My favorite place to walk on Clearwater Beach is around the city marina. It's like a shopping mall for water sports. I go early and pick up brochures for everything from a parasail lift to a paddleboat dinner excursion or family pirate-themed cruise. On the docks, fishing charter captains busily ready their supplies, Wave-runner renters cry out to you and the air disperses a scented mixture of salt, fish, and boat fuel. 

Then I head across Coronado Drive to Pier 60, quiet in the waking hours with the studied casting of early anglers and the awkward begging of big-footed, big-mouthed pelicans. By sunset, the quiet will have dissipated to the festive strains of musicians, the chatter of artisan vendors, the giggle of children on the playground and in the waves, and the sounds of folks having fun at the nightly sunset festival. It's a top recommendation for visitors asking what to do in Clearwater Beach, FL. 

Interspersed between accommodations, beach shops sell all the latest and most crucial in sand toys and fashions, casual eateries fill you with fresh seafood or pizza and ice cream.

Just north of Pier 60, a traffic roundabout spins you off the island or to the island's north end along Mandalay Avenue. Walk the sands past the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort for a quieter beach scene.

Return along with Mandalay for a strip of shops selling resort wear and sea-themed gifts. The restaurants and beach bars at this end tend toward finer fare.

About a mile east of Pier 60 along Memorial Causeway, you can walk among the fishes, sharks, dolphins, stingrays, and sea turtles at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a rehabilitation facility for sea creatures. For an additional charge, participate in some of the interaction and feeding programs throughout the day. You won’t want to miss seeing Winter, the world’s most famous dolphin, who lost her tail in an accident, but is now healthy and swimming freely with a prosthetic tail.