Clearwater Beach is a barrier island off the city of Clearwater, and almost everything worth doing on it costs nothing. You get wide white sand, shallow water, a free sunset festival every night and dolphins in the channel. The money goes on parking, boats and the aquarium, and a little planning decides how much. This list of Clearwater Beach things to do sticks to the island itself and the water around it, ranks the options honestly, and gives the cost, the timing and the catch for each, checked in September and October 2026.
A note on names, because it matters for bookings. Clearwater is a city on the mainland; Clearwater Beach is the island two miles west of it across the Intracoastal Waterway, reached by the Memorial Causeway. This page is about the island. For the city, its downtown, spring training and the wider picture, see our guide to the best things to do in Clearwater.
The short answer
In rough order of how much they are worth your time:
- The beach itself — free, wide, shallow and gently sloping, with lifeguards on the main stretch during posted hours.
- Sunsets at Pier 60 — a free festival of craft vendors and street performers every evening, weather permitting, around sundown.
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium — $41.95 for adults, free on your birthday, and the island’s best answer to rain or midday heat.
- A boat trip from the marina — dolphin-watching, pirate cruises, a speedboat ride or a sunset sail, all leaving from the foot of the causeway.
- Pier 60 itself — a 1,080-foot fishing pier, listed at $1 to walk out to the fishing area and $8 a day to fish.
- Sand Key Park — the quieter county beach just south across Clearwater Pass, $6 a day to park.
- Watersports — parasailing, jet skis and paddleboards, with prices that need reading carefully.
- The island’s north end — the calmer, more residential stretch along Mandalay Avenue, for anyone who wants the sand without the crowd.
What things cost on the island
Operators’ published prices where they publish them, checked between 19 September and 1 October 2026. Where a figure comes from a listing rather than the operator, the table says so.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The beach, Beach Walk, Sunsets at Pier 60 | Free | Parking is the real cost |
| City beach parking lots | $3.50 an hour | Generally 6am–11pm, paid by ParkMobile zone |
| Clearwater Marine Aquarium | $41.95 adult, $32.95 child 3–11, $39.95 senior 65+ | Under 3 free; free on your birthday with proof; 20% off military and K-12 teachers |
| Pier 60, walk to the fishing area | $1 per person | As listed in FWC’s Tampa Bay boating guide; confirm at the pier |
| Pier 60, fishing | $8 per person per day | Same listing; bait and rod rental at the end |
| Sand Key Park | $6 a day to park | Pinellas County park |
| Clearwater Ferry, downtown to the beach | $5 adult, $2.50 child | Fares as announced when the expanded service launched in January 2025 |
| Jolley Trolley | Listed at $2 a ride | From the tourism office’s listing; confirm before you rely on it |
| Boat tours and watersports | Varies widely | See the boat section before you book online |
1. The beach itself
The beach is the attraction, and it earns its reputation. The sand is fine and pale, the water is clear and warm for most of the year, and the slope into the Gulf is gentle enough that small children can paddle a long way out without the water getting deep. Lifeguards cover the main stretch during posted hours, and Pier 60 Park behind the pier has a covered playground, which matters a great deal in the summer.
North end or south end
The island has two characters. The south end, around Pier 60 and the Beach Walk promenade, is where the crowds, the big hotels, the sunset festival and most of the restaurants are. It is lively, convenient and busy. The north end, along Mandalay Avenue, is calmer and more residential, with smaller city lots at Mandalay Avenue, Rockaway Street, Avalon Street and McKay Park. If you want to swim and read rather than people-watch, head north. If you want everything within walking distance, stay south.
Reading the flags
Florida uses one statewide system of beach warning flags, so the colors mean the same thing at every beach in the state:
- Green: calm conditions, though ordinary care still applies.
- Yellow: some rip-current activity expected; go in with care.
- Red: dangerous rip currents expected; stay out of the water.
- Double red: the water is closed, and going in can mean a fine or arrest.
- Purple: dangerous marine life present, flown alongside a condition flag.
No flag flying does not mean the water is safe. It usually means nobody is on duty. Rip currents are the leading cause of beach rescues in Florida, even on beaches as gentle as this one. Red tide is the other condition worth checking before you drive out, and our guide to the beaches near Tampa explains where to look.
