- Parking
- Paid lot
- Typical crowd
- Usually quiet
- Best for
- Quiet, Wildlife, A walk
- Facilities
- Restrooms at Tiki Gardens, Showers, Nearby restaurants
Indian Shores is one of the narrowest towns on the barrier island chain, in places barely wider than Gulf Boulevard and the buildings on either side of it. The beach behind those buildings is quiet and mostly used by the people staying on it.
Public access comes down to the county's Tiki Gardens parking lot and a handful of street ends, which makes this a beach you plan for rather than stumble onto.
The town's best known institution is not the beach at all. It is the seabird sanctuary, which has been rehabilitating injured pelicans, herons and raptors here for decades.
What makes it worth the trip
The seabird sanctuary
A long-running rehabilitation centre for injured wild birds, open to visitors. Expect pelicans at close range.
Under-road access
The Tiki Gardens walkway runs beneath Gulf Boulevard, which means no sprinting across a busy road with a cooler.
Uninterrupted walking
You can walk from here well into Redington Shores without hitting a barrier.
Parking
The county's Tiki Gardens lot is the main public option, paid at the machine, with a walkway under Gulf Boulevard to the sand. Street-end spaces are scarce.
Rates and hours change. Confirm the current cost with the city, the county or the state park before you go rather than trusting any published figure, including ours.
Crowds
One of the quieter stretches on the chain, mostly because public access is limited.
Rules
- Dogs are not permitted on the beach.
- Glass is prohibited.
- Respect private property between the public accesses.
- Glass is banned on every beach in the county. Cans and plastic only.
- Sea turtle nesting runs 1 May to 31 October. Fill in holes, knock down sandcastles, take gear home at night and keep lights off the sand after dark.
- Shorebird nesting areas are roped off in spring and summer. The nests sit on open sand and are nearly invisible, so stay outside the posted zones.
- Beach warning flags are not advisory decoration. Double red means the water is closed. Purple means dangerous marine life, usually jellyfish or red tide.
- Most beach towns clear unattended chairs, tents and umbrellas overnight. Take it with you.
Getting there
Gulf Boulevard, between Indian Rocks Beach and Redington Shores. Park Boulevard is the nearest mainland bridge.
Good for
Photo: Vaclav Zrno / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Source