by Denise Gabbard

Created on: September 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Small Town Dream in the Tampa Bay area: Dunedin

Dunedin, Florida is a great little town located on the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. It has the most clean, unobstructed views of the water you will find anywhere on the west coast of Florida. Dunedin is ideally located in the Tampa Bay area- west of Tampa, north of St. Pete, and just a stone's throw north of Clearwater and Clearwater Beach.

Dunedin has so much going for it; it's hard to decide where to start! But since it is Florida, let's talk about the beaches. Dunedin has several, and all of them unique and special. First, there is the Dunedin Causeway, which has beaches up and down both sides. If you just want to go for a walk with man's best friend or take a bike ride and just grab a spot in the sand, this is the place for you. If you'd prefer to make a day of it, continue out the causeway until you get to Honeymoon Island. This is a state park, and a nature preserve, so it is absolutely gorgeous and pristine. This island was formed by a hurricane around the turn of the 20th century, and is named Honeymoon Island for the little cottages that were placed here as rentals for many years, often inhabited by newlyweds who came down from up north by train.

There are a number of beaches on the island, including one that is especially for your four-legged friends! Perhaps you'd prefer to take the ferry from Honeymoon Island to an even more remote island, Caladesi Island, which was named the Number 1 Beach in the country for 2008- and for good reason! You will never want to leave this place once you get here. Both Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island have beautiful, clean, shallow, warm water (year round unless there is an un-Florida like cold snap) surrounding them-perfect for children or anybody who just likes lazy days at the beach. Natives of the area say the warm, shallow water is the reason that hurricanes have seemed to skirt this area for the last 100 years.

Dunedin also has more than 100 little shops, restaurants, bars and pubs, galleries, and antique shops, with nary a big franchise in sight. The wine shop downtown has the absolute best orange wine you will ever taste, called Midnight Sun, and the Dunedin Brewery has lots of microbrews on tap. With a population around 35,000, it is a charming small town that has the amenities of the bigger cities nearby. There is a marina and several bed & breakfasts and hotels within easy walking distance of downtown; and there is almost always something going on downtown-parades, farmer's markets, concerts, arts and crafts festivals and lots of other events. Dunedin is the spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays, and there are many other major league teams that train within easy driving distance as well.

An abandoned CSX railway along the west coast got new life as The Pinellas Trail. Today, it is a 39 mile long all purpose trail for walking, running, biking, or skating and it follows the coast line fairly closely, often with stunning views. When you have a place like this where it is so much fun to be outdoors and exercise, it's easy to stay in shape!

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