Clearwater Beach, Florida: The ULTIMATE Travel Guide & MUST-KNOW Tips!

In this video, you will learn everything about Florida's beautiful Clearwater Beach. Things like how many days do you need, the best restaurants, where to stay, the top recommended attractions, and so much more. Then, later in the video, I will share with you the perfect itinerary for Clearwater Beach. Welcome to Travel Guides USA, my name is Brandon, and now let's talk about Clearwater. And the first thing you should know is when to visit. Due to Clearwater Beach's popularity, I recommend avoiding the peak season, basically spring break through summer. If you enjoy getting into the water, then here is the monthly average water temps for Clearwater Beach. Due to smaller crowds and cheaper lodging rates, October through December is a great time to visit. I also really enjoy visiting in the middle of May and late September. Money savings tip! Friday and Saturday nights are always going to be the most expensive, so I recommend if you're able to, plan your trip from Sunday through Friday. And more on that in my Clearwater itinerary later in the video. How many days do you need? Clearwater is located 30 minutes outside of Tampa, and if you have seen my top 10 things to do in Tampa Bay video, you're going to know that there are a ton of things to see and do in the Tampa area. Having one of the world's best beaches at your fingertips to go along with just about perfect weather, I really do recommend a minimum of five days. Traveling to and from. Clearwater Beach is located 20 miles from the Tampa International Airport. Getting onto the island is a bit tricky depending on the time of day due to there only being one major road that crosses the Clearwater Bay. The closest major highway is located around 25 miles from Clearwater Beach. Will kids enjoy visiting? Absolutely! Clearwater Beach offers so much for adults and the kids. That's the beautiful thing about this destination and why it's so popular. If you have kids, then they will love the beach and most of these top recommended Clearwater Beach attractions. With this being one of the country's best beach towns, you'll want to spend a lot of time at the beach. But when you're not relaxing beachside, here are some must-see attractions all located within 30 minutes from Clearwater. Coming in with a 4.2 out of 5 rating on Google is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. And this aquarium really is a special place. Because the staff goes out of their way to help rescue and rehabilitate marine animals. If you've ever seen the movie Dolphin Tale, it was actually filmed right here at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. While this is not the largest aquarium in the area, the quaint size really does give you more time at each exhibit and with the educational staff. Also, their shark exhibit is really cool. Sand Key Park, 4.7 stars. This 95-acre beach park is a great place to visit and look for wildlife. There are tons of great reasons why you're going to love spending hours here. With a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Google is Little Toot Dolphin Adventure. And one really cool thing about Clearwater is that there are so many dolphins that swim along the beaches. It really is something else. And if you want to get the best view of them, then I cannot recommend this attraction enough. Adults and kids of all ages will love it. Pier 60, featuring a 4.7 rating. Money savings tip, the pier is free to go out onto. So you can go fishing and just people watch and just take in the views. I recommend everyone visiting Clearwater to walk all the way out onto the pier and get your picture taken. The views are spectacular, especially during a sunset. The best time to experience the pier is when the sun starts to set. Calypso Queen Tropical Party Buffet Cruise, featuring a 4.4 rating. You will find great food, good times, dolphin sightings, sunsets, and alcohol. What more could you want? The daytime cruise lasts around 90 minutes or so. And the evening cruise is around two hours. Trust me, you will love this. With a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Google, you have Paddle Out Adventure. And this is the best paddleboard and kayaking excursion in Clearwater Beach. The tours are great and the captains are awesome people who really know the area. This whole experience really is top notch. Shoot Em Up Paracel, coming in with a 4.8 rating. If you have what it takes, then I cannot recommend Paracelling enough. That's because you'll get the best views of Clearwater Beach while you're 1,000 feet up into the sky. Captain Bligh's Landing, 4.4 out of 5 rating. In the mix of all the great water attractions you will find at Clearwater Beach, you can still experience a really good mini golf course that's located right in the center of all the action. This course is so much fun to play and it's very well kept. Travel Tip. To avoid the crowds, I recommend playing in the morning. Now, if you've never been to this next attraction, then I highly recommend visiting Busch Gardens Tampa, 4.5 out of 5. This is the most underrated theme park that you're going to find in Florida. You can enjoy 10 roller coasters, dozens of animal exhibits, the Serengeti Safari train ride, and some great shows. Busch Gardens Tampa is an awesome theme park offering something for everyone. The best beaches. Now, obviously Clearwater Beach is a great beach to go to and it's just under three miles long. However, if you want to venture away from the crowds and check out more of the non-touristy beaches, then I recommend the following three. Honeymoon Island, Sand Key Beach, and Fort DeSoto. And the best thing is, all these beaches are located within 30 miles of Clearwater. Now, if you are finding this video to be helpful in any way, I need a quick favor. Please take one second and give this video a like. Each like really does help the performance of the video and I really do appreciate your time. Now, let's talk about the best places to stay. And since everyone has a different budget or style of