Shade and heat
There is almost no natural shade on the beach, and the sand is bright. Bring an umbrella or rent one, plan the middle of the day around the aquarium or lunch indoors, and come back for the late afternoon and evening, which is when the beach is at its best anyway.
2. Sunsets at Pier 60
Every evening, weather permitting, the area around Pier 60 turns into a small street festival. Craft and art vendors set up along the approach, street performers work the crowd, and the whole crowd turns west together at the right moment. It runs for a couple of hours either side of sundown, it has been going for decades, and it costs nothing. It is the single best thing to do on Clearwater Beach, and it is the reason to stay into the evening even if you drove out for the day.
Three practical points:
- Check the sunset time for your date. It moves by nearly two hours across the year, from around 5:40pm in early December to around 8:30pm in late June.
- Park early or park in a garage. The Pier 60 lot at 160 South Gulfview Boulevard has 141 spaces, which on a fine evening in season is nowhere near enough. Arrive an hour before sunset, or use one of the island’s public garages and walk.
- Bring cash and a card. Vendors vary in what they accept.
3. Clearwater Marine Aquarium
The aquarium is just off the island on Island Estates, reached from the Memorial Causeway, and it is a working marine rescue, rehabilitation and release center first and an attraction second. All its net proceeds fund that work. Adult admission is $41.95, children aged 3 to 11 are $32.95, seniors are $39.95, and children 2 and under are free. Seasonal rates may apply.
Its value depends on two things most visitors don’t know:
- Your birthday gets you in free, with proof of date of birth, redeemed at the ticket desk on site. Our Clearwater guide covers this and the membership arithmetic in full.
- Winter, the dolphin from Dolphin Tale, died in November 2021. The aquarium still tells her story and still rescues animals, but if meeting Winter is your reason for going, know that before you buy.
Timing is the other lever. The aquarium is the island’s best escape from midday heat and from summer storms, so the smart sequence is beach in the morning, aquarium over the hottest hours, and back to the sand for the evening. Ticketing is on the third level.
4. A boat trip from the marina
The Clearwater Beach Marina, at 25 Causeway Boulevard at the foot of the bridge onto the island, is where most of the island’s boats leave from. The main options:
- Dolphin-watching cruises. Bottlenose dolphins live in these waters, so sightings are common rather than lucky. The responsible operators keep their distance and never chase or feed the animals, and it is fair to ask before you book.
- Speedboat rides. The Sea Screamer, a large high-speed tour boat, combines a fast run with dolphin-watching.
- Pirate cruises, Captain Memo’s being the best-known, aimed squarely at families: costumes, water pistols and a soundtrack.
- Sunset sails, which give you the same sunset as the beach from the water, usually with a drink.
- Fishing charters, inshore and offshore.
Two money points before you book
Watch out for packages from Orlando. Many online listings for these boats are bundled with a coach transfer from Orlando and a day at the beach, at package prices well over $100 a head. If you are already in Tampa Bay, book the boat on its own, through the operator or at the marina, and compare.
Use the marina lot’s validation. The city’s Municipal Marina lot at 25 Causeway Boulevard has 346 spaces and a two-hour limit. A code from a boat tour or a marina restaurant drops the rate to $1 an hour and adds two hours, which makes it by far the cheapest place to park for a boat trip. Ask for the code when you check in.
We have not priced or tested individual operators for this guide, and prices change by season and by sailing. The marina is the place to compare them side by side. Our guide to water activities in Tampa Bay covers boating and fishing across the region.
5. Pier 60: walking out and fishing
The festival is free, but Pier 60 itself is a municipal fishing pier, 1,080 feet long, with a bait shop and rod rental at the end. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in its Tampa Bay boating guide, lists the first part of the pier as open to everyone, $1 a person to walk out to the fishing area and $8 a person a day to fish. The same listing gives the hours as 6am to 9:30pm Sunday to Thursday and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday from October to March, and 24 hours a day from April to September. Confirm both at the pier, because the listing is not dated.
For a visitor, the dollar to walk out is good value: it gets you above the water, away from the crowd, and level with the pelicans. For anglers, the fee comes with a fishing-license question worth asking. The state exempts anyone fishing from a pier that holds its own valid saltwater pier license. Ask at the bait house whether Pier 60’s license covers you, because if it does, you don’t need to buy a non-resident license ($17 for three days) just for the pier.
