Diving into Clearwater Beach

"Ya wan 'nutha bawket?" asked the British bartender from Liverpool as I scanned the walls of The Shipwreck in Clearwater Beach. I duly noted the kitschy pirate flags, life rings, and skulls proudly albeit precariously hanging. This was the kind of place straight out of the Eighties comedy Summer Rental with John Candy. "Sure" I said, and popped the top off a cold Yuengling beer as I reveled in the atmosphere of the Shipwreck, a bar that, like Clearwater Beach, has a few miles on it and might be a wee bit past it's prime, but is still a fantastic time.

I arrived in the Tampa Bay metro area in late April, which has to be the perfect time of the year for Florida. The summer heat has yet to arrive, and the sunshine is crisp followed by cool and clear nights, or at least that is what I always imagined. After nearly escaping the full on sales assault of the car rental attendant which seemed to include every possible extra and add-on short of alligator collision insurance, I rolled onto the Florida asphalt. I sported a ruby red Kia Spectra with manual windows and manual locks and headed westbound on the Courtney Campbell Causeway to Clearwater Beach. Driving on the Courtney Campbell Causeway is a great if not basic introduction to the area. I am a sucker for skylines, and feel like when you get a few seconds to stare at a city's skyline, that is when you have truly arrived in a place. Glancing to my left, I could see downtown Tampa's skyline in all it's glory, seemingly just hovering over Tampa Bay, which surrounded the causeway on both sides.

After arriving in Clearwater Beach, I headed out for lunch at a place that had been recommended to me by family, friends, and the internet search engines; Frenchy's Rockaway. Founded by a French-Canadian gentlemen in 1981, the humble beach side shack is actually one of four locations in Clearwater Beach. Frenchy's plays the part of a beach bar well with cold beer on tap, a myriad of fried appetizers (the coconut shrimp are a highlight), a signature grouper sandwich, and cheesy tourist shirts for sale. The staff is friendly enough although it may be perpetually locked in a love/hate relationship with tourists.

Just down the dunes from Frenchy's is the Palm Pavilion, sharing the same view of the Gulf of Mexico, but with a much different vibe than Frenchy's. The Palm, as I will assume it is nicknamed, has a little more of sophisticated vibe choosing to go with a white paint for the outside as opposed to the pointed pink of Frenchy's. The Palm gives off more of a "back deck" atmosphere with a laid back acoustic one-man-band playing the night I was there. The highlight of the day at both of these beach spots is the sunset. Tourists and locals alike gather around to cheers the sun as it dips into the salty sea for the night.

Now, of course there is more to Clearwater Beach than the three beach side bars I have mentioned so far. The beaches in Clearwater Beach are fabulous, although I will still give the panhandle's Emerald Coast a slight edge due to slightly more translucent water and finer, softer sand. Pier 60 extends out into the Gulf of Mexico and is practically begging for a hand-in-hand walk late at night. It is open 24/7 in the summer. As you stroll the pier, you can see a huge pirate ship off in the distance, which it turns out is available for cruises. Captain Memo's Pirate Ship is actually only 16 years old and the only buccaneers who have probably ridden on her may have been of the NFL variety, but I cannot think of a more fun afternoon for a family in Clearwater Beach. Of course, if you need to stock up on tacky cover-ups that have the outline of a bikini on them or a t-shirt with a beer reference on it, Clearwater Beach has you covered, with a host of souvenir shops. Clearwater Beach will never be confused with an elite retreat for the stars, and I think that is part of it's appeal.

As I turned over the last beer and stuck it head-first into the plastic white bucket which was now half-filled with ice and water, I ordered another, and plan on ordering another weekend in Clearwater Beach at some point in the future, and I suggest you do as well!

The Shipwreck
http://shipwreckbarclearwaterbeach.com/

Palm Pavilion
http://www.palmpavilion.com/default.html

Frenchy's Rockaway
http://www.frenchysonline.com/rock_index.html

Capt Memo's Pirate Cruise
http://www.captmemo.com

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