Marine Exhibits and the Arts in Clearwater FL

The final destination on our tour of Florida was Clearwater, home of the famous Dolphin Tale aquarium. The drive from Orlando to this Gulf Coast town was about two hours.

When we arrived we checked into our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach, situated between the Gulf of Mexico and Clearwater Bay. The hotel is not only oceanfront, but also close to shopping, dining and Pier 60 (known for its sunset celebrations).

The first day was spent enjoying the beach with its white powder sand and unique shells. We also spent some time at the Hyatt pool where my daughter not only swam, but also participated in two kid’s club activities available in the pool deck area. The scavenger hunt she participated in was free while the tile painting was $5.

The rooms at the Hyatt Regency are set up more like condos than hotel rooms and include a full kitchen, dining and living area. We took advantage of the kitchen and a break from dining out and ate dinner in our room. Then, we headed to the beach to take a walk and watch the sunset. The entire beach was crowded with visitors lined up with cameras to capture the sun setting over the ocean. Nearby, the entertainment at Pier 60 was in full swing. The local pier offers free nightly sunset celebrations from 6:30-10:30 featuring live music, artisans and street performers.

Clearwater Aquarium was on the agenda for our second day. My daughter was so excited to visit Winter and Hope, the dolphins made famous by the Dolphin Tale movies. In addition to dolphin and other sea creature viewing, admission to the aquarium also includes informational presentations throughout the day, touch tanks, surgical suite viewing, a short feature about Winter and a Dolphin Tale movie experience. We learned a lot about the aquarium and its mission to rehabilitate animals and educate the public about protecting marine life. My daughter was thrilled to be able to interact with the staff at the aquarium, touch one of Winter’s prosthetic tails and come eye to eye with Winter and Hope in the dolphin viewing area.

After spending time in the Aquarium and Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure Exhibit, we boarded a boat for a Sea Life Safari lead by educators from the aquarium. The boat trip was an educational as well as exciting experience. We were lucky enough to see dolphins in Clearwater Bay and learned about other sea life that is native to the area. The boat tour was not included in the aquarium admission but was worth the extra cost.  It was a great way to end our day at Clearwater Aquarium.

On our final day in the Clearwater area, we decided to take a little drive into St. Petersburg to take in some art at The Dali Museum. Salvador Dali has always been one of my favorite artists so I was excited to go but was unsure if it would be interesting for my 6 year old daughter. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the museum offers a scavenger hunt for children with a special audio tour for them. My husband and I enjoyed the adult audio tour while my daughter loved finding the moustaches that signaled her to play her audio. The collection of art pieces was very impressive and we all enjoyed our time exploring the arts.

The Clearwater area of Florida has a lot to offer for families.  From the marine activities and the arts to the fabulous sunsets at night, this is a great spot to visit.