Clearwater Beach Blog
Welcome to Clearwater Beach Blog!
We, the team at B&W Management, are happy to present this Clearwater Beach Blog for our Beachfront Vacation Condo guests and website visitors.
Clearwater Beach Labor Day Weekend 2019
Clearwater Beach Labor Day weekend events featuring live music, festivals, sporting events and more!
Shephard’s Labor Day Live Beach House 2019
Shephard’s Beach Resort
619 S. Gulfivew Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Friday, August 30, 2019 through Monday September 2, 2019.
The largest Electronic music event on the Gulf! Enjoy Shephard’s Beach Resort’s private beaches, pools, cabanas, and live music featuring Sam Feldt and Nervo! (21+)
GeckoFest in Gulfport, Florida
19th Annual GeckoFest
3101 Beach Blvd, Gulfport, FL 33707
Saturday, August 31, 2019 from 10 AM – 10 PM
“Celebrate the end of summer with Gulfport’s most amphibious tradition — GeckoFest! This all-day street party epitomizes what it means to be Gulfportian, so make plans to visit. Who knows — you may even decide to stay!” This year’s theme is “Gecko’s of the Round Table”!
Tampa Bay Rays
MLB – Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field
1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Friday, August 30, 2019 at 7:10 PM – Rays vs. Indians
Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 6:10 PM – Rays vs. Indians
Sunday, September 1, 2019 at 1:10 PM – Rays vs. Indians
Monday, September 2, 2019 at 1:10 PM – Rays vs. Orioles
Tampa Bay Rowdies Soccer
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Nashville SC
230 1st Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
August 31, 2019 at 7:30 PM
Head to Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg to watch the Tampa Bay Rowdies take on Nashville SC! Kickoff is at 7:30 PM and tickets start at $10!
Post 7 Labor Day BBQ
American Legion Post 7 Clearwater, Florida
1760 Turner Street, Clearwater, FL 33756
Monday, September 2, 2019 starting at 1 PM
“Grilled chicken, beans, bread, n fixings.”
Summer of Rum Festival
Summer of Rum Festival in Downtown Tampa
Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park
August 31, 2019 from 12 PM to 11 PM.
“Listen to live music while enjoying a variety of rum drinks from the featured rum bars. Whether it’s a Frozen Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Rum Runner, Cuba Libré, or even an Exotic Tiki Drink, the Summer of Rum Festival will have it all for you and your friends to enjoy!” Featuring live performances of Sublime with Rome, The Expendables, and Inner Circle! The festival is also filled with delicious Caribbean food and ends with a fireworks display!
Rock the Yacht!
Rock the Yacht – Yacht StarShip
603 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602
August 31, 2019 from 9 PM to 11:30 PM
Finish up the last of the Rock the Yacht’s 2019 summer series on Saturday night! Live music from Stormbringer, dancing, and great views of Tampa! (21+)
Where to Eat Dinner in Clearwater Beach, Florida
If you’re searching for where to go for a Clearwater Beach Dinner, look no further. Clearwater Beach is filled with amazing restaurants. I’ve highlighted some of the best below and sorted them into Clearwater Beach Dinner with great views, places for an upscale Clearwater Beach dinner, and my personal favorites!
Clearwater Beach Dinner with a Great View
Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill & Bar
10 Bay Esplanade, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Sitting directly on the beach! A great place for live music, great food and drinks and a beautiful view of the Clearwater Beach sunset! Well known for their seafood such as grouper sandwiches, fish tacos, and coconut shrimp! A surprising find on the menu for the non-seafood fans; St. Louis BBQ Smoked Ribs!
Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill
7 Rockaway Street, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Also sitting directly on the beach, and next door to Palm Pavilion! They also offer live music, great food, and drinks, the same beautiful view of Clearwater Beach but also include pool tables and two bars!
The menu features delicious Garlic Grab Fries, Frenchy’s She Crab Soup, and many variations of “Frenchy’s World Famous Grouper Sandwich”!
Tate Island Grill
500 Mandalay Ave, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Located at the Sand Pearl Resort, Tate Island Grill features a pub food and a great view right on the sand of Clearwater Beach!
The Bait House Tackle & Tavern
45 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
The Bait House Tackle & Tavern has a great view, but it’s not of the beach. The Bait House sits right on the edge of the Clearwater Marina and even has dock space for boats to park in for lunch. The entire restaurant sits on the docks over the water and has a great view for passing the boats passing by. (The Bait House Tackle & Tavern is the featured image at the top of this post.)
