Family days in Clearwater sort into three buckets: the barrier island, where Pier 60, the sand and the boat trips are; the mainland, where the free parks, the library and the ballpark sit; and the indoor backups you’ll want when an afternoon storm rolls in. Most of the best things to do in Clearwater, FL with kids cost little or nothing, and the marine aquarium sits just off the causeway, a short hop from the beach playground. This guide covers outdoor days, rainy-day plans, short drives, and the parking and weather details that decide how the day actually goes.
The Beach Island and the Mainland: A Family Map of Clearwater
Clearwater is really two places joined by the Memorial Causeway. To the west sits the barrier island: Clearwater Beach, Pier 60, the resorts and the marina where the boat tours leave. To the east lies the mainland, with downtown, Coachman Park, the city parks and the indoor play places strung along US 19 and Gulf to Bay Boulevard.
That split matters more with children than without them. The island is walkable once you’ve parked, and parking is the hardest part of any beach day. The mainland is cheaper and easier to park, but you’ll need a car to string stops together. Sand Key, the condo island just south across the bridge, splits the difference.
Beach and Boat Days on the Barrier Island
Clearwater Beach is a wide, soft white-sand beach facing due west, so this is a sunset beach, and it was named the #1 beach in Florida and #2 in the U.S. in Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice awards. The city says lifeguards are on duty daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with towers staffed by season and weather, according to its beach rules page. Umbrella and cabana rentals run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the jetty and north of Pier 60, and the city’s rental rates are lower from 3 to 5 p.m.
Pier 60 is the free anchor for younger kids. Beside the 1,080-foot fishing pier sits a large covered playground with swings, a small play structure for little ones and a big climbing frame for older kids, and the shade matters from May through September. The front of the pier reopened after the 2024 hurricanes while the "T" end stayed closed for repairs, so don’t promise anyone the full walk out. Every night of the year, weather permitting, Sunsets at Pier 60 brings street performers and local artisans from 2 hours before to 2 hours after sunset, and it’s free. The Wheel of Lights, a 90-foot LED Ferris wheel near the pier, adds a 15-minute ride with a view, and Captain Bligh’s Landing, a mini golf course at 630 South Gulfview Boulevard, opens 7 days a week into the evening for kids who aren’t done yet.
Sand Key Park is the calmer beach day. Pinellas County lists 95 acres with the same white sand plus a playground, a dog park, a boardwalk and nature trail, and two picnic shelters with grills. Gates open 7 a.m. to sunset, parking is $6, lifeguards work in summer, beach wheelchairs are available, and sea turtles nest from April through October.
Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise is the 2-hour trip children actually remember: water gun battles, a treasure hunt, face painting, pirate stories, cannon fire and pirate certificates. The operator sails from the Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina at 25 Causeway Boulevard and asks guests to arrive an hour early. Departure times change with the season, so check the schedule before you plan the day around one.
Dolphin watching runs from the same marina, where the shark-shaped Mega Bite boat and The Tropics Boat Tours both run narrated trips out into Clearwater Harbor. Plenty of local families keep their own boat instead, and boat storage in Clearwater is where it waits out the weeks between trips. Parasailing and jet ski age rules vary by operator, so ask before you book.
Mainland Parks, Playgrounds and Ballpark Nights
The mainland is where a Clearwater family day gets cheap. Coachman Park, the rebuilt waterfront park at 300 Cleveland Street, has a pirate-themed playground, a large year-round splash pad with 68 nozzles and four vertical fountains, and a lake with a pedestrian bridge, with The BayCare Sound amphitheater on site hosting concerts. The Marina lot beside the park charges $2.25 an hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, but most other downtown lots cost 75 cents an hour on weekday daytimes and are free after 6 p.m. and on weekends, according to the city’s Coachman Park parking page. The Clearwater Main Library sits alongside, and its children’s floor takes up the whole second story, with a big wooden boat to climb on and a puppet theater. Together they’re the best free half-day in the city.
Moccasin Lake Nature Park gives you trails and boardwalks under mature oaks, a sanctuary for injured birds of prey and a nature center that runs classes, programs and camps. It’s free and shaded, which is the whole argument in July, though it’s open Tuesday through Sunday only. Crest Lake Park in central Clearwater is the other free stop, with a playground, dog parks, paved walking trails and picnic grills. Its splash pad is out of order until further notice, so don’t pack swimsuits for it.
BayCare Ballpark on Old Coachman Road is the mainland standby with a ticket price. It’s the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies, with home games from late February through March, and the Clearwater Threshers play there April through September. The grass berm and a kids’ play area mean nobody has to sit still for nine innings, and the Threshers’ Dollar Tuesdays bring $1 berm seats and $1 hot dogs, which makes a family evening genuinely cheap.
Indoor Backups for Rain, Heat and Afternoon Storms
Clearwater’s summer pattern is a hot morning and a thunderstorm in the afternoon, so a rainy-day plan isn’t optional. Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Island Estates is the strongest one, a working rescue and rehabilitation center rather than a display aquarium, with resident dolphins, sea lions, sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and otters, plus Pinniped Pier and the Tales of Winter the Dolphin exhibit. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winter died in 2021, so that exhibit is a memorial, which is worth telling children before you go.
Celebration Station on US 19 North is the default when school-age kids need to burn off energy, with mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats, batting cages, laser tag and an arcade on one site. The go-karts, boats, golf and cages are outdoors, so on a stormy afternoon it’s really laser tag and the arcade. Countryside Mall does the indoor job better, with a full-size ice rink, a 12-screen CMX cinema and a children’s play space. For walkers, its doors open at 9:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, which is the quiet window with toddlers.
