Madiera Beach and Johns Pass Village Boardwalk. - Orlando / Florida Guide
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We always like to visit the beaches in Florida and one of our favourite places is Madeira Beach which is located in Pinellas County on the Gulf coast of Florida.
Madeira Beach is located about half way between St Pete`s and Clearwater beaches and is easy and quick to get to driving from Orlando. To reach the west coast beaches take the I4 heading West to Tampa. Driving from Orlando will take you about 90 minutes
A major attraction of Madeira beach is Johns Pass village and boardwalk.
Johns pass is named after a Pirate called John LeVeque. The story goes that John had buried treasure at Madeira beach and later on in his life decided to leave the pirate way of life and go back for his treasure and start a new life in New Orleans. On his journey to collect his treasure he noticed that a storm was on it`s way so he waited until the storm passed. The next morning ready to continue his search for the treasure he noticed that the storm had cut his Island in two and the treasure map that he had was useless. He then sailed through the new pass which is know to this day as Johns pass. He lived out his days there swimming and fishing and searching for his lost treasure.
We like it there and there are many souvenir shops and some good restaurants. You can also take sightseeing boat trips as well as dolphin spotting boat trips. The last time we were over we did the Dolphin boat trip which took us up the Intercoastal waterways. You just don`t know there is so much water away from the beach. We did see many dolphins and also sting rays. Also at Johns Pass you can hire jet ski`s or try your hand at parasailing.
The restaurants we have tried at Johns Pass is Sculley`s on the Boardwalk and The Hut. Both serve good food and you can dine right at the water and watch the boats coming and going. Also a lovely scene to see is all the Pelicans that just sit around. There are plenty of shops that sell beach wear, tea shirts, hats, beach chairs, parasols and any thing else you think you`ll need for your visit or stay at the beach and the prices are not bad.
There are many condo`s and Villas in this area that can be rented and if you just want to park the car and not drive, there are trolley busses that go from Clearwater to down town St Pete`s. This trolley bus only costs a few dollars for a day ticket and you can jump off and on all day. We took the trolley to Pass-A- Grill and had a nice lunch as well as spotting some Dolphin swimming by just a few yards from the shoreline.
If you are just going for the day or staying for a few days don`t forget the most important feature of the gulf coast and that is watching the spectacular sunsets. This is truly a sight to remember.
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