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.
Why John’s Pass Is Worth It Anyway
Despite the parking, this is genuinely one of the best few hours on this coast, and it’s the closest proper village to both our places.
John’s Pass is the inlet between Madeira Beach and Treasure Island, and the village is built along the north side of it on a raised wooden boardwalk. The pull is the water: boats coming through the pass, the drawbridge going up for the big ones, the commercial fleet unloading its catch, pelicans working the docks, and dolphins that regularly swim right up to the boardwalk. You can stand with a drink from a walk-up bar and watch all of it for nothing.
It’s touristy, and it knows it — one long-time visitor calls it a tourist trap and then says they like it anyway, which is about right. The shops sell shop things. But the fishing charters are real, the boats are real, and the beach is directly across the road.
| ⚠️ Warnings! Read the parking section before you go. Beware of private parking lots. Use the parking garage. We’ve set out exactly how below. Hurricane Damage Parts of the boardwalk are still recovering from the 2024 hurricanes. Sculley’s lower deck was closed as of recent visits. It’s mostly rebuilt and looking good, but expect the odd gap. |
The Map
🅿️ Parking: The Whole Truth
This is the most useful section on the page, so we’ll be blunt.
Do use the John’s Pass Parking Garage
179 Boardwalk Pl W. Covered, straightforward, and it puts you at the west end of the boardwalk with beach access on the other side. Reported rates run around $4 an hour, though visitors have quoted $22 for the first two hours and $8 an hour after — so check the signage when you arrive and pay for longer than you think you need.
Don’t use the private surface lot
A lot operated by a private parking company on Boardwalk Pl E carries a 1.4-star rating from 141 reviews, and the complaints are strikingly consistent:
- Visitors paid for two hours and returned to find a ticket printed roughly 30 minutes into that paid period.
- Fines of $63 for “non-payment” despite an on-screen approval and a card charge.
- Tickets for “taking two spaces” in a lot with no painted lines.
- Phone calls routed to a third-party call centre.
- Several people report paying $29 to $32 for two hours and still being ticketed.
Multiple locals say in their reviews that they now avoid John’s Pass entirely because of it. Don’t let that be your day. Use the garage, keep your receipt, and photograph the meter screen and the signage before you walk away.
And watch the street parking
Several visitors were ticketed for parking on the roadside where they say no signage or payment kiosk was visible. If you can’t see a sign telling you it’s legal, assume it isn’t.
Or don’t drive at all
From our Largo place, the whole beach strip has bike lanes down Gulf Blvd, and John’s Pass sits at the end of it. Cycling in removes the entire problem.
🍤 Eating on the Boardwalk
🥇 The Boardwalk Grill — 204 John’s Pass Boardwalk
4.6 stars and the best value on the boardwalk. Very small — a handful of outdoor seats and a bar rail inside with a water view — so go early. The fish and chips and the po’ boy are what people rave about, and a tuna melt runs under nine dollars. Groups of a dozen have eaten here happily.
Two honest notes: sides are à la carte, and the $33 lobster roll draws real criticism for being dry. Order the fish and chips.
🥇 Sculley’s Seafood — 190 Boardwalk Pl E
3,000+ reviews. The grouper nuggets, the shrimp boil, the crab-stuffed mushrooms and the fresh-catch tacos all get named repeatedly, and the outdoor deck over the water is the best seat in the village. Kids’ options too.
Sit at a table rather than the small outside bar — several people report very slow service there, and the lower deck has been closed for hurricane repairs.
🥈 Friendly Fisherman — 150 John’s Pass Boardwalk
The biggest name here with 5,100+ reviews, and the widest choice — seafood platters, burgers, redfish, dynamite shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops, gator bites, frozen drinks in souvenir cups that are decent value. Waterfront and boardwalk seating.
Reports are mixed on consistency, especially later in the evening. Go at lunch or early dinner.
🥈 Pirates Pub & Grub — 110 Boardwalk Pl E
Cold beer, a laid-back local feel, indoor and outdoor seating over the pass, and a burger people rate as one of the best they’ve had. Clams in white wine sauce also good; the crab cake is skippable. Staff gets specific praise for helping a wheelchair user to a good table.
🎣 Walt’z Fish Shak — 224 Boardwalk Pl E
The purist’s choice, and completely different from everything else here. A tiny room, a short menu, all seafood and nothing frozen — grouper cakes, smoked fish spread, crab soup, mahi teriyaki burger, and key lime pie people call incredible. It has its own car park, which is rare and valuable here.
Two warnings. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, 5 pm to 8 pm only. And there is genuinely no chicken, no beef and no non-Gulf fish — at least one family with a fussy child was seen off fairly bluntly at the door. Come knowing what it is, and you’ll love it.
Also
- Bamboo Beach Bar (13025 Village Blvd) — the cheapest on this page, live music most nights, indoor and shaded outdoor space, family and dog friendly. Good fish dip and burgers; the shrimp tacos are thin.
- Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (185 Boardwalk Pl W) — the chain, with the movie theming and a good waterfront patio. Fine for a family that wants something predictable; reviews on food and service are mixed and locals generally go elsewhere.
- Kilwins — ice cream upstairs, and the traditional end to a boardwalk walk.
🌊 On the Water
This is the real reason to come, and the ratings here are extraordinary.
🥇 Woody’s Watersports — 205 Boardwalk Pl E
4.9 stars across more than 2,700 reviews, which is the highest-rated anything on this page by a wide margin. Jet ski and waverunner rentals with a crew reviewers describe as genuinely friendly, machines in good condition, and — this comes up again and again — dolphins that come close enough to rub against the ski. They took children as young as seven out and explained everything properly. One reviewer notes they’re around $30 cheaper than a competitor down the boardwalk.
