If you prefer to do your fishing in the open sea, check out one of the many deep-sea fishing charters at Clearwater Marina, home of the largest recreational fishing fleet on the West Coast of Florida. You can spend the entire day fishing on the spacious Queen Fleet for a mere $42, or make it half-day for only $30. Rod rental is just $3, and the bait charge is included. If you'd rather spend your time sightseeing, Queen Fleet can take you out for under $10. Visit their web site for more information. If fishing isn't your thing, take an exciting ride on the 50-foot catamaran Kai-Lani, try fantasy and party cruises aboard Captain Memo's Pirate ship or head out on the world's largest speed boat, the Sea Screamer, where dolphin sightings are guaranteed.

Once you've returned to shore, learn about the native marine life you may have seen during your sea adventure at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. There you can see rescued dolphin, otters and sea turtles and even touch stingrays, starfish, sea urchins and other marine invertebrates.

For those of you who want to enjoy some land-based fun, bring the kids to Celebration Station for go-karts, video games, and miniature golfing. Boatyard Village is an interesting and realistic recreation of a 19th century fishing village with many shops and restaurants to visit while looking around.

Birds are frequent guests at the hotels along Clearwater Beach

Feeling energetic? Hit the pavement running, biking or roller-blading on the Pinellas Trail, the longest and most recognized urban trail in the U.S. With 34 miles of boardwalk winding through parks, waterways and neighborhoods, you'll never run out of room to ride!

If you prefer to walk, the three-mile trek to Caladesi Island is worth the effort (or you can always take the ferry). Ranked the sixth-finest beach in the United States, Caladesi Island offers an undisturbed natural habitat for its variety of nesting Osprey, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron and many other species of bird, making it one of the best birding areas in Southwest Florida.

To visit another top-rated beach, take a short hike South over the bridge to Sand Key. Sand Key is the island that starts at Sand Key County Beach Park in the north and runs 12 miles down to John's Pass (end of Madeira Beach). Not a city per se, the term Sand Key is often used to refer to the section of Clearwater Beach south of Sand Key Park. This park was ranked in 1997 as one of the top 20 beaches in the nation by "Dr. Beach", a.k.a. Dr. Stephen Leatherman.

After the sun sets, the party is just beginning at Clearwater Beach's local hot spots. Listen to reggae music at Shepard's Tiki Bar or sample from a selection of over 100 beers at O'Keefe's Tavern & Restaurant.

Whether you're spending your spring vacation or winter holidays in Clearwater Beach, you're sure to find some sort of seasonal festival going on. Celebrate the beginning of summer with 100,000 other beach fans at the Fun 'n Sun Festival. This May celebration is marked by local musicians, sports competitions, plenty of free food and the highlight of the event, a lighted boat parade. Jazz fans will not want to miss the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday in October. Four days and nights of the finest jazz musicians makes this event the largest free jazz festival in the Southeastern United States. Spending your holidays at the beach? Enjoy a free holiday walking light display at sunset on Pier 60 the entire month of December.

You'll never have a hard time finding something to do in Clearwater Beach, and even better you can walk to it all!