Apollo Beach doesn’t sit on the sugar-white coastlines that get all the postcards—but it’s surrounded by a surprising range of beaches if you’re willing to explore a little. Some are scrappy. Some are wild. A few feel like they belong to another decade.
I set out with a loose plan—drive, wander, snack, see what the water looked like on different sides of the bay. What I found were quiet pockets and loud ones, places where seagulls outnumbered people, and others where you’d swear a beach wedding and a volleyball tournament had collided.
The beaches around Apollo Beach offered contrasts: shallow Gulf stillness, barrier island winds, family cookouts under palms. I brought my own food, my own pace, and let the coastline unfold one shore at a time.
Best Beaches Around Apollo Beach, FL
Ben T. Davis Beach
“Did I just park next to a runway or a beach?” I thought, stepping out of the car just off the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Ben T. Davis Beach sits between highway and bay, closer to downtown Tampa than most people expect a beach to be.
But once I got past the sound of planes and trucks, I found something soft around the edges. The sand was golden and a little coarse, the kind that sticks to damp feet and beach bags. Families were grilling, music playing from parked SUVs. The smell of charcoal and coconut sunscreen mingled in the air.
I brought a quinoa salad from home—red pepper, black beans, cilantro, lime. The lime had softened the edges of everything, and the beans had that chilled firmness that made each bite feel substantial. I sat on a low sea wall, watching a paddleboarder try to balance against a current that didn’t seem to care.
“It’s not quiet,” I thought, “but it’s real.”
Ben T. Davis Beach At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: ~40 minutes
- Address: 7740 W Courtney Campbell Cswy, Tampa, FL 33607
- Best Time to Visit: Weekday mornings for parking and calm
- Vibe: Urban, lively, bring-your-own-vibes
- Highlights: Bay views, quick access, people-watching
- Facilities: Restrooms, grills, limited parking
- Cost: Small parking fee
- Hours: 8am–sunset
- Food Nearby: Bring your own or detour into Tampa
Honeymoon Island State Park
The drive to Honeymoon Island felt like an unraveling. Suburbs gave way to tall pines, and suddenly I was across a causeway, wind pouring in through the windows. I parked, stepped into the sun, and immediately noticed how still it felt—how far away the city had gotten without me noticing.
The beach was long and narrow in some places, wide and wild in others. Driftwood. Gulls. A piece of sea sponge drying like it had nowhere else to be. The water was calm, the waves small and deliberate. I walked the north end trail before settling near the rocky shoreline.
Lunch was a tomato and mozzarella sandwich with olive oil and cracked pepper on sourdough. The tomatoes had just enough give, the bread chewy, the olive oil starting to soak through the wax paper in the best way. I ate while watching a family dig for shells and a kid proudly show off a broken one like it was gold.
“I don’t need to do anything here,” I thought, “except be.”
Honeymoon Island State Park At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: ~1 hour 20 minutes
- Address: 1 Causeway Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698
- Best Time to Visit: Midweek or early morning
- Vibe: Natural, quiet, restorative
- Highlights: Long beach walks, shells, nature trails
- Facilities: Restrooms, showers, snack bar, picnic areas
- Cost: $8 per vehicle
- Hours: 8am–sunset
- Food Nearby: Bring your own, or eat in Dunedin
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach doesn’t sneak up on you. It announces itself—loud, bright, and buzzing with people who came here to feel something. And I did too, even if what I felt most at first was slightly overwhelmed.
I walked the length of the beach near Pier 60, passing sunscreened toddlers, souvenir stands, and a guy doing magic tricks for tips. The sand was almost blinding in the sun—fine, white, soft enough to sink into but firm underfoot. The water was calm and warm and full of laughter.
I picked up fish tacos from Badfins Food + Brew—grilled mahi, citrus slaw, and a mango-lime drizzle that was more flavorful than I expected. The fish was flaky, the slaw crisp, and I ate them at a shady table near the promenade while a street musician played acoustic covers a little off-key.
“This place isn’t trying to be peaceful,” I thought, “it’s trying to be fun—and succeeding.”
Clearwater Beach At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: ~1 hour 10 minutes
- Address: 1 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
- Best Time to Visit: Early morning or after 6pm
- Vibe: High-energy, touristy, iconic
- Highlights: Pier 60, white sand, people-watching, sunsets
- Facilities: Restrooms, showers, lifeguards, rentals, restaurants
- Cost: Metered parking
- Hours: 6am–10pm
- Food Nearby: Badfins, Frenchy’s, Palm Pavilion
Indian Rocks Beach
I needed something slower after Clearwater, and Indian Rocks was the answer. The town felt like it had time. No pressure. Just low-rise cottages, a few sleepy gift shops, and streets with names like “Gulf Blvd” that seemed more suggestion than direction.
The beach had a narrow stretch of sand and small waves, and for long minutes at a time I was alone with only the soft slap of water and the rustle of sea oats behind me. A man walked past with a metal detector. No one spoke above a murmur.
I grabbed a veggie sandwich from Sandy’s in town—avocado, sprouts, tomato, cucumber on toasted multigrain. It tasted clean, like a good beach lunch should: no fuss, no heat, no wrapper drama. I ate on a towel with sand between my toes and a gull standing exactly six feet away, waiting for a crumb I didn’t drop.
