Best Beaches in Tampa, FL
As a guest of ours at the Westshore Grand, you’re auspiciously situated for some really world-class beachgoing. Tampa Bay, after all, boasts a vast waterfront, from the estuarine shores of our “front-yard” waterway here at the hotel, Old Tampa Bay, to the aquamarine seacoast along the Gulf of Mexico.
With so many to choose from—and with so much of the “perfect beach” being about personal preference—it’s hard to spotlight the very best. Without a doubt, though, these sandy strands we’re spotlighting here will deliver a fabulous sun-and-surf day trip easily reached from the Westshore Grand!
Clearwater Beach
Certainly one of the best-known beaches in the Tampa Bay region, Clearwater Beach provides some 2.5 miles of gleaming “sugar-sand” paradise on the Gulf side of a barrier island just about due west of the Westshore Grand. Among its many attractions is the sunset festival that goes down on famous Pier 60, each and every day of the year.
Caladesi Island State Park
Regularly landing at or near the top of “Dr. Beach’s” annual rankings of the best beaches in the U.S., Caladesi Island State Park—reached by ferry or private boat—is one of the Sunshine State’s treasures. Besides the pristine white sand magnificence of the three-mile-long beach, you’ve also got lovely maritime hammocks and mangrove forest to explore on this protected barrier isle.
Fort De Soto County Park
Another barrier-island perch, this one down at the northern “gate” of Tampa Bay, Fort De Soto County Park—the biggest in Pinellas County—includes a broad beach nearly three miles long that’s won itself plenty of plaudits, including a 2005 nod from Dr. Beach as the country’s best. The postcard-perfect sands may draw you first and foremost, but take the time to explore the rest of the sprawling park’s landscapes as well as its historic namesake fort, built between 1898 and 1900.
Indian Rocks Beach
Dozens of entry points offer blissfully convenient access to the long, gorgeous seafront of Indian Rocks Beach, where you can easily alternate sunbathing and swimming with refreshment forays into the charming community backing the Gulf shore. Consider a quick jaunt into the emerald sanctuary of the Indian Rocks Beach Nature Preserve, where a boardwalk leads through mangroves to the Intracoastal Waterway.
Cypress Point Park
None of the above seashores are hard to reach from Westshore Grand, but you actually have even closer options for beach retreats from our hotel doorstep. We’re only a couple of miles from Cypress Point Park, a quiet palm-dotted oasis along Old Tampa Bay. It’s something of a hidden treasure, what with its handsome parkland walking path and tranquil pearly beach. Don’t miss a sunset here—and then come back to your luxury lodgings at the Westshore Grand, just a stone’s throw away!