Welcome to Downtown+ Clearwater Beach. Your guide to a barrier island where the sand squeaks underfoot, the sunset draws a crowd every night, and one restaurant has been open since 1948.
What is Downtown+?
Downtown+ is how you find what's happening on Clearwater Beach. Beachfront restaurants, water sports operators, charter captains, sunset deals. One place. Built by people who know this island.
The spots you walk past on Beach Walk, the captains at the marina, the sunset at Pier 60. Now with menus, hours, and deals you can pull up while you're standing in the sand.
What You'll Find
- Local Business Profiles. Beachfront restaurants, water sports operators, charter captains, and the people behind them. Who's open, what they run
- Events. Sunsets at Pier 60, Sanding Ovations, fishing tournaments, beach fitness classes. Posted by organizers, not scraped from some calendar
- Deals. Discounts from island businesses. The kind you'd hear about from a friend who works there
- News. What's happening on the island. Updates from local businesses and organizations
- Local Products. Buy from island shops online. Shipping, pickup, digital
- Restaurant Roulette. Can't decide where to eat? Tell us what you're craving. We'll pick
Clearwater Beach's Story
For most of its history, this 2.5-mile stretch of white sand was unreachable. No bridge, no road. A barrier island off Florida's Gulf Coast with crystal-clear water and nobody around.
The first bridge went up in 1915. The Memorial Causeway followed in 1927. Locals called it the "Million Dollar Causeway," and people started showing up. Bob Heilman's Beachcomber opened in 1948 and is still serving guests. Pier 60 opened in June 1962, stretching 1,080 feet into the Gulf.
Then the sunsets got organized. In 1995, the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 celebration started. Street performers, artisans, musicians, every evening, two hours before and after sunset. Three decades later, it hasn't missed a night. Beach Walk, completed in 2008, connected the beachfront hotels and restaurants with a pedestrian path along the Gulf. TripAdvisor ranked it the #1 beach in America. Travel + Leisure put it among the 15 best white-sand beaches in the world.
But rankings are what you read on a screen. Standing on sand this white with water this clear stretching out flat in front of you. That you have to show up for.
Start Here
Looking around?
- Browse Clearwater Beach businesses. Beachfront dining to water sports
- Check what's coming up. Sunset celebrations, fishing tournaments, and more
- See what deals are running
- Read community news
Own a business here?
- Create a free profile and show up where your customers are looking
- List your sunset specials, announce your charter schedule, let people find you before they hit the sand
The sunset's at the end of the pier.