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Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores, Florida |
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Pictures fromBelleair Beach andBelleair Shores.
Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores are west of Tampa and directly south of Clearwater Beach on the southwest coast of Florida. They are on the island of Sand Key, in a small chain of neighboring barrier islands that extend from the Gulf of Mexico inlet at Tampa Bay north to Honeymoon Island State Park, just southwest of the mainland cities of Crystal Beach and Palm Harbor. The Gulf of Mexico borders the western shores of Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores and the bay waters of Clearwater Harbor borders its eastern shores.
The two adjacent cities are only a few miles long and well under a mile wide at all points along the key. There is a permanent population of less than 4,000 people combined for both cities. The traditional wintertime large population gains for most of Florida don't apply here because the cities have little available housing for transient types. Both Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores are made up of mostly residential housing. There is little, if any, public beach access in either city and virtually no commercial enterprises. Shopping must be accomplished on the mainland, to which there is easy access by way of Belleair Causeway to Belleair Bluffs or in the neighboring island cities.
Visitors to Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores, Florida can tour many local cities by car. Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg are all within 45 minutes ride. Access to the other neighboring island cities such as Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, the Redingtons, Madeira Beach and St. Petersburg Beach are just minutes by car. This area can be accessed best by aircraft from the Tampa International Airport (45 minutes) or, in a pinch, the Bradenton-Sarasota International Airport (60 minutes).
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Belleair Beach Condos |
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The first views of Belleair Beach driving south from Clearwater Beach and through Sand Key Park are condos along Gulf Boulevard. The condos are mostly on the beach side and few in number. | ||||
Belleair Beach Houses |
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| The city area is small and very few beach houses exist. There are a number of bay waterways with large, attractive bayfront houses. There is little commercial activity here. | |||||
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Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores provide little public access to their beaches. There is also very little in the way of commercial activity including stores, shops or lodging. Visitors to the area can access the beach at Sand Key Park, a short drive or bike ride north. | |||
| Typical street views in Belleair Beach. | |||||
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| View across Clearwater Harbor. | Small park in Belleair Beach. | Waterfront homes in Belleair Beach. | |||
Belleair Shores |
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Many of the Belleair Shores beach houses (pictures above) are on busy Gulf Blvd., the main road through town. |
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| Beautiful bayfront properties (above) on wide waterways with lush landscaping and boat docks populate the area. | |||||
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Sand Key Park |
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Sand Key Park is just north of the communities of Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores. It is a beach front park bordered on the north by Little Pass (picture upper left), the Gulf of Mexico and Clearwater Harbor | |||
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| View from Sand Key Park south to Belleair Beach. | View from Sand Key Park across Little Pass to motels and hotels on Clearwater Beach south. | Little Pass is frequented by boats and is a pleasant place to R&R. | |||
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