Indian Rocks Beach ROCKS the Small-Town Florida Vibe

Last Updated on January 1, 2023 by Marybeth

Predictable and eye-rolling as it may be, I just had to say that Indian Rocks Beach rocks!  Because it does; this little town is brimming with whimsy, kitsch, and straightforward simplicity that reminds me of childhood summers spent at the beach – where the only thing you really had to do was maybe take a shower to wash off the sand before bedtime. Maybe.

Indian Rocks Beach is one of a number of towns running up and down the barrier island on the Gulf where the most popular tourist stops are Clearwater Beach at the northern end, and St. Pete Beach down toward the southern tip. Gravitating toward the “popular” and “tourist” would cause you to miss this gem.

With almost three miles of beautiful beaches, 27 public beach access points, some colorful restaurant/bars for live music and a cold one, and a cup-runneth-over of bungalow-type motels to plunk yourself down at the end of the day, this is a quintessential old-timey Florida destination to get some R and R.

How Indian Rocks got its name:  An Indian chief, Chic-a-Si, was gravely ill and so his buddy, Chief Nu-Wa recommended that he be taken to the healing waters of an old sulfur spring (P.U.!) by some rocks (capped years ago because of the smell.) Chic-a-Si was miraculously healed.

From then on the Indians returned each year to drink of the waters and do a little fishing. The locals would observe them and say to each other, “There go the Indians, to the rocks again.”  Brings to mind crotchety old men on a front porch, “There goes Curly, to the saloon again.” Judgemental old windbags.

But at least the Indians were seeking to be healed, not hammered!

Here is the best thing about Indian Rocks Beach:  You can swim, play and stay anywhere you want – nothing has to be within walking distance of each other! Because they have a BEACH TROLLEY. (Click here for schedules and more info.)  No worries about drinking and driving – not that drinking is the be-all and end-all for us, or anything.

Suncoast Beach Trolley – ride it!  Images courtesy of psta.net

And here is the worst thing about Indian Rocks Beach:  Which Beach, which Bar and which Bungalow? Too many charming choices.

I was in sensory overload heaven trying to decide. “THIS is my favorite bar! Wait. How about let’s go back to that other one, I can’t choose yet…”   “Geez Louise, look at how cute this place is…. we’re going to stay here!”   I grabbed CH’s collar. “No wait. Oh oh oh. Oh. We are staying RIGHT HERE.”  And so on.

Risking poor Robert having apoplexy, I finally settled in happily with our choices. Here are our picks, followed by a whole lot more adorable bungalow-type lodging in this little town!

THE BEACH

•  PARK/WALK:  We advise that you check into The Bungalow and grab your towel, chair, sunscreen etc. and just walk across the street to the beach. There is a public parking lot at 17th Avenue (very close to our pick of The Bungalow) but you do have to pay to park there. There are also a few free spots on some streets if you’re lucky enough to nab one – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 19th and 20th. Parking along other streets is free as well.
•  GO/RINSE:  There are restrooms and showers at the Pinellas County 18th Avenue Park.  Most hotels are within walking distance of the beach so you could trot back to your room if the urge strikes 🙂
• CROWD FACTOR:  With so many public beach accesses and nearly 3 miles of beach we never saw a crowd anywhere. The beach isn’t as wide as some others on the Gulf (such as Clearwater or Siesta Key) but as this town is a lesser-known gem, the width isn’t an issue.
• GUARDS:  No.
• IMBIBE:  No, you can’t bring your adult beverages, ugh.
• BEST FRIEND:  Not on the beach but there is an off-leash dog park in between 9th and 10th Avenues.
•  WE LOVE:  that along some of the many beach access streets are some great options for food if you work up an appetite on the beach. Some good ones:

 • Sandy’s Restaurant, 2300 Gulf Blvd., less than one block from the 24th Ave. public beach access.

• Pinky’s Ice Cream, 1401 Gulf Blvd., just across the street and a half block from the 15th Ave. public beach access.

• Kooky Coconut, pictured below, 760 Gulf Blvd., right at the corner of the 8th Ave. public beach access.

