The nearest place to a proper beach day near our Largo place: 95 acres of Gulf-front county park with lifeguards, showers and changing rooms, a shaded dog park rated one of the best in Pinellas, a playground, fishing, and all-day parking for about seven dollars. It’s ten minutes north of our door, and it’s everything Clearwater Beach is, without the crowds.
A wooden boardwalk over the water, a working fishing fleet, dolphins that come right up to the docks, and about a hundred shops and restaurants — fifteen minutes from our Largo place and twelve from Seminole. It’s the busiest attraction in the county with over 14,000 reviews at 4.6 stars. It also has the most predatory parking on the coast, and that one fact will decide whether you have a good day.
The southern tip of St Pete Beach, two streets wide, with a historic main street, a working fishing pier, a restaurant serving breakfast since 1938, and the shuttle to Shell Key. No high-rises, no chain anything, and the shelling at the 4th Avenue access is the best on the beach. This is where locals go when they want the beach to feel like it did fifty years ago.
Pinellas County has four Great Florida Birding Trail sites, a park with 328 recorded species, three observation towers you can climb, and a free seabird hospital on Gulf Blvd where a rescued bald eagle sits a few feet away. If you’ve never given birding a go, this is a good place to start — and if you have, bring the long lens.
Thirty miles of barrier island, and they are not interchangeable. One is nationally famous and charges forty dollars to park. Another is a ferry-only island with no development at all. The best one for you depends entirely on what kind of day you want — so here’s the honest rundown, north to south.
You can fish four completely different ways from our doorstep — a deep-sea charter out of John’s Pass, a pier where no licence is needed, the surf a few hundred yards from the house, or a freshwater lake full of bass. Here’s how each works, and what licence you actually need.
Pinellas County is genuinely good for dogs — fenced off-leash parks in almost every town, one beach where dogs can swim off-leash, and a taphouse two miles from our Largo place where your dog runs on turf while you have a beer. Here’s everything within reach of our rentals, closest first.
Pier 60 is a 1,080-foot public fishing pier on Clearwater Beach, Florida, offering year-round saltwater fishing without requiring a personal fishing license. Rod rentals and bait are available on-site, making it accessible to beginners, families, and experienced anglers alike. Seasonal catches range from pompano and Spanish mackerel in spring to snook and tarpon in summer,…
A sprawling 396-acre natural sanctuary at the northern tip of Tampa Bay where you can hike through pristine Florida wilderness, paddle through mangrove channels, let your dog run free, or soar 60 feet above the treetops on a thrilling zipline adventure—most of it completely free. Why We Love This Place Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve is…
Philippe Park (in Safety Harbor) is one of those rare places where you can walk through a thousand years of history in a single afternoon. This 122-acre waterfront park in Safety Harbor is Pinellas County’s oldest park, featuring a sacred Native American temple mound, centuries-old oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and stunning views across…