Florida's Top Family-Friendly Beaches Photo Gallery

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Nicknamed the Pinellas Suncoast, the Clearwater area is located on Florida's west coast, bordered by Tampa Bay to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. With almost 400 miles of shoreline, including 35 miles of soft sands, the region has some of the best beaches in the country.

Clearwater Beach, popular with families, has a covered playground, concessions, and free nightly sunset festivals with street performers and vendors. Caladesi Island State Park, located just north of Clearwater Beach, ranks high for its shelling and swimming. It also has a three-mile nature trail. The 1,100-acre Fort DeSoto Park, ranked as America's top beach for 2005, offers seven miles of undeveloped sands spread out on five islands.

In town, The Pier, jutting out into Tampa Bay, serves as a St. Petersburg's landmark and tourist hub. The five-floor dining-shopping complex includes an aquarium with lots of informative, hands-on exhibits, and educational programs. Outfitters rent poles for fishing along the seawall, as well as tandem bikes seating up to four and Segways (ages 13 and up) for tours.

At Great Explorations, gradeschoolers and young kids make music by slapping different length pipes, create poetry by sticking words on a magnetic board, and learn to navigate with wind by using toy sailboats. Great Beginnings, an area for ages six and younger, has puzzles, costumes, and other hands-on activities.

Older kids, especially teens, will appreciate the Salvador Dalí Museum. From his twisted handlebar mustache to his paintings of melting watches, Dalí's swagger appeals to break-the-rules adolescents searching for their own style. Look out for special exhibits that profile Dalí's life and work, as well as those of artists like Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and others.

At the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Preserve along the shores of St. Pete's Lake Maggiore, look for 'gators sunning on logs, turtles by the shore, and butterflies in the garden. The boardwalk and trails cut through marsh, swamp, woodlands, and sand-pine scrub areas.

Animal-loving kids will also enjoy visiting the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary at Indian Shores. It's the largest non-profit wild bird hospital in the U.S., treating more than 10,000 birds each year, most of which have been hit by cars, tangled in fish lines, or otherwise hurt by humans. About 80 percent of the patients recover sufficiently to fly back into the wild. At any one time, several hundred recuperating seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, and other birds can be seen along with hawks, owls, and sandhill cranes whose injuries prevent them from ever returning to the wild.

Take advantage of the glorious Gulf Coast weather to bike, jog, stroll, and in-line skate along the Pinellas Trail, a paved 34-mile path that stretches from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, a town known for its Greek heritage, sponge diving, and cafés.

Tip: Get out on the water by taking a boat to area state parks on Anclote Key, Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island, and Egmont Key.

Recommended Side Trips: Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota