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Ultimate Guide to Caladesi Island + How to Walk There!

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This is the ultimate guide to Caladesi Island! It contains everything you need to know + answers to all of your questions + information on how to walk to Caladesi Island State Park! 

*This post contains affiliate links. 

Caladesi Island is one of the Gulf Coast’s last uninhabited islands in the Tampa Bay area. This isolated island features 4 miles of pristine white sandy beaches, a 3-mile mangrove-shaded kayak trail, and a peaceful nature path. Caladesi Island truly is an island paradise! 

I’ve lived in Florida for 30 years and I just recently got to visit Caladesi Island State Park for the first time. I wish I had found it sooner! My family always visited Clearwater Beach because it’s ranked as Florida’s #1 beach. However, Caladesi is just as beautiful as Clearwater Beach with the extra perks of having fewer people and the beauty of an untouched island.

My husband and I kicked off the summer by visiting Caladesi Island and we had a wonderful time! We explored the entire island, went shelling, swam and snorkeled in the crystal clear water, and we even got the surprise of a lifetime when two beautiful dolphins swam right by us! Although it takes a bit more effort to get to Caladesi Island, I think it’s 100% worth the trek. 

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Paddle Boarding on the Weeki Wachee River

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This is the ultimate guide to going stand up paddle boarding on the beautiful Weeki Wachee River. The guide includes everything that you need to know + tips to have the best time!

*This post is not sponsored but it does contain affiliate links.

Did you know that the Seminole Indians named the Weeki Wachee river, it means “winding river” or “little spring.” However, I’m not too sure why they called it Little Spring because the headsprings are filled with caverns and caves so deep that the bottom has never been seen! The water of the Weeki Wachee river is a cool 74 degrees year round and every day, it creates 117+ million gallons of fresh water– that’s mind-boggling! The water that flows from the Weeki Wachee headsprings winds its way for 12 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. 

At the headsprings, you will find Weeki Wachee State Park as well as Florida’s only spring-fed water park, Buccaneer Bay. Buccaneer Bay features a flume ride, water slides, a sandy white beach, tubing on a lazy river, kiddie pool, and a large floating dock in the middle of the spring. You can also enjoy a show featuring the world-famous Weeki Wachee mermaids! 

The vibrant crystal water of the Weeki Wachee river is absolutely stunning, and it’s home to a variety of wildlife (we saw fish, turtles, and manatees!), flora, and fauna. My husband and I recently went stand up paddle boarding on the Weeki Wachee River and such a fantastic time that I wanted to share our experience to encourage others to try it too! 

If you’re looking for more beautiful Florida destinations to visit, you should definitely check out the crystal clear Rainbow Springs! We love going there for the day too! 

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10 Activities to do at Rainbow Springs State Park

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This is the ultimate guide to family-friendly activities + tips (from a local!) for visiting Rainbow Springs State Park! 

My family loves visiting Rainbow Springs every year! We’ve been going to the river since my brother and I were little kids and my parents went to KP Hole before that! Rainbow River is such a great place to take your family to spend the day together and make fun memories that you’ll never forget!

What’s So Special About the Rainbow River? 

Rainbow River is a gorgeous, crystal clear, 72-degree,  5.7 miles long river that merges with the Withlacoochee River in Dunnellon, Florida. It’s also a designated National Natural Landmark, aquatic preserve, and Outstanding Florida Waterway. Rainbow Springs looks like an untouched piece of history that you just won’t find anywhere else in the world.

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2016 Clearwater Beach Uncorked Food & Wine Event Review

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We started celebrating Valentine’s day early this year by attending the Clearwater Beach Uncorked food & wine event. Lots of food, wine and fun for everyone. I highly recommend it and we can’t wait to go again next year! 

Clearwater Beach Uncorked food wine fun

On Sunday, we attended the Clearwater Beach Uncorked food & wine event. We had a blast! It was so much fun and it really kicked off our Valentine’s day celebrations. Travis and I don’t normally have days off together so it was really nice to be at the beach and just hang out together all day.

We were worried that there would be a ton of traffic going over the bridge to Clearwater Beach, so we left our house around 11am to make sure we would have enough time to make it for the VIP lounge at 12pm. I think we got lucky that the Superbowl happened to be on the same day so most people were probably at home and not on their way to the beach. So, if you go next year, make sure you give yourself ample time to get there in case of traffic.

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