“This is where I’d go to think,” I thought, “or to not think at all.”
Indian Rocks Beach At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: ~1 hour
- Address: Gulf Blvd, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
- Best Time to Visit: Mid-morning or late afternoon
- Vibe: Calm, low-key, walkable
- Highlights: Peaceful vibe, easy beach access, no crowds
- Facilities: Limited—some restrooms and showers
- Cost: Metered street parking
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Food Nearby: Sandy’s, Keegan’s, Guppy’s
St Pete Beach
“This feels like a beach that’s been around the block,” I thought, walking under the shade of low palms and neon motel signs. St. Pete Beach had personality. A mix of retirees on lounge chairs, families with plastic shovels, and teens chasing frisbees in the surf.
The sand was soft and pale, and the water shallow and inviting. The breeze came in steady, and the scent of coconut oil and grilled fish hung over everything like a veil. This beach didn’t ask you to slow down—it assumed you already had.
I stopped for lunch at Paradise Grille and grabbed a grouper sandwich. The fish was flaky, hot, and just greasy enough to make the foil wrapper translucent in spots. It smelled like lemon and fried batter and beach air. I ate on a wooden bench as a pelican landed nearby like he had a reservation.
“This beach remembers a different time,” I thought, “but it’s not in any rush to change.”
St. Pete Beach At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: ~1 hour
- Address: Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
- Best Time to Visit: Early evening or weekday mornings
- Vibe: Classic, lively, slightly retro
- Highlights: Walkable town, good food, wide shoreline
- Facilities: Restrooms, showers, food stands, rentals
- Cost: Paid parking
- Hours: 8am–sunset
- Food Nearby: Paradise Grille, Rick’s Reef, Woody’s Waterfront
Beer Can Island
“This might be the only beach I’ve visited by pontoon,” I thought, stepping off the boat onto the soft, shifting sandbar that is Beer Can Island—also known as Pine Key. It’s not the secret it used to be. There’s music, flags, inflatable flamingos, and boats anchored like they’re claiming their own slices of weekend territory.
There’s no road here. You get there by boat, jet ski, or goodwill. But once you're there, it’s a floating beach town—sand, sun, music, and good spirits. I wandered past a pop-up tiki bar, beach games, and kids splashing in calf-deep water like it was their own backyard pool.
I’d packed a pressed veggie panini—grilled eggplant, red pepper, spinach, and basil pesto. By the time I unwrapped it, the edges were warm from the sun and the whole thing smelled like olive oil and salt air. I ate it perched on the back of the boat, toes dangling, music thumping from someone else’s speaker.
“It’s not peaceful,” I thought, “but it’s oddly joyful.”
Beer Can Island (Pine Key) At a Glance
- Access: Boat or watercraft only (no roads)
- Location: Tampa Bay, just offshore from Apollo Beach
- Best Time to Visit: Weekend afternoons for full vibe, weekdays for calm
- Vibe: Social, boat-party, floating bar energy
- Highlights: Sandbars, shallow water, floating tiki bar
- Facilities: Limited; seasonal bar, sometimes restrooms on boats
- Cost: No entry fee, but boat access required
- Hours: Daylight hours
- Food Nearby: Bring your own—there’s nowhere to buy on the island
Apollo Beach Nature Preserve
I saved this one for last—not because it was the most spectacular, but because it was the closest. Just a few minutes from where I started, the Apollo Beach Nature Preserve felt quiet and sure of itself. No signs begging for attention. No snack bars or surf shops. Just a curve of sand, a view of the power plant, and mangroves holding the shoreline together.
A handful of people sat in folding chairs. Someone with binoculars tracked a heron across the bay. The water was shallow and mostly still, a place for thinking more than swimming. I found a shaded bench and settled in.
Lunch was humble: boiled eggs, crackers, apple slices. The eggs were cold and salty, the apple crisp and sweet with that faint citrus tang Florida apples sometimes pick up. I didn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t need to.
“Sometimes the best beach is the one you don’t have to search for,” I thought, “just step outside and arrive.”
Apollo Beach Nature Preserve At a Glance
- Drive time from Apollo Beach: 5–10 minutes
- Address: 6760 Surfside Blvd, Apollo Beach, FL 33572
- Best Time to Visit: Sunset or early morning
- Vibe: Peaceful, local, natural
- Highlights: Wildlife, bay views, walking trails
- Facilities: Restrooms, benches, paved walking path
- Cost: Free
- Hours: 6am–sunset
- Food Nearby: Pack your own or try nearby cafés in Apollo Beach
Conclusion: Gulf Days, Close to Home
I didn’t need to go far to find variety. Around Apollo Beach, the shoreline changed every time I turned a corner—party islands, quiet parks, sunset-washed stretches of white sand. Each place had a different voice. Some spoke in music and salt and motion. Others whispered in stillness.
I started thinking this series would be about discovering new beaches. But what I found was something else: that the way you show up to a beach matters just as much as where it is. Bring quiet, and you’ll find it. Bring energy, and the waves might meet you halfway.
“Turns out,” I realized, “the best beach days aren’t far off—they’re just waiting for you to notice them.”
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