Indian Shores, Florida Family Vacation Day 1 And 2
For Spring Break we set off on a new adventure to kick off Spring in Indian Shores, Florida for the perfect beach vacation.
Indian Shores is one of the top 10 beach vacations for families and certainly is one of the best family vacation beach spots.
Does anyone else listen to what I call tropical (Havana, Margaritaville, Kokomo) songs and just want to be transported to a tropical locale?
Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo / That's where you want to go to get away from it all. / Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand. / We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band / Down in Kokomo.
After thinking about where to go for a beach vacation we would like to try, there was this overwhelming need to be relaxed.
While we've done the big parks, and would do them again, it just wasn't what I was looking for.
In my mind, I just pictured watching sunrises and sunsets and listening to the waves.
This is how I had come to the decision of Indian Shores. Florida really is a very family friendly place to visit and Indian Shores with kids is fun.
We got in really late the night before and went right to bed so Saturday started bright and early in the morning where we were able to watch the sunrise over the ocean from our balcony!
Watching the sunrise and hearing the waves is so peaceful, especially as a respite from daily life.
WHAT TO DO IN INDIAN SHORES WITH KIDS!
As soon as we were done enjoying our sunrise, we headed on over to get donuts from Lighthouse Donuts.
This was one of the best donuts and coffees we'd ever had (maybe we were a little biased after that sunrise listening to the waves), and everyone was super friendly.
It had that small town feel where everyone knew each other and must've had breakfast there many times, if not every day.
A good sign a place will be good is when the locals flock to it!
Since we had vacationed here many times before, we stayed at a Seagate condo rentals Indian shores fl condo rented through Florida Lifestyles.
We've stayed with them many times and enjoy each stay. We love the Gulf Shores Indian Shores Florida area.
Indian Shores is the perfect place to stay because it has so much to see and do!
We stayed in a three bedroom with expansive ocean views from a private balcony that had patio doors on the living room and master bedroom.
These accommodations are perfect for families wanting an Indian Rocks Beach vacation.
You can also search for houses for rent on Indian Rocks Beach Fl but on the beach is pretty expensive.
Our favorite features were the ocean view, balcony, full kitchen, and washer/dryer.
Every which way we looked we had views of the bright blue waters below.
Having the full kitchen meant that we could make meals if we wanted or just have snacks on hand.
The washer/dryer was great to have. I purposely did not overpack for us as I knew we could do the laundry.
Oh, how they LOVE the beach!
At the request of the kids, and even though it was chilly and looked like rain (cold to me lol), we let them play and dig and walk the beach.
This was the perfect starting point because it gave them a relaxed day to start off.
It put the whole trip into perspective and aligned with my motto, 'Enjoy the moments'. And we enjoyed each one!
We were pretty tired from the day at the beach playing in the sand and walking on the beach, so we opted for a restaurant night.
Since we had a full kitchen, we planned some 'at home' meals but tonight was a great night to go out.
Even though we were tired, we thought the kids would enjoy John's Pass, and boy did they! John's Pass is a short distance by car in Madeira Beach.
Johns Pass is on the water and is Pinellas County’s #1 tourist attraction.
It is a tourist shopping destination with over one hundred merchants, restaurants, a local fishing fleet, dolphin watching and shelling tours, boat rentals, parasailing, and jet skiing.
Be sure to take change as it is metered parking only. The kids loved the boardwalk.
With some really great restaurants like Bubba Gumps, the kids picked Hooters because they wanted to see the world's largest wing.
I'm not going to show the wing. You've got to see it for yourself! : )
Since Hooter's in on the boardwalk on John's Pass, overlooking the water, you have the opportunity to see a dolphin. Which we did.
Unfortunately, it was so fleeting that I did not get a photo. There are some Fishing Charters on Indian Rocks Beach within John's Pass if you want to try to see more.
As we were finishing our meal we were hit with some pretty big raindrops so we hustled out of Hooter's and opted to head to the condo.
By the time we reached the condo, it had cleared up so we parked the car and headed across the street for a treat.
Right across from us was the best ice cream I have ever eaten. Haze Ice Cream produces amazing homemade ice cream in-house. Seriously try their Salted Caramel.
Well, maybe you shouldn't because it's seriously addictive it is so good!
We enjoyed the balcony and watched the sunset listening to the waves.
We still ended up staying up even later because played games.
This was a great way to round out the day as they had fun and, at the same time, it is educational for the kids.
Bananagrams helps them work on their spelling. We really felt that starting the first day out with ease had a huge impact on the depth of our vacation.
It was filled with fun, not everything had to cost a thing and it was the most relaxing vacation I have ever had.
The next morning we were up and ready to hit the store!
Remember I said we had a full kitchen? We planned on making some of our meals at the condo, especially lunch.
We planned several days just doing the pool and the beach.
Those days we simply ran upstairs for lunch. As you can see, we even had fun grocery shopping!
The excitement was thick in the air because they knew it was pool and ocean day!
When we first started thinking about our visit to Indian Shores, all they could talk about was swimming in the ocean and pool!
Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that this vacation would be so much fun.
Lunch was thoroughly enjoyed from the balcony. With views like this, who wouldn't?!
We had worked up quite the appetite and headed over to Caddy's for dinner.
This is a fun little place on the gulf, where you can enjoy the most amazing sunsets while eating dinner and enjoying live music.