6. Sand Key Park, across the pass
Sand Key Park sits immediately south of Clearwater Beach across Clearwater Pass. It is a Pinellas County park, $6 a day to park, with a wide beach, shaded picnic areas, restrooms and showers, and a fraction of the crowd. For a family that wants a long beach day rather than the festival, it is often the better choice. You can still drive back across the pass for the sunset at Pier 60.
7. Watersports
Parasailing, jet skis, paddleboards and kayaks are available along the beach and at the marina, and they are the part of a Clearwater Beach budget most likely to go wrong. Three rules:
- Ask what the quoted price includes. Fuel, taxes, photos and “observer” fees are often extra.
- Check the boater ID rule before you rent anything with an engine. Florida requires anyone born on or after 1 January 1988 to carry a Boating Safety Education ID Card to operate a boat, and a course certificate can serve as a temporary substitute. Ask the rental company how that applies to their craft and what they provide.
- Respect the flags. A red flag on the beach applies to you on a paddleboard too.
Clearwater Beach with children
Most of what makes Clearwater Beach good for families is free: shallow, gently sloping water, lifeguards on the main stretch during posted hours, the covered playground in Pier 60 Park, and buskers at the sunset festival every evening. The paid extras are where a family budget either holds or doesn’t, so here is the arithmetic.
- The aquarium for a family of four (two adults, two children aged 3 to 11) costs $41.95 × 2 + $32.95 × 2 = $149.80 at the published rates. A child under 3 is free, and so is anyone with a birthday that day. If the family will go twice in a year, the $239 Family Marine Explorer membership, which covers four named members plus two guest tickets, is worth pricing against two visits.
- Parking for a full day in a city lot at $3.50 an hour adds up to $28 for eight hours, so a garage with a daily maximum, or a base at Sand Key for $6, is often cheaper for a family that stays all day.
- A pirate cruise is the boat trip children ask for. Book it directly rather than as part of an Orlando package, and park at the marina with the validation code.
The timing that works with small children is the same as for everyone, only more so: beach early, the aquarium or a long lunch through the heat, and back out for the sunset. Our guide to Tampa with kids fits Clearwater Beach into a wider family trip.
Other places to watch the sunset
Pier 60 is the social sunset, but it isn’t the only one on the island, and on a crowded evening the alternatives are better for watching the sun go down:
- The north end of the beach, off Mandalay Avenue, has the same horizon with a fraction of the people. Park in one of the small north-end lots and walk straight onto the sand.
- Sand Key Park, across Clearwater Pass, faces the same way and is far quieter, though it is a county park, so check its closing time before you settle in.
- From the water. A sunset sail from the marina puts you offshore as the light goes, with the beach and the pier behind you.
Whichever you choose, the moment the sun touches the water is not the end of the show. The fifteen or twenty minutes after sunset are often the most colorful, so stay put while the crowd heads for the car park.
What a day costs: three versions
Using the published prices on this page, and leaving out food, which depends entirely on you:
| Day | What it includes | Fixed costs for two adults |
|---|---|---|
| The free day | Beach, Beach Walk, Sunsets at Pier 60 | Parking only: about $14 for four hours in a city lot |
| The classic day | Beach, the aquarium, Pier 60 walk-out, sunset festival | $85.90 plus parking: $83.90 for the aquarium and $2 for the pier walk-out |
| The quiet day | Sand Key Park all day, Pier 60 for sunset | $6 at Sand Key, plus an hour or two in a lot at Pier 60 |
A boat trip adds the operator’s fare on top of any of these. The cheapest good day on Clearwater Beach costs a few dollars of parking. The expensive versions are expensive because of what you add, not because of the island.
North of the island: Caladesi and Honeymoon
Two of the best beaches in the region lie just north of Clearwater Beach, in Dunedin, and they are a separate outing rather than part of a Clearwater Beach day:
- Honeymoon Island State Park, at the end of the Dunedin Causeway: $8 per vehicle, open 8am to sunset every day, with more than four miles of beach and a three-mile trail through old slash pine forest. Heed one warning: since April 2024, erosion has cut the northernmost mile of its sandspit off from the main island, leaving deep water and strong currents in the gap. The park says not to go into or through the water there.
- Caladesi Island State Park, reached only by boat, with the ferry leaving from Honeymoon Island. It reopened for day use and ferry service on 29 June 2026 after damage from Hurricane Helene. There is no power or water on the docks, and food service may be limited, so bring what you need.