They have a variety of local beers, wine and more. Their red sangria is my favorite sangria in the Clearwater area – it goes well with the relaxing views! They have a great menu filled with great seafood of course! But they also have some great burgers! If you stop in at Bait House, be sure to try their Drunked Shrimp! Since trying it, I haven’t been Bait House without order it!
Jimmy’s Crows Nest
101 Coronado Dr, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Jimmy’s Crows Nest has a small menu, but a huge view! They’re located at the top of the building. Giving you views over the Clearwater Beach Marina, the round-a-bout, and out to the waves of the Gulf of Mexico washing onto the shores of Clearwater Beach! It’s a great view to see the sunset, see over the daily sunset festival at Pier 60, and watch boats cruise in and out of the area.
Sandbar
430 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
A fancy tiki bar tucked right at the south side of Clearwater Beach and a part of Opal Sands Resort. The food is great, the views are even better! You’re right on the Gulf of Mexico and only steps from the soft sand of Clearwater Beach!
Jimmy’s Fish House & Iguana Bar
521 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Jimmy’s Fish House sits on the water of Clearwater Pass, providing great views of boats cruising in and out to the Gulf of Mexico. Live music, great food, many drinks including free daily sunset shots to celebrate the beautiful Clearwater Beach sunset!
Shephard’s Ocean Flame
619 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Shephard’s Ocean Flame offers indoor and outdoor seating with views of Clearwater Pass and the Gulf of Mexico. They offer a large buffet featuring a prime rib, a raw bar, sushi and more!
Clearwater Beach Dinner Cruise
Enjoy great food, music, and unique views of Clearwater Beach while cruising around on the water!
StarLite Majesty Dining Yacht
25 Causeway Blvd Slip, Clearwater, FL 33767
Calypso Queen Tropical Buffet Cruise
Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Clearwater Beach Upscale Dining
Sea-Guini
430 S Gulfview Blvd #100, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Sea-Guini is located inside Opal Sands Report. It’s a fantastic Italian inspired seafood restaurant with views over the Gulf of Mexico. No matter what day of the week you are going, I would suggest calling for a reservation at least earlier in the day if not the day before.
Caretta on the Gulf
1738, 500 Mandalay Ave, Suite 100, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Located inside Sandpearl Resort, “Caretta on the Gulf invites guests to experience Clearwater’s only AAA Four-Diamond restaurant. Breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico are complemented by fresh, seasonally-inspired cuisine.”
Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber
447 Mandalay Ave, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
“Longtime restaurant with multiple rooms, popular for its fried chicken, seafood & old Florida charm.”
Ocean Hai
100 Coronado Drive, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
“A chic, trendy Asian hotel restaurant offering fusion fare, shaded patio tables & Scenic ocean views.”
Island Way Grill
20 Island Way, Clearwater, FL 33767
“Grill offering some Asian twists on seafood classics, plus a sushi bar, water views & Sunday brunch.”
My Personal Favorite Clearwater Beach Restaurants
Frenchy’s Original Cafe
41 Baymont Street, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Frenchy’s Original Cafe is almost always my first stop when visiting Clearwater Beach. This small restaurant is where Frenchy started his Florida empire. It’s a great atmosphere with the best Grouper sandwiches around, delicious buffalo shrimp, and much more!
Bait House Tackle & Tavern
45 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
If my first stop isn’t Frenchy’s Original Cafe, then you’ll find me at Bait House. These are my top two favorite restaurants in Clearwater Beach. The food is great, but my favorite part of this location is the atmosphere, cold drinks and a great view of the water.
Pearly’s Beach Eats
45 Papaya Street, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Easily the best fish tacos I’ve ever had. Fast, delicious, can’t beat it!
Sea-Guini
430 S Gulfview Blvd #100, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
This place holds a place in my heart because I celebrated an anniversary there, and have tried to take my wife there for a Clearwater Beach date night on every Clearwater Beach trip we make.
Cooter’s Restaurant & Bar
423 Poinsettia Ave, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
“Chill, sports-themed locale for seafood including all-you-can-eat- crab legs plus wings & spirits.” Crab legs, check! And their wings are delicious!
Hellas Restaurant and Bakery
785 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
Hellas isn’t actually located in Clearwater Beach, but it is just a short drive away in Tarpon Springs. The authentic Greek food and pastries are so delicious! From their greek salad, saganaki, gyros, K-bobs, stuffed grouper or stuffed shrimp — everything is amazing! After a full dinner, it’s great to grab some baklava or other delicious Greek pastries for dessert!