Caddy’s on the Beach even provides complimentary lounge chairs on their beach. The kids enjoyed the atmosphere and playing in the sand.
One word….delicious! I can't say enough good things about the food at Caddy's.
Their more traditional fares are well known in the area with locals flocking to their restaurant/bar for both special occasions, date night, and family meals.
There was even a beach wedding party there!
One thing that all the food we ate had in common was that it was the freshest food. Important since a couple of us ordered seafood.
Knowing that families with children who can sometimes have picky palates come in, Caddy's accommodates with a kids menu is always ready to keep them happy with kid favorites like chicken nuggets.
It was great being able to all have our favorites at one spot.
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Back at the condo was pretty awesome too. We played more games, including Uno. Of course, there was just as much fun and games as there was learning… the two meshed together.
We all slept very well that night! The fun we were already having got us even more excited for what was to come!
Have you been to Indian Shores?
Want to see what we did the whole vacation? Check it out here. Also, check out what to do when it rains on your beach vacation.
31 Comments
Rachel
I’ve never heard of Indian Shores, but my family and I are planning a BIG beach vacay for next year (like my family, my parents, and my sisters family), so I’ll keep this in mind! I’m sending it over to my mom and sister now!
Mr. MFC
Florida seem to be a very popular beach destination spot. I have only been to Miami beach in Florida. Enjoy your family vacation.
David Elliott
Looks like such a great vacation. And such a fun time out there on the beach. I know my daughter and I love the beach. We have a ton of fun going there.
Agnes Dela Cruz
What a fun family vacation! The kids really love going to the beach, another memory made for a lifetime. 🙂
Terri Beavers
Well, I have a big does of vacation envy now, lol. I’ve wanted to go to Indian Shores for some time now since my BFF did and I saw all her photos. And now you’ve just sealed the deal with all of that beautiful blue water. I’ll have to try to plan a vaca there soon.
Nursery rhymes girl
Hey I love your kids <3 I'm sure you enjoyed a lot. 🙂
Something new for my travel book.Happy blogging 🙂
Meagan Badore
I love to visit Florida so we might need to add this to our places to try for future family vacations. It looks absolutely beautiful and serene!
Lili Mila
Indian Shores looks like the perfect family vacation place. I would definitely take mine there when I go to Florida.
Blanca
I had never heard of the Indian Shores in Florida. I’ve been to Miami, Clearwater, the Keys (of course), but it looks like now I have a brand new beach destination to check out.
Steph Social
Florida is the perfect fun family vacation spot! Looks like you’re having a blast!
Laurie Gannon
I’ve never been to Indian Shores before but I am so glad that you and your family had such a great time! Condos with a full kitchen are so nice to have. I like the balance of being able to save money by eating in the condo (or on such a lovely balcony) mixed with trying local restaurants. I need to go on a vacation so very, very soon!
Brittany
Awesome post! We love Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores Florida! Where did you rent your condo from? It looks spectacular!
Chuck Vargas
Bet you all have fun. Excited for our family vacation to happening next week.
Caitlyn M
I love Florida!! It is within a days drive for us, so my family used to go pretty regularly! Looks like y’all had fun and ate good food!
LavandaMichelle
Seems like you had a FUN time! I’d love to take my family here, they would all have a great time. These pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing!
Akamatra
No I haven’t been there but I would love to go. And that song… It’s stuck in my head now, lol.
Shraddha Tripathi
I enjoyed all the pictures. It seems you guys had a great time there. Your kids are adorable.
Laura Dove
We have never been but it looks amazing! My children love to go to the beach, regardless of the weather! They love finding shells!
Minakshi Bajpai
Seems like kids had great fun. A lovely weekend spent.
R. Roy
wow! this place is so beautiful. my kids are going to nag me to death if i show them the pics.
Dee at My Dee Dees Diary
Your kids are so adorable. This place looks like a must go to when I visit Florida!
Sondra Barker
Sounds nice you guys had a great time there! Looks so nice and relaxing.
Xo, Sondra
Cuisineandtravel.com
Andrea
Hahaha. I totally do and totally feel like the music transport me to a different place and time. and omg all of these pictures made me wanna go somewhere tropical.
Michelle Christie
Thank you for sharing this post! Indian Shores looks like the next Florida vacation spot to pick. We have done the “traditional” south beach vacation, and loved every minute of it, but there is a relaxing calm to your post and pictures that seem to give the best of both worlds in Florida; Beach and Relaxation.
Lakatwoman
Sounds like you all had a wonderful time together. I miss having a vacation with the family! Will certainly make my next one remarkable
Joan
Not heard of Indian shores but looks like a great place to relax and visit.
Danielle Fox
I have not yet heard about Indian Shores, Florida. Now that I see how family friendly it is I will keep this in mind next time we go to Florida. We go a few times per year
kim
Looks like you had a great time! I’ve never been to florida and I don’t know if I ever will, I’m from europe and somehow california sounds more appealing to me. Although, I would love to visit all those florida parks someday and swim with the manatees!
Dorit
Indian Shores looks like a great place to visit. We travelled around Florida last summer and actually stopped pretty close by, at St. Pete’s Beach. I remember the beautiful white sand and mile-long beach.
Lara Hathout
It looks like a fun family vacation! and there are so many activities for kids and adults!
Cris
I live not too far from Indian Shores. I love all those little communities sandwiched between the more touristy Clearwater Beach and John’s Pass.