The epic sliver of sand that is Pass-a-Grille Beach is the most idyllic barrier-island beach, backed only by beach houses and a long stretch of metered public parking. Here you can watch boats coming through Pass-a-Grille Channel, hop aboard the Shell Key Shuttle to unspoiled Shell Key, and retire for eats and ice cream in the laid-back village center.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Top choice in Tampa Bay
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.09 MILES
The 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable, is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier attractions and…
8.24 MILES
The theatrical exterior of the Salvador Dalí Museum speaks of great things: out of a wound in the towering white shoe box oozes a 75ft geodesic glass…
5.43 MILES
With 1136 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Fort DeSoto is one of Florida’s premier beach parks. It includes 7 miles of beaches (including a dog beach), two…
23.73 MILES
Directly to the south of Honeymoon, this park is accessible only by boat and is virtually as nature made it: unspoiled and pristine. Consequently, it…
24.93 MILES
Tampa's excellent aquarium is among the state's best. Cleverly designed, the re-created swamp lets you walk among herons and ibis as they prowl the…
12.45 MILES
The perfect antidote to party-loving Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island appears beached in a 1950s time warp, with sun-faded clapboard houses, teenagers…
13.34 MILES
Like a patchwork quilt of variegated greens tossed out over Tampa Bay, this 3700-acre preserve protects a diverse aquatic and wetland ecosystem. At the…
27.19 MILES
Why is there a Buddhist Thai temple in the middle of Tampa? Who cares, the noodle soup is amazing. On Sundays hundreds of people show up for the food and…
Nearby Tampa Bay attractions
2.13 MILES
Anchored by the huge, historic Moorish Mediterranean Don CeSar Hotel, St Pete Beach is a long, double-wide strand with parasail booths and chair rentals…
5.43 MILES
With 1136 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Fort DeSoto is one of Florida’s premier beach parks. It includes 7 miles of beaches (including a dog beach), two…
5.51 MILES
Even wider than St Pete Beach and more jam-packed with fun-seekers, concessions and motels. Very built up, with lots of public access, volleyball courts…
6.96 MILES
For an industrial-strength concentration of Florida seaside tackiness, tie up the boat (er, park the car) at this former fishing village now…
7.28 MILES
Union troops were stationed on uninhabited Egmont Key during the Civil War, and you can visit Egmont’s ruined Fort Dade by ferry from Fort DeSoto Park…
7.9 MILES
Dale Chihuly's glass works are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London and the Louvre in…
7.92 MILES
This lively community arts center hosts interesting rotating exhibits in all media. If you love glass, don't miss Morean's attached Hot Shop where full…
8.02 MILES
The understated exhibits of this Holocaust museum, one of the country's largest, present mid-20th-century events with moving directness. Temporary,…