Clearwater Beach – Sand, Sea and Surprises!

Story and photos by Barbara Beckley

Look! It’s Hulk Hogan! Well… almost. It was a life-like statue of Hogan outside his boutique, Hogan’s Beach Shop, on Mandalay Avenue in Clearwater Beach, Florida. But it could have been him.

“Hogan frequents the Sandpearl Resort across the street,” the store manager told me, as I perused his merchandise from massive championship wrestling belt replicas to posters and hoodies. “I’m staying at the Sandpearl!” I exclaimed. I kept an eye out for Hogan as I dined at the resort’s AAA 4-diamond restaurant, Caretta on the Gulf, and noshed at its casual ocean-front Tate Island Grill. But Hogan never appeared.

No worries. I saw and did so many wonderful things that not seeing the celebrity wrestler gave me an excellent excuse to return.

This was my first visit to Clearwater Beach – a bustling barrier island off the west coast of Florida 22 miles west of Tampa. I was as enthralled with its white sandy beaches, mangrove-fringed lagoons and dreamy sunsets as were the early fun-in-the-sun-seekers, who arrived in 1897 at the new Belleview Inn — the first hotel to open on Florida’s west coast. The venerable property is still there and grander than ever, thanks to a beautiful restoration and expansion completed in December 2018.

Of course, Clearwater has grown over the years. Now visitors enjoy three of the region’s top resorts (I stayed at two: the Sandpearl and its sister, the Opal Sands Resort); water tours, sports and fishing; nightly sunset celebrations, a plethora of shops and restaurants; and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), world renowned for its marine rescue, rehabilitation and release (when possible) program. Easy to see why Clearwater Beach was named No. 1 Beach in America, by the 2018 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards.

Turns out Hogan isn’t the only celebrity in town. And not all of them are people.

Perhaps the most beloved celeb is Winter the Dolphin. She starred in the 2011 movie, A Dolphin Tale, also starring Morgan Freeman, which chronicled her rescue and recovery by the CMA after she lost her tail flukes. The movie was filmed at the CMA where she is living happily ever after. I took the CMA’s behind-the-scenes-tour tour and was thrilled to see Winter up close. And heartened to learn about the good work it’s doing from rescuing tiny seahorses to helping repopulate Ridley sea turtles on the East Coast and having a marine rescue van at the ready 24/7.

Healthy tail flukes enabled the wild dolphins to splash and play in the glistening waters of Clearwater Bay, much to the delight of myself and others on the Encounters With Dolphins tour on its “Little Toot” tugboat-like vessel. “There are 120 dolphin in the bay,” the captain announced, “and all of them have names. One was a CMA rescue, released back into the wild.” Phones snapped and video rolled as the friendly mammals entertained us – and themselves. “We guarantee dolphin sightings or a free tour,” the captain continued. I was impressed when my seatmate told me he drove from Orlando, 95 miles away, just to take this tour. It’s that highly recommended, he said. I also was impressed when the captain pointed out Hulk Hogan’s huge home among the many elegant bay-front houses.

Seashells dangling in the trees, finding two shiny red conch shells in the silvery sand, and floating in the turquoise waters, were highlights of my morning sail to Caladesi Island State Park. After a scenic sail across the harbor, Paddle Out Adventures’ pontoon tour boat anchored and the captain lowered kayaks so we could paddle through the mangroves to the deserted beaches of Caladesi. It’s accessible only by boat and is one of the few still untouched islands on Florida’s gulf coast. Visitors who do get there, have for years, hung seashells on the surfside vegetation to honor its natural beauty. In keeping with tradition, I hung a seashell – no, not the conch shells, I kept them – on a sea apple tree before I left.

Glorious sunsets make every night worth celebrating. The official Sunset Celebration happens on Pier 60. It’s lots of fun with artisans, street performers and photogenic seabirds. But anywhere with an ocean view is wonderful. I also celebrated at the Sandpearl Resort’s beach fire pits, and the oceanfront palapa-topped Sandbar at the Opal Sands Resort. The sun had set as I enjoyed Neapolitan-style pasta and fresh-from-the-sea local Hogfish, a house specialty, at the Opal Sands’ fine dining Sea-Guini restaurant. Groups can arrange Neapolitan pizza-making classes with the chef.

In addition to the resort dining, I followed the locals to the award-winning Marina Cantina for margaritas and seafood enchiladas overlooking the yachts in Clearwater Marina.

Much to my heart’s delight – my favorite find was the Freaky Tiki Surf Shack. It’s been a Clearwater Beach fixture since 1976! And is renowned for locally designed and made tiki-themed apparel, and gifts and décor. I love all things tiki. Now that I’m home, my Freaky Tiki hoodie brings back fond memories of Clearwater Beach; and my need to return — to see Hulk Hogan and another sunset.