the place with the beach wheelchairs is (727) 462-6963 They said that they do not open until 9:00 because the lifeguards do not start working until 9 am and open up. The wheelchairs aren't available until 9 am when they get there. This works into our time frame nicely. The best case scenario is she won't need to use the wheelchair and be able to walk, and we could leave it for someone more needy of it.

Great idea on the cooler. I will plan to bring one with water and snacks. We are flying in her corn and wheat free food on the plane with us in a cooler, so we will have several coolers there to use.

 

[NotUrsula]

That's great about the wheelchair timing, should you need it. My mom had arthritis severe enough to confine her to a wheelchair for the last 12 years of her life, and she really missed being able to regularly go to the beach. (Our nearby beach didn't have special chairs, and she was too fragile to carry; just being touched was really painful.)

If her doctor is willing, I'd get a disabled hangtag before your trip, for just in case. You wouldn't need to use it on days when she didn't need it, but C. Florida's heat and humidity (esp. during hurricane season) can play hell with arthritis.

 

[hbehrman]

Fort DeSoto park was named the Best beach in America a couple of years ago. When I used to go there you would be swimming with dolphins only several yards from you. I don't know whether Jet SKis are allowed though.

 

[NotUrsula]

No powercraft rental concessins at Ft. Desoto -- kayaks only. I agree that it's a gorgeous beach; the fish will tickle you when you swim.