A few miles south is Clearwater Beach . Visits by thousands of Europeans each year have made it world famous. It is a wide, beautiful beach that is a people watchers'paradise, drawing young muscle men and women out to socialize, along with retirees and families with children. There are accommodating concession buildings with food, gifts and bathrooms. Visitors may order beer at the Palm Pavilion, a mile north, but are not allowed to drink it on the beach.
Hotels do serve drinks on their Gulf-front property.
The St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at Treasure Island is probably the widest beach in the county, stretching 200 yards or more from the concession building. It is also one of the least crowded. Wear sandals because seashells cover the sand. The concession building has showers and bathrooms. The city of Treasure Island maintains more than a dozen beaches with access routes off Gulf Boulevard, many of them north of Sunset Beach.