Looking for a vacation in Tampa/Clearwater (St. Petersburg, Largo: rentals, condos)

[OneKC]

Hello, my wife and I could really use a vacation and we would like to hang out on some nice beaches and began to look into Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater.

How are the beaches? Any specific ones in particular we should look into?

We have a 2 year old son and we'd like to do fun stuff with him like aquariums and zoos. What does the area offer in that area?

And will a 2 year old have fun at Busch Gardens or should we just save our money?

I'd like to check out a minor league game too, maybe in Clearwater or the Tampa Yanks.

Any other fun stuff you think a 2 year old might like would be helpful as well.

Also, should we stay in Tampa? St. Pete? Clearwater? Are they all pretty close drive-wise? I assume we need to rent a car?

[tampaguy03]

Question for the OP, do you want to be closer to the beaches or the city amenities(aquarium, zoo, busch gardens, etc.)

With a 2 year old, my fav beach is Pass-a-Grille, great charming small village, beautiful beaches, walkable to several cafes, restaurants, easy access via the Pinellas Bay Way to Interstate 275 for Tampa and/or St Pete destinations

The little one would enjoy the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa, and Lowry Park Zoo. There is also a small Aquarium at the Pier in downtown St. Pete, and another small one in Clearwater.

Are you here for Spring Training(March?).

[OneKC]

Not spring training, more like June. We want some beach time but we'd like to spend a day in the Tampa/St Pete area and see the big city amenities too.

Pass-a-grill sounds exactly what we're looking for, I'll check that out. Thanks! More suggestions are welcome!

[kamorra2]

I agree with Pass A Grille. I think the water is much clearer there than other nearby beaches. You would also like Caladesi island. People go there to find shells. I think your son might enjoy that. It's also less crowded there but the wait times for the ferry can be very long on the weekend to get to the island.

[Emily Stehle]

You'll need a car. Check with the Chambers (Clearwater, St. Petersburg) to learn more about the beaches. I live in Clearwater and am partial to Clearwater Beach. Work at The Pier Aquarium in St. Petersburg and it's the right size (2,000 sq. ft) for your young person. We do Touch Tank every day from 1-4pm and you can touch animals from Tampa Bay that won't hurt you or you them! If you help us feed our fish, you'll get an official Fish Feeder Certificate. Your 2-year-old is free every day. Sunday is our discounted day. Kids also like to feed the pelicans at the Pier and watch people fishing. It's a 1/4 mile up from parking but there's also a free trolley. Back to the beach, you can drive your car to Honeymoon Island (admission rate is by car). Also you can take a ferry to Caladesi Island. Lots of spring training here...depends on your team! Hope this helps.

[Emily Stehle]

Forgot about looking for shark's teeth at Venice Beach, south of St. Petersburg, go over the Sunshine Skyway bridge. Check out the parks, DeSoto Park (there's a bridge admission) with walking and bike paths, botanical garden in Largo, Heritage Park (pioneer history stuff). The last two are free and run by Pinellas County. Phillippi Park in Safety Harbor is on the water and is the site of an Indian mound. Weedon Nature Preserve is cool, too, as well as Boyd Hill Nature Park. (Don't think your two-year-old would appreciate Busch Gardens as it has rides; Lowry Park Zoo and FL Aquarium would be good; admission is higher).

[lavender]

Indian Rocks/Shores is central for all the beaches, and access via SR688 and Park Blvd make the mainland a cinch. If you want to take the trolley up and down the beach to check out various other locations you can do this all along gulf blvd.
Indian Rocks near the Walsingham Bridge has condos beachside that are nice and many affordable for a vacation from probably around $120 a night average (some higher some lower) for beach views.
You can stroll to shops/bars/restaurants/there is even a museum! You can hire boats/bikes and cycle.
It's not so far to drive to other amusements where you would spend an hour or two, there is even a mini golf on Indian Shores and the Gulf Coast Bird Sanctuary. Nearby is Heritage Park with old Florida homes and stores preserved in a park like setting and Botanical Gardens, but at the end of each day you would return to the reason everyone comes here - the beach and the sunsets. Look at VRBO.com for rentals. If you go off the beach, you can still get waterview condos for less than $100 a night. Good luck, you will have a wonderful time here I am sure.

[TampaKaren]

You can certainly ride the beach trolly for fun, but you'll definitely need to rent a car. And you should rent one with a GPS; it's worth the money and the peace of mind you'll have going to various destinations.

[lavender]

I agree with Tampakaren on the car thing, but I have recently had my aged parents 86 and 88 here for a month, they purchased a pass for buses and rode happily all over the county for about $40 for the month. Services are good and easy and link up well. Then just this last month a rental condo I look after had two visitors from Ireland, again they rode the buses and loved it. I think the older generations and foreign visitors are a lot more comfortable with this idea. However, I have grown accustomed to my car being attached to me so I just can't do it LOL though I know I would spend less money and shop less if I did ride the bus and carry my purchases and probably lose a pound or two to boot!

[nucat78]

Originally Posted by TampaKaren

And you should rent one with a GPS; it's worth the money and the peace of mind you'll have going to various destinations.

Yeah... my buddy's Garmin GPS kept telling him to turn right off a bridge into the Mississippi River on his last trip.

You might want to keep a map handy, just in case...