Tip from the reviews: ride the Intracoastal side rather than the Gulf side — calmer water and far more dolphins. 9.30 am to 4.30pm.
🥈 Fly-N-High Waverunners — 207 Boardwalk Pl E
4.8 stars. Detailed safety briefings, GPS on the skis, two suggested riding areas rather than one, and bigger boundaries than some operators. Good with nervous first-timers and large groups.
🛥️ Hubbard’s Marina
The big operation on the boardwalk, and the one that does everything except jet skis: deep-sea and party-boat fishing, three-hour shelling trips, dolphin and sunset cruises, and ferries to Shell Key and Egmont Key. Fourth-generation family business, fishing these waters since 1928.
👉 Our fishing guide | Our shelling guide
Also
- John’s Pass Waverunners (110 Boardwalk Pl E) — 4.7 stars, around $89 an hour, chatty and helpful crew.
- Ocean Fun Rentals (15015 Madeira Wy, a few minutes north) — 4.9 stars. Boats, jet skis and yacht charters, with a guide who takes photos, valet parking at the Cambria and clean restrooms. The one to call for a bigger group or a special occasion.
- Parasailing operates from the boardwalk too.
🛍️ The Shops
Around a hundred of them, and the honest summary is: some are fun, most you’ll walk past. Two worth a look:
- Three Coconuts Clothing Company (180 Boardwalk Pl W) — 4.7 stars, and the staff get named in almost every review for being lovely. Their gimmick is genuinely good: white t-shirts printed with designs that change colour in the sun, around $10, and they’ll demonstrate with a UV light. A better souvenir than a fridge magnet.
- Don’s Dock (215 Boardwalk Pl E) — a working fish market on the boardwalk, open from 7am. Handy if you want to take fresh Gulf fish back to cook.
Prices across the village run high, as you’d expect at a busy tourist attraction. And a few shops here have poor reputations for how they treat browsers — if you feel hovered over, just leave and try the next one.
👉 Or buy fish at Nachman’s instead — see our eating guide
🏖️ The Beach Is Right There
Easy to forget, but the Gulf is directly across Gulf Blvd, and there’s beach access from the parking garage.
- Madeira Beach Access (14400 Gulf Blvd) — 4.7 stars across 4,200+ reviews. The best thing about it is that you step out of the car almost onto the sand — no long trek with gear. Clean restrooms, picnic tables, and chair and umbrella hire at around $40 for an umbrella and two chairs. Parking about $16 for four hours.
- Archibald Beach Park (15100 Gulf Blvd, a few minutes north) — 4.7 stars. Volleyball nets, a concession stand serving food and drinks with entertainment, new restrooms, and — unusually and importantly — a wheelchair ramp that goes down into the water. ParkMobile, around $8 for two hours.
Know Before You Go
🕙 Go Early, or Go Late
The boardwalk gets crowded, particularly at weekends, and restaurant waits build from late afternoon. One reviewer’s advice: don’t go after 4pm if eating is the point. Mornings are calmer and parking is easier.
📅 Check Walt’z
Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 8pm, and closed Sunday and Monday. It’s the most distinctive food here and the easiest to miss.
💵 Budget for It
Parking, food and shops all run at tourist-attraction prices. A family afternoon here isn’t a cheap one — though the boardwalk itself, the dolphins and the drawbridge cost nothing.
🐬 Where to Actually See Dolphins
From the docks, especially around the fish market and the charter berths where the boats clean their catch. On the water, the Intracoastal side beats the Gulf side.
🐕 Dogs
Bamboo Beach Bar is explicitly dog friendly and the boardwalk is walkable with a dog, but ask before assuming at any restaurant. Dogs are not allowed on Madeira Beach itself.
🌉 Watch the Bridge
The Gulf Blvd drawbridge over the pass opens for tall boats, which stops traffic. Charming from the boardwalk, less so if you’re driving through on a schedule.
A Half Day We’d Recommend
- Arrive by 10am and park in the garage.
- Woody’s for a jet ski hour on the Intracoastal side while the water’s calm.
- Walk the boardwalk, watch the fleet unload, browse Three Coconuts.
- Lunch at The Boardwalk Grill or on the deck at Sculley’s.
- Cross to Madeira Beach Access for the afternoon, or take a Hubbard’s shelling trip.
- Ice cream at Kilwins, and fresh fish from Don’s Dock to grill back at the house.
Also On Our Site
- Our original Madeira Beach & John’s Pass guide
- Where to eat near us — the restaurants closer to the door.
- Beaches | Shelling | Fishing | Kayaking
- Pass-a-Grille — the quieter old-Florida village south of here.
- Cycling — ride in and skip the parking entirely.
Official Information
- John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk — the business association’s visitor site.
- City of Madeira Beach — beach parking rates and city parking rules.
- Hubbard’s Marina — fishing, shelling and ferries.
- Woody’s Watersports
- Visit St Pete/Clearwater
- FWC red tide status
We are not affiliated with any of the businesses or agencies listed here.
Getting There from Our Vacation Rentals
From our Largo place (1731 Clearwater Harbor Dr): about 15 minutes south down Gulf Blvd through the beach towns.
From our Seminole place (13189 87th Ave N): about 12 minutes west via Park Blvd or the Tom Stuart Causeway — the closest village to that door.
📱 GPS directions to John’s Pass Village
Park in the garage, get there by ten, ride with Woody’s, eat at the Boardwalk Grill, and take fish home for the grill. Do it in that order, and it’s one of the best half-days on this coast.
