Soaking up the sunshine…
Shallow, calm Gulf water, a free festival every sunset, a world-famous aquarium, and a real pirate ship. Here is the family playbook from the local team that hosts thousands of families a year.
Clearwater Beach was practically designed for families. The sand is sugar-fine and cool underfoot, the Gulf stays shallow and gentle for a long way out, and lifeguards watch the swim zones around Pier 60 year round. Almost everything on this page sits within a short walk or a free-spirited trolley ride of the beach, so you can leave the car parked at your rental and let the days unspool.
We manage 60 vacation rentals across 7 Gulf Coast communities, most with full kitchens, laundry, and room for the whole crew, which is exactly what turns a good family trip into an easy one. Below is everything our guests with kids rave about, plus the honest tips we share when they call.
The Gulf here is bath-warm much of the year with a gentle slope and small surf, ideal for little swimmers. Lifeguards cover the Pier 60 swim zones daily.
Sunsets at Pier 60 brings street performers, buskers, and craft stalls to the pier around sunset. Kids are mesmerized, and it costs nothing.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium, made famous by the Dolphin Tale movies, is a working rescue hospital where kids meet dolphins, otters, and sea turtles.
The Jolley Trolley and Suncoast Beach Trolley link the beach, the aquarium, and the neighboring towns, so teens can explore and parents can relax.
Orange markers are Sunny Orange Stays rentals. The colored markers are the kid-approved attractions covered in this guide, from the aquarium and the pirate ship to the water park and the state parks. Tap any marker for details.
Attraction markers are placed at each venue's street address. Hours and prices change seasonally, so check each attraction's website before you go.
A rescue and rehabilitation hospital first and an aquarium second, which is exactly why kids love it. Meet rescued dolphins, sea turtles, otters, and stingrays, watch feedings and training sessions, and learn the real stories behind the Dolphin Tale films. Plan two to three hours. The Jolley Trolley stops right outside.
Our full aquarium guide →The heart of the beach. A covered playground sits right on the sand next to the pier, and every evening the free Sunsets at Pier 60 festival fills the boardwalk with jugglers, magicians, musicians, and craft stalls for about two hours around sunset. Grab ice cream, claim a patch of sand, and let the show come to you.
Sunsets at Pier 60 guide →A two-hour voyage on a genuine-looking pirate ship with face painting, water-pistol battles, treasure hunts, and dolphin sightings along the way. It has been a Clearwater Beach rite of passage for decades, and the crew stays fully in character the entire trip. Book ahead in season; sailings sell out.
Sailing times →Twenty minutes north, Honeymoon Island State Park offers shelling, a nature center with baby turtles, osprey nests along the pine trail, and a dog beach for four-legged family members. The ferry from Honeymoon to Caladesi Island, regularly ranked among America's best beaches, is an adventure in itself.
Park details →A compact, well-priced water park fifteen minutes down the coast with slides, a lazy river, and a splash zone sized for younger kids. It pairs perfectly with lunch at one of Indian Rocks Beach's casual seafood spots. Seasonal hours, so check before you drive down.
Hours & tickets →Mini golf with a twist: a lagoon of live baby alligators you can feed between holes. It is the kind of only-in-Florida evening kids talk about for years. There are sister courses in Madeira Beach and St Pete if you are exploring south.
Locations →Just over the bridge south of the main beach, Sand Key trades the bustle for space: a wide, quieter shore, a shaded playground, picnic shelters, and some of the best shelling on this stretch of coast. Bring a bucket in the morning after high tide.
Park info →One hundred acres of themed gardens, butterflies, and resident wildlife, and admission is free. The wetland walkways are stroller-friendly, and during the winter holidays the gardens glow with a million-light display that families plan trips around.
Visit info →Full kitchens for picky eaters, laundry for sandy towels, separate bedrooms so everyone actually sleeps, and many homes with private pools. That is the family formula.
Browse all rentals Private pool homes 3+ bedroom homesYes, genuinely. The Gulf is calm and shallow with a gradual slope, the sand stays cool underfoot, lifeguards watch the swim zones by Pier 60 daily, and the covered playground sits right on the beach. It is one of the most toddler-friendly beaches in Florida.
The free Sunsets at Pier 60 festival runs every evening for about two hours around sunset, with street performers, buskers, and craft stalls. After dark, families stroll the Beach Walk promenade for ice cream, and Captain Memo's runs an evening champagne cruise that older kids enjoy too.
Most families spend two to three hours. It is a working rescue hospital rather than a giant theme aquarium, so the draw is meeting the rescued dolphins, turtles, and otters and hearing their stories, including the Dolphin Tale history. Younger kids love the stingray touch experience.
The beach and its lifeguarded swim zones, the Pier 60 playground, the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 festival, the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo, and pelican-watching at the marina are all free. Trolley fares are a few dollars, and kids ride cheap.
Not necessarily. If your rental is on the beach side you can walk to the sand, the pier, the marina, and dozens of restaurants, and the Jolley Trolley reaches the aquarium and Dunedin. A car helps for Honeymoon Island, Splash Harbour, and Tampa day trips.
Families with young kids usually want to be within a short walk of the lifeguarded beach around Pier 60, or in a home with a private pool a few minutes away. Larger crews spread out in our 3 to 6 bedroom homes, and when no single home fits, our search can pair two neighboring rentals.
With 60 rentals across 7 Gulf Coast communities, from walk-to-the-pier condos to pool homes that sleep the whole crew, we have hosted every kind of family trip. Come make the easy kind of memories.
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