Our Travels >> Tampa Bay

In late April 2005, we took a day trip around Tampa Bay, incl. the beaches and barrier islands. Our first stop was Channelside, a shopping district near the Port of Tampa. We visited the beautiful courtyard there (didn't quite have time to do much shopping), and looked at the cruiseships. They really are incredibly large. We didn't stop at the Aquarium (because we had already visited it on other occasions), but took the trolley into Ybor City and back.

After leaving Channelside, we took Bayshore to the Gandy bridge. Upon arriving in Pinellas County/St. Petersburg, we went down 4th Street, but as that was taking forever, we ended up taking I-275 to the Pinellas Bayway, and then going around Pass-A-Grille. It is such a gorgeous area. Water on both sides, beautiful beaches, nice houses... Breathtaking. We then went north on Gulf Blvd., and passed St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island on the way. This is mainly just one long road, with million-dollar mansions, small picturesque island-style houses, and condo towers on either side. As we passed through John's Pass, we stopped at the boardwalk, had some ice cream (if you ever stop there, be sure to visit Sweet Licks Ice Cream. They serve Edy's ice cream. It is delicious.). Then we walked by the shopping village. There are an awful lot of shops there, and there was no way to visit them all.

We left John's Pass and continued north on Gulf Blvd., passing by Madeira Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, and Sand Key, until we reached Clearwater Beach. Once there, we looked for a new camera battery (if you're out, it's good to know that there's a CVS Pharmacy on Mandalay Ave. I'm sure glad it was there), found a parking spot at the last minute, and headed to Dolphin Encounter. If you ever go, don't worry about parking. The Dolphin Encounter people will give you a permit that overrides the meter. The staff was really nice and even waited for us, though we were late. The cruise was good, we saw many dolphins, incl. some right as we undocked. As the boat left the quiet waters of the Clearwater Harbor, it headed into the Gulf, and the wind picked up. The boat rocked from side to side, and water splashed on the deck a few times. Fortunately, the middle of the boat is a safe place where the boat rocks least. The staff was again very helpful, and if you're looking for a dolphin cruise, I highly recommend this one. Most of the travel literature you'll find on your way (incl. in the John's Pass shopping village) includes a 15% off coupon, so be sure to find one before you go. They will also take your picture as you get on the boat, and you can buy that for $8 at the end of the trip. It's a nice souvenir.

At the end of the day, we headed to a restaurant on the beach around sunset. Unfortunately, by that time, the clouds had moved in, and the sunset wasn't anything to look forward to. Still, it was a nice ending to the day. Enjoy the pics (and please remember they're my own pics, so don't steal them).

Click on the thumbnails to view full size photos.
Please note: Most of the pictures also have comments you'll find if you move your mouse over the thumbnail.


Channelside District (Tampa)

Channelside District (Tampa)

Channelside District and the cruise terminals

Cruise terminals		Ybor City

Bayshore Blvd. (Tampa)		Along the Gandy Bridge (Tampa to St. Pete)

Don Cesar	Pass-a-Grille, St. Pete Beach

Pass-A-Grille		Along Gulf Blvd.	John's Pass

John's Pass Boardwalk

John's Pass Village		Clearwater Beach

Marina	On the Dolphin Encounter boat

On Dolphin Encounter boat		Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach			Tampa