clearwater beach
 

We will be staying with relatives in newport richey during easter week.The kids want to go one day to clearwater beach,there 16&14.I know from past experiance the traffic will be horrendous.Does anyone know the best route to the beach. Thanks, Also where is the best place to park.

You have two choices-drive slowly along "Alternate 19" south to "60, which also goes by the name "Gulf to Bay" or go slowly along "US 19" and same thing turn east on "60 or Gulf to Bay." Lots of tourists here then and spring breakers. Either way is bad but I would use alternate 19-US 19 is undergoing construction. The only other option is to convince them to go to Dunedin Beach-it would be closer and is pretty nice. Its between Palm Harbor and Clearwater Beach. Tarpon Springs has some nice shops too if you have never made it there.

When you hit the roundabout at Clearwater beach,go to the right. It is much less crowded. You can park in meter parking at one of the side streets or if you're lucky you'll find a spot in the Public Beach Parking.

I agree with both of these suggestions. Do NOT take US-19 all the way down - as you get close to Tarpon Springs, you'll be able to go to the right to take Alt US-19. And yes, when you go around the roundabout, we always go to the right and manage to find a spot somewhere - if you go to the left, it's just awful.

The "Dunedin Beach" is actually called Honeymoon Island. Take a right from Alt. 19 at Curlew Rd. You will go across the Dunedin Causeway and then pay a $5 toll to get onto Honeymoon Island. Go to the MAIN beach - which is marked at the first stop sign after the toll booth. Go to the left and you will find a nice sandy beach where the locals hang out.
The little beach at Tarpon Springs is Howard Park. It is really backed up these days and I would not recommend it on a weekend at all.
But, that is not your question is it? Honeymoon Island does not have the action/shops,restaurants nor crowd that Clearwater Beach has. Just nice white sand and beautiful blue water....maybe you should not go there - it is really too crowed for us locals these days anyway! Ha.
If their hearts are set on Clearwater Beach (I do love it), get the kids up by 8, get out the door by 9:00 and you just might make it to the beach before 10:30 a.m Later than that and you will be creeping along with the thousands of other Spring Breakers. OR, go around 3:30 in the afternoon, when everyone else is leaving, fry yourselves to a crisp for 2-3 hours, eat supper on the beach and watch the wonderful sunset! Go to the Clearwater Beach Pier at/after sunset and watch the fire eater, magician, mingle with the vendors, watch the stars come out, etc. Drive home with no crowd.
To go from NPR to CB take US 19 to Alt. 19 and follow it through Tarpon Springs, Dunedin and Clearwater. Follow the signs to the beach. You will drive over the big bridge, a causeway, and yes, turn right at the second exit off the roundabout. Go past the huge $$$$ condos that are being built on the beach and park in the lot behind the fire station, or just past it out on the street. You will need lots of quarters to feed the meters. I like to eat at Palm Pavilion at the north end of the parking lot. Frenchy's is at the south end but always packed and really not worth the wait. Palm is also busy/packed at times, but has more tables. They both look at the same water and sand, both have live musicians, both have great grouper sandwiches.
If when you first get over the causeway you decide to turn right at the 3rd exit on the roundabout you will be going south on Clearwater Beach and there are a lot of restaurants, more public parking (pay when you leave the lots - no quarters needed) and huge traffic jams....just consider it part of the fun, take you time and WEAR SUNSCREEN!! Don't ruin your visit with a terrible sunburn - whch can happen in 45 minutes if you don't wear sunscreen. Welcome and enjoy! Spend lots of money! We need the tax revenue. LOL Bye the way, the snow birds will be gone by then and also lots of the Spring Breakers will have gone back north, so you will not be here in the peak weeks. It can take well over an hour to go 12 miles on Hwy. 60 sometimes these days.