hotel, I went through every place to stay at Clearwater Beach and I came up with this very well-rounded list. Opal Sands Resort, 4.6 out of 5 rating. Located right on the southern tip of Clearwater Beach, this resort offers rooms with amazing views and a great pool area. It really is all about the location of this fantastic place. The Edge Hotel, 4.3. While unfortunately there's no beach right out in front of this hotel, it does make up for it by offering the coolest pool in the area that overlooks the gulf. But the good news is, the beach is just a short five-minute walk away, making this awesome hotel a great option for you. The Beach View Inn, Clearwater Beach, 4.1 out of 5. If you want to make this a budget-friendly trip, then you're really going to love staying here. The location is great too, since it's just steps away from the beach. Pier House 60, Clearwater Beach Marina Hotel, with a 4.4 rating. When you stay here, you will be in the middle of fun. This awesome hotel is located right across the street from Clearwater Beach. Money Savings Tip. If you book here in advance on their website, you'll get up to 20% off your stay. Also, they offer a complimentary breakfast. Nothing is better than saving money while you're enjoying a great beach vacation. Barefoot Bay Resort and Marina, 4.5. This place is just special. You'll find four types of rooms, sleeping anywhere from one to six people. Also, a heated pool, and of course, the marina. With a 4.5 rating, we have Sand Pearl Resort. Location, Location, Location. This gorgeous resort features 253 guest rooms and suites with private balconies, with some of them overlooking the beach. This beachfront resort also offers one of the best pools along the beach. Does your dog love the beach as much as you do? If so, bring them because they will love staying at this pet-friendly resort. Pelican Point Hotel and Resort, 4.3 rating. This place is great, and it's located right in the center of the action. It was just recently renovated and offers nice rooms that are very affordable. Shepherd's Beach Resort, with a 4.3 rating. Now, they claim that they are Florida's number one beachside entertainment resort, and it really is hard to deny that, because this place is so much fun and offers amazing rooms with perfect views of the sunsets and daily live entertainment. Travel tip, I always recommend checking out Vrbo or Airbnb for condos and rentals on Clearwater Beach. Money savings tip, you can always look at staying across the bay in the town of Clearwater because the island right here is Clearwater Beach, and this area here is Clearwater. And while you're not going to be walking distance from the beach, the rates will be a little bit cheaper. After all this fun in the sun, you're going to get hungry. So here are the five must-visit restaurants in Clearwater. Salty's Island Bar and Grill, 4.4. Now talk about some delicious food. Everyone will love the menu and great service that Salty's is known for. Seriously, you have to go here. With a 4.3 rating is Marina Cantina. This Mexican restaurant offers beautiful marina views while you're just sitting on the roof deck relaxing. I cannot recommend visiting this place enough. I mean, just look at how delicious this food looks. Krabby's Beachwalk Bar and Grill, 4.4 out of 5. While this is one of the most popular restaurants at Clearwater Beach, they do do a great job of getting you seated as fast as they can. From the menu, the service, and the atmosphere, to the food and the drinks, you cannot go wrong with Krabby's. Travel tip. I always recommend trying to avoid the busy dinner rush and arrive anytime before 5.30pm or after 7.30pm. With a 4.5 rating on Google is Clear Sky Beachside Cafe. And this seafood restaurant is no joke. It is that good. And they also offer live music on select day and times. There is a reason why Clear Sky was voted the best dining any time of the day for Clearwater. Travel tip. Do not skip out on eating here. Frenchie's Rockaway Grill with a 4.5 rating on Google. This is the most popular restaurant that you're going to find at Clearwater Beach, and for good reason. And if you've never been here before, I cannot recommend it enough. But here's a tip. Order their Grouper Sandwich. They are famous for it. And it might just be the best one in the entire world. Visiting Clearwater Beach on a budget. The best thing about planning a vacation to Clearwater Beach, the beach is always open and it's always free. So you can visit here and just spend your days relaxing at the beach and cool at your hotel. Now when I travel with my family to save some money, we often head to the grocery store when we arrive and grab things to make for lunch and snacks for breakfast. This way, we only spend money on eating out once a day for dinner. Now before I share with you my Clearwater Beach itinerary, here are some of my other travel guides to other must-visit spots around America. For your convenience, you'll find the links to these videos in the description of this one. The perfect Clearwater Beach itinerary. I highly recommend arriving on a Sunday and checking out on a Friday. Day 1. Arrive and get settled and walk the beach at night. Day 2 is a beach day. Enjoy that sun and soak in the fact that you are on vacation. Day 3. Explore the area and do a water attraction in the evening. Day 4. Spend a day checking out the animals at Bush Gardens Tampa and riding Iron Gwazi, the best roller coaster on the entire planet. Day 5. Beach and a pool day. Remember, it's always a good idea to relax while you're on vacation. Then Day 6. Say goodbye to Clearwater Beach but start planning for when you'll return. In this showcase video at the bottom of your screen, you will learn about the top 10 best things to do in the Tampa Bay area. I highly recommend watching it. So now that you have learned everything you need to know about Clearwater Beach, I would love to know when are you planning a trip to the area. Let me know in the comments and as always, thank you so much for watching. Remember to smile today, be adventurous and never stop traveling.