Day 1 of Tampa Bay Beach Vacation

We picked up my sisters from Tampa International Airport and went to Whiskey Joe's for lunch. It's a great place to land to get that Florida feeling right after getting off the plane. They have good food, good prices, and an awesome view of Tampa Bay from the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

After lunch we went to our house, unloaded luggage, changed into beach clothes, and hit the road for the Gulf Coast. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Saint Pete Beach. It's my favorite beach for times when you want a short walk from parking to the beach. Restaurants and shopping areas are also nearby if you park near the Pass-A-Grille facilities. Look for The Hurricane restaurant. It's a big gray building with pointed gables. The water was warm and the waves were fun to bounce around in. We even got Dee to ride waves on a boogie board.


We stayed for sunset. Alfonze and Jason are figuring out camera settings for sunset shots. Dee is discovering cochinas. Those are tiny, colorful clams that come out of the sand around sunset. The surf uncovers them, and they quickly dig themselves back into the sand.

Afterwards we went across the street to the Brass Monkey for a late dinner. We sat on the balcony outside where we had a view of the beach. The sunset colors continued to develop after the sun went down. After dark we saw a starry sky and lights from ships in the Gulf of Mexico.