Clearwater Vacation Rental'Pelican House' On Water - Heated Pool - Boat and Motor

These beaches range from isolated, undeveloped tropical islands accessible only by boat (Anclote Key, Caladesi Island) to packed tourist beaches with all the souvenir shops, grouper sandwich shops, and nightclubs. The people that rank beaches, place Caladesi Island State Park, Anclote Key State Park, and Fort De Soto park in the top ten beaches in the United States, with most of the other top ten beaches being in Hawaii. There are more than 20 'barrier islands' called 'kyes', along the Florida west coast. The Gulf waters that lap on the shores of these island is warm and clear. The slope of the beach is very gentle, making the beaches safe for small children to play at the waters edge. Every possible water sport can be enjoyed along these beaches including fishing in the grass flats, deep-sea fishing, boating, sailing, canoeing, sea kayaking, SCUBA diving, wind surfing, shelling, para-sailing, swimming, and water skiing.

Clearwater Beach ================ Clearwater Beach is the most famous of the beaches that are on the barrier islands. On an island all it own, Clearwater Beach is the major 'tourist beach' on the Florida Sun Coast. Every type of beach oriented activity can be found here. There are many great grouper sandwich shop where you can enjoy lunch relax with a cool beverage. With its many shops and miles of beach, the entire family can have fun here. The gentle slope of the beaches into the water and the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico make all the beaches on the Florida Sun Coast very different from the Atlantic ocean beaches on the east coast of Florida where large waves crash onto the beach. Anclote Key State Preserve ========================== More than 1,000 years ago, this island was pushed up from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico to rest on a limestone platform. It is still slowly growing today and its size has increased by more than 25% since 1956.

This 4 mile long island is one of the few truly unspoiled and undeveloped islands left along the Florida coast. Anclote Lighthouse The abandoned lighthouse on the southern end of this remote island adds to the islands fragile beauty and character. The lighthouse was built in the 1880's and server almost 100 years to protect the mariners in the Gulf of Mexico. With the advent of more modern navigational tools such as the Long Range Navigation System (LORAN) and later the Global Position System (GPS) it became obsolete. It was decommissioned in 1984 and for the last 16 years has been abandoned. Anclote Wildlife Rare and endangered birds and turtles inhabit Anclote Key. Visitors travel to the island by boat every year to enjoy the more than 43 species of birds that live there including the American Oyster catcher, Bald Eagle, and Ospreys (sometimes called fish eagles). The Ospreys have numerous nesting sites in the tall pine trees that cover the island.

Ski: The facilities include very nice sheltered picnic areas, playgrounds for the kids, restrooms, Bar-B-Q grills, and beach showers. Bring your fishing poles and your wind surfers. This is a very popular park with the local Floridians and over 2 million people visit the park annually. On weekends it can be crowded, but on week days there are fewer people enjoying the sun and the water. Tarpon Springs =============== Hiding just north of Clearwater Beach, Tarpon Springs is one of the oldest cities on the Florida West Coast. The Greek heritage of this area makes it truly unique in the entire United States. The Greeks first settled this area around the turn of the century and started the Sponge Diving Industry. This is the only place in the US where sponge diving is actively pursued as an industry.

Golf: Turtles can also be spotted on the island including endangered Loggerheads and Green Turtles. Anclote Activities The main activities on the island are swimming in the shallow Gulf waters that are as warm as a bathtub in the summers. The gradual slope of the beaches makes it easy for oldsters as well as youngsters to enjoy the clear warm waters, which are said by some to provide solstice for the soul as well as the body. Shelling is also a favorite activity. Several species of shells can be collected. Sand dollars can also be found by digging your toes into the sand in about 2 or 3 feet of water and feeling the sand dollars under the surface of the sand. The sand dollars vary in size from 1 to 6 inches across. Fred Howard Park ================ This park was first opened in 1966 and is located at the end of a mile long causeway west of Florida Ave. in Tarpon Springs, this is a beautiful beach area. The swimming and sunbathing is excellent.

Guest Book: The colorful traditions and atmosphere introduced to this area by the Greek sponge divers has continued today with sponge auctions, sponge diving exhibitions, and the largest Epiphany celebration in the United States. Visitors can enjoy the authentic Greek food in the more than 20 restaurants, shop in the sponge and souvenir stores, and board cruise boats for half day or day trips for casino gambling or fishing. The Sponge Docks are listed in the National Historic Districts register. Along with the sponge docks are more than 140 art gallery/studios, antique shops, boutiques and restaurants. There is also a Performing Arts Center and Cultural Center which host several annual events and festivals. Caladesi Island =============== This island, along with Anclote Key, are two of the unspoiled, undeveloped islands that are on the Florida West Coast. Caladesi Island and Anclote Key are both only accessible by boat.

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