Clearwater Beach Lightning Season
It’s the middle of summer, many families are enjoying their Clearwater Beach summer vacations. You’re having fun playing on the soft white sand, building sandcastles, cooling off in the calm waves of the Gulf of Mexico and making memories as a family. In the middle of all the fun, you hear a rumble and clouds start to darken the sky. The hot sunny summer day is interrupted with darker skies, rain, thunder, and lightning. It’s time to get off the beach and stay safe! Not only is it summer, but it’s Florida Thunderstorm season. Also known as Clearwater Beach lightning season.
Florida Thunderstorm Season
If you’re visiting Clearwater Beach during the summer, there’s a good chance you’ll see some rain because summer is Florida’s thunderstorm season. The rain kicks off in June with an average of 10 days with rain in the month but increases even more in July and August. July having an average of 15 days with rain and August an average of 14 days with rain. Don’t worry though, it’s mostly popup storms and showers, not full days of rain. You’ll still have plenty of beach time for fun in the sun, and there are some great Clearwater Beach rainy day activities if you’re caught with a full day of rain.
These popup thunderstorms most often occur in the late afternoon and often are out of the way before sunset. Florida thunderstorms are caused by hot, humid air pushing towards an area of unstable atmosphere that’s often found near the Florida coasts on hot summer days. Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami described why Florida sees so many thunderstorms in Kim Millers news story, “Florida’s summer thunderstorms are unique, deadly”.
“Land heats faster than water, creating a temperature difference that can be as much as 10 degrees. The warmer, lighter air over land rises and flows toward the sea creating areas of low pressure along the coast. The atmosphere compensates by sending in the cooler, moist sea breeze. It’s replacing the hot air over land but in the act of replacing it’s forcing it to rise. So you get hot juicy air over the peninsula to rise quickly and the leading edge of the sea breeze will act as a trigger for storms to form.”
These frequently forming thunderstorms are often packed with lightning, making them dangerous! Florida has more lightning strikes each year than any other state within the United States. Most of these lightning strikes coming during summer. While all of Florida has a large number of thunderstorms packing lightning during the Florida Thunderstorm season, the area from Clearwater Beach to Orlando and just south of this stretch towards Fort Myers has the highest amount of thunderstorms each year.
The combination of outdoor activities in Florida and the frequent lightning during Florida’s thunderstorm season result in a dangerous situation. When visiting Clearwater Beach or any part of Florida during the summer always keep an eye on the weather and respect the strength of mother nature. Lightning is dangerous. Florida has more lightning-caused deaths each year than any other state. Be sure to stay safe.
Clearwater Beach Lightning Safety
Always check the weather before you head out on the beach. If there’s a storm already building, it’s best to be safe and just stay indoors. If you’re out on the beach, watch for forming clouds. If you’re not sure, ask a lifeguard or watch the Clearwater Beach lifeguard towers. The lifeguard towers fly different colored flags on them to inform people of the conditions. Clearwater Beach Lifeguard Rachel Lersch discussed the flags and what they mean…
“Green: Low Hazard. Most of the time, on Clearwater Beach, we fly the Green flag. Conditions, for the most part, are good at Clearwater. Calm waters, sunny days! Yellow: Medium Hazard. We will fly the yellow flag when there are possibilities of rip currents and rougher than normal waves. As a caution to the beachgoers to be prepared. Red: High Hazard. We will fly the red flag when there are sever conditions. Rip currents, high surf, strong and rough waves are present. Double Red: Water is closed. When the double red is flying we will whistle everyone to get out and stay out of the water! Purple: Dangerous Marine Life. We will fly the purple flags if we know there are stingrays, jellyfish or other possible dangers present.”
Listening to the lifeguards is always important, especially when there’s a thunderstorm in the area. If there’s a storm coming in. Get off the beach, and especially stay out of the water. Lightning doesn’t have it strike you directly if you’re in the ocean lighting striking the water can cause you severe harm and potential death. Water is a good conductor of electricity, stay out of the ocean when storms are in the area.
The safest place to be during a thunderstorm is inside a nearby building. When a storm blows in, take a break from the beach and head back to your Clearwater Beach condo or hotel. If you’re not staying on the island visit some of the nearby shops, restaurants and wait for the storm to pass over. It usually doesn’t take long. If you need to get around during the storm, do not walk from one place to the other. Call Free Beach Rides in the Clearwater Beach area or use a taxi or rideshare service to help you safely travel around during the storm!
Stay safe during thunderstorms and have a wonderful time in Clearwater Beach!
