One of my clients recently booked a portrait session on the beach and let me know she was coming from out of town. The beach that was closest to her vacation condo was not as “portrait worthy” as one that she would have to travel a bit to get to. Since she was from out of town with some younger children, I happily emailed her some beach suggestions in town so that she could visit these on her other vacation days. I’ve included it here for your information as well.
Fred Howard Park (Tarpon Springs) – Nice wooded area for picnicking and a beach that I would rate about a 7.
Sunset Beach (Tarpon Springs) Very small beach, not crowded, lots of shall
ow areas for wading and a playground there as well. The beach? Well, really a 2 or 3, but last week I saw two dolphins swimming only about 50 feet offshore!
Honeymoon Island – State Park in Dunedin – pay to get in, nice area, bird watching and shelling, beach can be quite rocky.
Clearwater beach – very pretty, more crowded, lots of tourist things, shops etc., if you want to do that. 20 to 30 minutes to get there from the Palm Harbor area. Clearwater marine aquarium, with the dolphin Winter – they just made a movie about him. Beach -8-9
City of St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at Treasure Island, 112th St and Gulf Blvd. Beautiful beach! This would be at least a 9, maybe a 10! It doesn’t look like much from the parking lot, but just go beyond the fence and WOW! Drawback – restrooms only open 10:00 till 4:00, why, I do not know! Refreshment area and play area for the kids.
Ft. De Soto Park – absolutely beautiful. About 1 hour drive south from the Palm Harbor area; take U.S. 19 south, follow the signs. Takes a while to get there, but voted one of the top ten beaches in the U.S. Dolphins, sand dollars, wide sandy beaches, fishing pier, picnic areas and usually not crowded at all because it is so large. Yes, the beach really is a 10!
The portrait above are from the Treasure Island beach. This family was staying at a large, very nice hotel on St. Pete Beach that was very crowded, due to a convention. The beach was very nice, but way too busy for a lovely family portrait. Treasure Island beach was only a few minutes drive for them and they were quite happy to make the short drive. The final results are fabulous!