Our beaches guide compares both with the rest of the coast.
Getting around without the car
Once you are on the island, walking works. The south-end beach, the Beach Walk promenade, Pier 60, the marina and the restaurant strip are within a comfortable stretch of each other. For anything further:
- The Jolley Trolley runs beach and coastal routes seven days a week, about every 30 minutes, linking the north and south ends of Clearwater Beach with Sand Key and Island Estates, and with downtown Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. The tourism office lists the fare at $2 a ride; check the current fare and season before you rely on it.
- The Clearwater Ferry links the marina at Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater with the Clearwater Beach Marina. When the expanded service launched in January 2025, with support from the county transit agency PSTA, boats left every 30 minutes from Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 8:30pm, at $5 for adults, $2.50 for children and free for 8 and under. Check the current timetable. If it is running, it is the most pleasant way onto the island, and it bypasses the causeway traffic entirely.
The causeway is the island’s bottleneck. It is the only road connection from downtown Clearwater, and on a weekend afternoon in season it backs up in both directions. Arrive early, leave late, or come by water.
Parking on the island
The city’s beach lots charge $3.50 an hour, generally from 6am to 11pm, paid through ParkMobile using each lot’s zone number. They are small, and several hold fewer than 30 cars:
| Lot | Address | Spaces | ParkMobile zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Marina | 25 Causeway Blvd | 346 | 9413 (2-hour limit; validation available) |
| Pier 60 | 160 S. Gulfview Blvd | 141 | 9414 |
| 4 Rockaway St | 4 Rockaway St | 146 | 9419 |
| Beach Rec Center & Library | 51 Bay Esplanade | 72 | 9421 (opens 12:30pm Sundays) |
| 420 S. Gulfview | 420 S. Gulfview Blvd | 65 | 9415 |
| Avalon–Kendall | 6 Avalon St | 53 | 9420 |
| 461 Mandalay | 461 Mandalay Ave | 25 | 9418 |
| 429 Mandalay | 429 Mandalay Ave | 22 | 9417 |
| Gateway | 390/1 East Shore Dr | 20 | 9423 |
| McKay Park | 605 Mandalay Ave | 17 | 9422 |
On a busy day the surface lots fill early, and the public garages are the reliable option. Our Clearwater guide covers the full parking picture, including street meters.
Events on the beach
- Sunsets at Pier 60, every evening, weather permitting.
- The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, a sand-sculpture exhibition under a large tent on the beach each spring. The 2026 edition ran from 27 March to 12 April; check the 2027 dates nearer the time.
- Spring training on the mainland: the Philadelphia Phillies train in Clearwater each February and March, a short drive off the island.
One correction worth making, because it appears in plenty of listings: “Sanding Ovations”, the sand-sculpting competition, is held at Treasure Island further south, not at Pier 60.
When to go
- Time of day: before about 10am for easy parking and a quiet beach, or late afternoon into the sunset. The middle of the day in season combines the most heat with the most people.
- Time of year: October to May is the comfortable stretch, and November is the region’s driest month. The Gulf stays warm well into the fall, at around 79°F on average in autumn.
- Spring break in March is the busiest the island gets: full lots, a slow causeway and higher hotel prices.
- Summer means hot sand, warm water and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. Get off the beach at the first thunder. Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and a low barrier island is no place to sit out a storm.
Our guide to the best time to visit has the month-by-month weather for the region.
A day on Clearwater Beach from Tampa
Clearwater Beach is roughly 28 miles from downtown Tampa, typically 45 to 70 minutes by car, crossing Tampa Bay on the Courtney Campbell Causeway or the Howard Frankland Bridge and then the Memorial Causeway onto the island. A day that works:
- Leave Tampa by 8am and park on the island by 9am, in a garage or a lot near where you want to be.
- Beach until late morning, while the sand is cool and the water is calm.
- The aquarium or lunch indoors over the hottest hours.
- A boat trip in the afternoon, parking at the marina with the validation code.
- Sunsets at Pier 60 in the evening.
- Dinner on the island, and leave after the post-sunset rush on the causeway has cleared.
If that sounds like too much driving for one day, it is a good argument for a night on the island. For the drive itself and the alternatives to it, see our guide to getting around Tampa Bay.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do on Clearwater Beach at night?
The nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 festival is the main event, followed by dinner and drinks along the south end of the island and the Beach Walk. Pier 60 itself is listed as open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays in the cooler months, and 24 hours a day from April to September, for night fishing.
Is Clearwater Beach free?
Yes. The beach, the Beach Walk and the sunset festival are all free. You pay for parking, for walking out on or fishing from Pier 60, and for anything you buy.
How much does it cost to walk on Pier 60?
The first part of the pier is open to everyone. FWC’s listing gives $1 a person to walk out to the fishing area and $8 a person a day to fish. Confirm at the pier.
Is Clearwater Marine Aquarium worth it?
Yes, especially as a break from the heat or the rain, and particularly if anyone in your party has a birthday during the trip, which gets them in free. Know before you go that Winter, the dolphin from Dolphin Tale, died in 2021.
Can you see dolphins at Clearwater Beach?
Often, even from the shore, because bottlenose dolphins are resident in these waters. A dolphin-watching cruise from the marina makes a sighting very likely. Choose an operator that keeps its distance from the animals.
What is the quietest part of Clearwater Beach?
The north end, along Mandalay Avenue, away from Pier 60. For somewhere quieter still, Sand Key Park is just south across Clearwater Pass for $6 a day.
Is there a ferry to Clearwater Beach?
The Clearwater Ferry has linked downtown Clearwater’s Coachman Park marina with the Clearwater Beach Marina, every 30 minutes from Thursday to Sunday when the expanded service launched in January 2025. Check the current timetable before you plan around it. There is no ferry from Tampa.
How far is Clearwater Beach from Tampa?
About 28 miles from downtown Tampa, typically 45 to 70 minutes by car, across Tampa Bay. From Tampa International Airport, the airport’s published distance is 20 to 25 miles.
Related Tampa Guides
- Best Things to Do in Clearwater Florida — the city, the aquarium’s money points and parking in full.
- Best Beaches Near Tampa — Clearwater Beach against the rest of the coast, with conditions.
- Tampa Bay Water Activities, Boating and Fishing — charters, licenses and boat rentals.
- Tampa with Kids Family Vacation Guide — where Clearwater Beach fits in a family trip.
- St. Pete Pier Visitor Guide — a very different waterfront, 22 miles south.
Sources and verification
Prices, hours and rules on this page come from the operators’ and agencies’ own published information where it exists. Where we relied on a listing or a news report instead, we have said so in the text.
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium (cmaquarium.org) — admission prices, the birthday offer, discounts, ticketing location and its rescue mission. Checked 19 September 2026.
- City of Clearwater (myclearwater.com) — beach parking lots, rates, zones, capacities and the marina lot’s validation. Checked 19 September 2026.
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — Pier 60’s walk-on and fishing fees and hours from FWC’s Tampa Bay boating guide (undated listing); saltwater license prices and the pier-license exemption; the Boating Safety Education ID requirement. Checked 19 September and 1 October 2026.
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection — the statewide beach warning flag system. Checked 19 September 2026.
- Pinellas County — Sand Key Park’s parking fee and facilities. Checked 19 September 2026.
- Florida State Parks — Honeymoon Island’s fee, hours and sandspit safety notice; Caladesi Island’s reopening notice of 29 June 2026. Checked 19 September 2026.
- Clearwater Ferry and PSTA — the January 2025 expanded service, schedule and fares, as reported by Bay News 9 and FOX 13. Current timetable not re-confirmed. Checked 1 October 2026.
- Jolley Trolley — routes and fare from the regional tourism office’s listing. Checked 1 October 2026.
- Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival — 2026 dates as reported by Tampa Bay Beacons. Checked 1 October 2026.
- Tampa International Airport and NOAA/NWS data — published distances; regional climate normals and sea-temperature averages. Checked 19 September 2026.
We have not priced or tested the boat operators or watersports rentals, and we do not recommend one over another. We have not visited for this guide; it is built from published information.
Photo credits
Clearwater Beach at dusk from the dunes: photo by Evan Nichols, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sunset at Clearwater Beach: photo by Michel Rathwell from Cornwall, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A pirate ship excursion at sunset off Clearwater Beach: photo by WikiPedant, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Pier 60 from the water’s edge: photo by Jana Taylor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sea oats at Sand Key Park: photo by Philipp Michel Reichold, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.