Sunset Beach is the quiet end of the island. Here's what's within a walk, a 10-minute drive, and a boat ride from the house.
The south end of Treasure Island. White sand, a few beach cottages, and a sunset every night that the whole street comes out for. Not the busy stretch by the big hotels. There's a wagon at the house for the cooler and chairs.
2-min walkTiki bar right on the beach with music most nights. Loud, fun, flip-flops. The kind of place you walk home from.
WalkTables in the sand, big menu, kids welcome. Good for the first morning when nobody's shopped yet.
WalkCasual seafood on the Intracoastal. Walkable from the house, or pull the boat up.
Walk, or by boatLocal brewery and pub a couple of minutes' walk from the house.
2-min walk
Over the Blind Pass bridge and you're there. Corey Avenue for shops and the Sunday market, Gulf Boulevard for everything else.
2 minThe old-Florida end of St. Pete Beach. 8th Avenue, the Hurricane, the Paradise Grille on the sand. Charm you pay for if you buy here, but a free afternoon if you're visiting.
10 minHistoric, pink, on the beach. Go for a drink at the Rowe Bar and the people-watching. You can see it from the balcony at the house, in pieces, between the palms.
10 minNorth end of Treasure Island where it meets Madeira Beach. Touristy on the surface, but Waltz Fish Shak hiding in there is one of the best seafood spots on the beaches: no reservations, menu changes with what came off the docks, closes when the food runs out.
Drive, or by boatThe Dalí, the Pier, Central Avenue. About 20 minutes when the causeway cooperates.
20 minShallow, clear, and ringed with boats on a weekend. Anchor, wade, hunt shells. One of the best spots on this coast for a Saturday with nowhere to be.
By boatAn island at the mouth of Tampa Bay with a Spanish-American War fort, a working lighthouse, and gopher tortoises. Only reachable by boat. Bring water and shoes.
By boatThey cruise the Intracoastal behind the house most mornings and evenings. The host team has named a few.
From the houseOut the pass and you're in open water. Nearshore reefs, then offshore. The fishing page has the details.
By boat
Big kites on the beach by the Community Center, free. One of the best beach days of the year if the wind cooperates.
Walk or short driveThe Rays and the Phillies both train within 30 minutes. Weekday afternoon games, cheap tickets, nobody in a hurry.
30 minIndyCar on the downtown waterfront streets. The whole city turns into a track for a weekend.
20 minOver the beach. Walk down with a blanket.
WalkTaste of the Beaches runs early in the month: dozens of restaurants from Tierra Verde to Clearwater, ten of them with a dock. The seafood festival is the last weekend at John's Pass. Parking is the problem; the free city trolley is the fix.
10 minProfessional sand sculptors on Treasure Island Beach behind the Community Center, the third weekend of November plus an encore over Thanksgiving. Free, fireworks Saturday night, free kids' sand lessons at 11 and 2. College football on the beach Thanksgiving weekend.
Walk, or 5 minOne of the biggest kingfish tournaments in the country, out of Madeira Beach. Friday party, Saturday weigh-in on the bay side at ROC Park, which is best watched from a boat.
10 min, or by boatTreasure Island's runs through Boca Ciega Bay and finishes at John's Pass, around the third Saturday. St. Pete Beach's is the night before and ends near Pass-a-Grille. Madeira Beach's is the weekend before that. Watch from the house, from John's Pass, or take your own boat out and follow it, which is the move.
From the dockAt midnight over Treasure Island Beach by Gulf Front Park. Walkable from the house.
WalkSt. Pete Beach, October through spring, 10 to 2. Produce, bread, a coffee, done.
5 minThe Pier, the Dalí, Central Avenue, the Saturday Morning Market by the marina (9 to 2, go early). Rooftop bars, the museums, a real restaurant scene. SHINE mural festival in November, Shopapalooza and the Santa Parade Thanksgiving weekend, holiday lights in the waterfront parks through New Year's.
20 minSmall, artsy, on the bay. The Night Market on Beach Boulevard runs first Fridays and third Saturdays, 5 to 9, and ends at the Casino on the water.
15 minWeekend art marts next to the Paradise Grille, and the Merry Pier with a bait shop. Fish, buy something, stay for sunset.
10 minClearwater Marine Aquarium, Pier 60 at sunset, and the Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park in October. Worth one day, not every day.
40 minBusch Gardens, the Riverwalk, Sparkman Wharf, Ybor City, the Lightning at Amalie. Gasparilla in late January is the big one: pirates invade by boat, the city loses its mind.
45 minWinter (Dec to Feb): 60s and 70s, dry, the Gulf is cool for swimming but the beach is perfect. Peak season, book early.
Spring (Mar to May): the best stretch. Warm water, low humidity, long days. Spring break crowds in March, calmer by April.
Summer (Jun to Aug): hot, humid, afternoon storms that pass in an hour. The Gulf is bathwater. Mornings on the boat, pool-less afternoons under the covered balcony.
Fall (Sep to Nov): September is the locals' secret, hot but empty. October and November cool off and the water's still warm. Boating season runs until about December.
The beach, mostly. Sunset Beach on the south end is the quiet, local stretch. From there: Ka'Tiki and Caddy's on the sand, John's Pass Village on the north end, St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille 2 to 10 minutes south, and by boat, Shell Key and Egmont Key.
Yes. It's a small, tight-knit beach town with calm Gulf water, a long paved beach trail, and a lot of local events. The house has a sandbox, yard games, paddle boards and a wagon for the beach.
The Intracoastal behind Sunset Beach. From this house, the balcony. They come through most mornings and evenings.
St. Pete Beach is about 2 minutes over the Blind Pass bridge. Pass-a-Grille and the Don CeSar are about 10 minutes.
April and May for weather. September if you want the island to yourself. December through March is peak season and books up first.
Kite Festival in January, fireworks July 4, Sanding Ovations sand sculpting in November, the lighted boat parade in December, and New Year's Eve fireworks on the beach. Most are on the beach and free.
Downtown St. Pete is about 20 minutes. Tampa is about 45. Clearwater Beach is about 40.
There are ferries and charters out of Fort De Soto and Pass-a-Grille. With your own boat at the house's dock, Shell Key is a short run.
Brand-new waterfront house on Sunset Beach, Treasure Island. Sleeps 8. Bring the boat.