Younger and older kids each get a specific option. Munchkin Town on US 19 keeps open play to children 5 and under, so toddlers aren’t steamrollered by bigger kids, and it’s closed to open play on Sundays. The Escape Ventures at 620 Lakeview Road runs two 90-minute rooms, a magician’s mystery and a tattoo parlor, that suit older children and teenagers who like puzzles.
Short Drives Worth the Car Seat Argument
Three trips outside the city earn their drive time. Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, north of Clearwater, has more than 4 miles of beach and a 3-mile trail through virgin slash pine, plus the ferry to undeveloped Caladesi Island. Go early on busy weekends.
The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo cover 150 acres, open daily 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cost nothing, and Heritage Village, the county’s free open-air history museum, sits nearby. The two make one free morning, though Heritage Village keeps narrower days than a typical museum: Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park is the big-ticket option across the bay, with more than 1,100 animals, rides included in single-day admission and a Manatee Critical Care Center. For longer runs, our guide to day trips from Clearwater sorts them by drive time.
Parking, Traffic and Weather: The Practical Part
Beach parking is the single biggest variable in a Clearwater family day. City lots on the island cost $3.50 an hour from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to the city’s beach parking page, and they fill early on weekends and through spring break. Two workarounds beat circling: park downtown and take the Clearwater Ferry across, which sails Thursday through Sunday between downtown, the beach marina near Pier 60 and Dunedin, or use the Jolley Trolley, which runs year-round, lets children 8 and under ride free and gives free rides with a room key at several partner resorts.
Weather sets the schedule from June through September. Highs sit near 90°F with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms, so front-load the outdoor plan and hold the indoor one for after lunch. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Our guide to the best time to visit Clearwater breaks the calendar down month by month.
Two city pools are worth knowing about. The Long Center’s indoor pools reopened July 31, 2026 after a long renovation, and the outdoor pools at Morningside Recreation Complex, including a kiddie pool, close for the 2026 season on September 27. Salt and humidity are hard on gear here, and climate-controlled storage in Clearwater is where a lot of families park the strollers and holiday bins that a hot garage would ruin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clearwater good for kids?
Yes, and it’s unusually good for a beach town. Lifeguards work the main beach daily, Pier 60 has a free covered playground, the marine aquarium is a genuine rescue center rather than a show, and Coachman Park plus the main library make a full free morning. The real constraints are beach parking and summer afternoon storms, both manageable if you plan around them.
Is Clearwater or St. Pete better for families?
Clearwater wins on beach quality and on having its family attractions clustered near the sand. St. Petersburg wins on museums, including Great Explorations Children’s Museum, which is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative’s Library Museum Pass program for free family admission. Most families based in Clearwater treat St. Petersburg as a day trip rather than choosing between them.
What are the cheapest things to do in Clearwater with kids?
Coachman Park’s splash pad and playground, the Clearwater Main Library children’s floor, Crest Lake Park, Moccasin Lake Nature Park, Heritage Village and the Florida Botanical Gardens are all free. The Sunsets at Pier 60 festival is free every evening of the year, weather permitting, and Clearwater Threshers Dollar Tuesdays at BayCare Ballpark are close to it. Sand Key Park costs $6 to park and nothing to enter.
What’s the best time to visit Clearwater with family?
November through April is the dry, mild season. March is the busiest month, since spring break and Phillies spring training land together, so April and November are the easier picks if crowds bother you, and November is the driest month of the year. June through September brings heat and near-daily afternoon storms, but the indoor backups above keep those days workable.
What are the best hotels in Clearwater for families?
The Clearwater Beach Sheraton Resort on Sand Key is the local family pick, with a kids’ pool, a playground, Sand Key Park next door and free Jolley Trolley rides on a room key. Sandpearl Resort has a zero-entry lagoon pool, Camp Ridley for ages 5 to 10 and s’mores by the beach bonfire at sundown. Our guide to hotels in Clearwater compares them by budget and location.
Storage Space for Families Who Live Near the Water
Value Store It runs two Clearwater facilities, both month-to-month with no long-term contract, which suits gear that only matters half the year. The Clearwater location carries the deeper range. A 5×5 locker, about the size of a small closet, takes holiday bins and seasonal gear, while a 5×10 unit or a 10×5 space holds the contents of one room, bikes, beach wagons and paddleboards included. A 5×15 unit takes a studio apartment, and a 10×10 unit holds a one-bedroom apartment’s furniture. For a family mid-move, 10×15 units fit a two-bedroom apartment, 10×20 units a three-bedroom home and a 10×30 unit a four-bedroom home, and there’s car storage for the vehicle that keeps losing the driveway.
Clearwater II covers the everyday sizes for families nearer to it. A 5×5 locker there swallows the holiday bins, a 5×10 or a 10×5 clears one room of bikes and beach kit, and a 10×10 holds a one-bedroom apartment. A 10×15 fits a two-bedroom apartment and a 10×20 a three-bedroom home, and the site keeps its own climate-controlled units for anything the salt air would otherwise get to. If you’re not sure which size fits what you own, the storage unit size calculator settles it faster than guessing.
Once the beach gear has somewhere to live, the rest of the city opens up, and our wider guide to things to do in Clearwater picks up where this one stops.
