{"id":330233,"date":"2026-07-05T22:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T22:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/330233\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T22:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T22:36:11","slug":"the-25-items-on-our-bucket-list-for-the-beaches-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/330233\/","title":{"rendered":"The 25 items on our bucket list for the beaches this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

The calendar says summer starts in late June, tradition says summer starts with Memorial Day Weekend, and thermometers around here say summer starts sometime at the end of April. No matter how you define it, the summer season at America\u2019s best beaches has arrived, and it\u2019s the perfect time to explore all they have to offer.<\/p>\n

This time of year, the crowds are smaller, the lines are shorter, and the water is warmer. It\u2019s the kind of paradise you don\u2019t need a Fast Pass to enjoy. In honor of the arrival of the season, our staff compiled our Pinellas County Summer Beach Bucket List. <\/p>\n

Some of these are regular occurrences, some of these have been on our lists for years and we never got around to them. Over the next few months, we\u2019re making up for that. Some of them you can even find at a discount thanks to our friends at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater and their FunShine Savings Passport<\/a>. Prepare your beach bags accordingly.<\/p>\n

The ultimate Pinellas County Beaches Summer Bucket List<\/p>\n

Alexa\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

Cool off with ice cream at Candy Kitchen <\/p>\n

Have a margarita at VIP Mexican \u2013 Veterans know, you only need one. Visit the IRB location if you haven\u2019t checked it out! Alexa\u2019s pick<\/p>\n

Grab a post-beach sandwich at Uncle Funz Provisions \u2013 Uncle Funz may be the most underrated foodie destination on the beaches.<\/p>\n

\"a\"a<\/p>\n

Take in the sunset celebration at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach \u2013 Say goodnight to the sun every day of the week. <\/p>\n

Get a grouper sandwich at Dockside Dave\u2019s<\/a> \u2013 If you hadn\u2019t heard, the local icon just reopened following hurricane damage, and they\u2019re better than ever. <\/p>\n

Bob\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

Stop by the original Frenchy\u2019s<\/a> \u2013 While we\u2019re talking grouper sandwiches, no one is more iconic than the Clearwater star.<\/p>\n

Visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium<\/a> \u2013 They just welcomed three harbor seals to the family! <\/p>\n

Rent a clear kayak<\/a> <\/p>\n

Get a pina colada at Coconut Charlie\u2019s \u2013 Have you been back since their renovation? It\u2019s one of the top spots for a drink with toes in the sand. <\/p>\n

\"a\"aPhoto via John\u2019s Pass Seafood Festival<\/p>\n

Visit John\u2019s Pass Village & Boardwalk \u2013 Shopping, dining, people watching, dolphin spotting and boat rides. John\u2019s Pass Village has it all. <\/p>\n

Get lunch at The Wharf<\/a> \u2013 We\u2019re making this the Summer of The Grouper Sandwich, and The Wharf is an absolute must to add to your list, complete with beautiful waterfront views. <\/p>\n

Catch the sunset on the 3 Daughters Brewing rooftop \u2013 The local brewery\u2019s Clearwater Beach outpost may well have the best sunset view in town. <\/p>\n

Escape the sun at Mahuffers \u2013 The area\u2019s most iconic dive bar is always worth a visit. <\/p>\n

Have a rubber duck race at Undertow Beach Bar <\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

Go parasailing<\/a> <\/p>\n

Watch the sunset from Sunset Beach <\/p>\n

Enjoy a breakfast sandwich at Paradise Grille<\/a> <\/p>\n

Live music at Jimmy B\u2019s or Saltwater Hippie or Ka\u2019tiki <\/p>\n

\"The\"The<\/p>\n

Try Playa Taco Cocina y Tequiler\u00eda<\/a> \u2013 Street tacos are out, beach tacos are in. The only Mexican restaurant actually on the beach is now open at Island Grand at TradeWinds. <\/p>\n

Ysa\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

Go on the tiki boat<\/a> <\/p>\n

Take a dolphin watch cruise<\/a> \u2013 Seriously, any excuse to get out on that beautiful, clear water is a good one.<\/p>\n

Spend the day at Fort de Soto \u2013 It\u2019s the best place on the beaches for an early morning walk to find seashells, followed by a picnic, a nap, and a quick dip in the water.<\/p>\n

Join a beach cleanup <\/a>with Keep Pinellas Beautiful <\/p>\n

\"aerial\"aerialHoneymoon Island State Park | Photo via Visit St. Pete-Clearwater <\/p>\n

Bask in serenity at Honeymoon Island State Park \u2013 This may be the most underrated beach experience in Pinellas County. Beauty, serenity, crystal clear waters and trails brimming with wildlife. <\/p>\n

Win toys at Atomic Claw Arcade<\/a> <\/p>\n

Join in on the Pass-a-Grille sunset bell ringing <\/p>\n

Read a book in Secret Garden \u2013 Cozied in next to a jetty by Upham Beach, Secret Garden is our favorite little hidden oasis on the beaches. <\/p>\n

If you need even more ideas, check out Visit St. Pete-Clearwater\u2019s Meaningful Travel round-up<\/a> featuring unique and sustainable vacation experiences around the county. <\/p>\n

\"Beyond\"Beyond<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The calendar says summer starts in late June, tradition says summer starts with Memorial Day Weekend, and thermometers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-330233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}