Kooky Coconut

THE BAR

Crabby Bill’s

For the first time in Triple B history we chose TWO. I know! There is usually, for us, a standout bar in any town we visit. The atmosphere, the music, the bonhomie.

But choosing one just didn’t happen this time. It’s like when someone puts your back up against a wall to say which of your three kids is your favorite! You just don’t do that!

Okay I did not just compare choosing a bar to choosing a favorite child.

These bars are within walking distance, so you go visit, and you decide! And let me know which is your favorite. Leave me some comments!

Crabby Bill’s

401 Gulf Blvd.

• VIBE:  Laid-back, all ages, classic Florida seafood shack-ish atmosphere, fun stuff to see everywhere you look.  Funky fun stuff to see everywhere you look. Read the history of Crabby Bill and his fam on the menu, starting it all way before we were born…  😉
• ARRIVE:  There is a nice large parking lot if you drive.
• SIT:  You can sit inside -there are lots of choices there – or outside. (Guess where we sat!)
• SIP:  Happy Hour is from opening until 7 p.m. day.
• NOSH:  I heard someone raving about the Alligator Bites with Inferno Sauce but was very, very afraid to try it. My Key West Grilled Combo was to die for, and Robert snarfed up his Coconut Shrimp Dinner (Malibu Coconut Rum Breading! Ahh).
• LISTEN:  Live music every day and twice on Saturdays and Sundays!
• WE LOVE:  the happy vibe and that even though Crabby Bill’s is not on the water, the water is across the street and one block away in either direction and it feels like you’re on/near the water. Also we loved our waitress. She was a bit older than we are, was wearing tie-dyed sneakers and the cutest skinny jeans. Departing customers called to her “Love you!” and she answered “Love you too!” and at times she was dancing by the cash register. You’ve gotta love people who love their job! (And you know how I love it when people dance…)

More Crabby cuteness

TIED FOR THE BAR

JD’s Restaurant and Lounge

125 Gulf Blvd.

• VIBE:  An eclectic and off-beat mix of “art” that some might call cheesy but we love it.  An older crowd but we enjoy being just about the youngest ones there 🙂
• ARRIVE:  Plenty of parking if you drive, and JD’s also has a dock so you can arrive by boat on the intracoastal.
• SIT:  Inside in the lounge/piano bar area or inside the restaurant, or out on the back deck which has a view of the intracoastal.
• SIP:  Happy Hour is from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. JD’s is closed on Mondays, Gone Fishin’.
• NOSH:  We must be getting old-ish: arriving on time along with the other Early Birds, I got the 5 oz. sirloin with fried shrimp, CH got Grandma’s Meatloaf; both were outstanding. Early Bird Specials from noon to 6 p.m. (you must be seated by 5:45) starting at $7.95!
• LISTEN:  Live music twice a day; 1-5 p.m. and again from 6-10 p.m.
• WE LOVE:  JD’s offers Beach Basket Lunches packed for you to take for your day on the beach, from 12- 4 p.m. How cool is that?

Is that you, JD?

This rooftop pig welcomes you to JD’s back porch

JD’s Restaurant and Lounge is popular with the locals and visitors

THE BUNGALOW

After researching, and secretly wanting to put Robert in one place and me in another (we could just visit each other, periodically!) so that we could experience more than one cute and cottage-y bungalow on our Triple B budget, we finally chose the perfect place for us.

(Only AFTER he promised he will bring me back to try out the others I was coveting.)

Sea Star Motel

1805 Gulf Blvd.

•  VIBE:  Reminiscent of favorite childhood vacations when life seemed so simple and everyone was happy. (We still are, of course; we spend every minute we can at the beach!) REALLY nice and welcoming proprietors. Sea Star is one of the most wonderfully laid-back home-bases we have ever come across!
• WALK:  The beach is right across the street, 50 yards away.
• DECOR:  Clean and bright. Homey, comfy furnishings aren’t matchy-matchy. We don’t like matchy-matchy.
• SLEEP:  We had no problem falling right into a peaceful happy sleep here!
• EXTRAS: Everything you could imagine needing is provided: silverware, dishes, fridge, microwave, beach chairs etc. etc. etc.
• RATES:  Efficiencies start at $80 in the off season. There is a 2 night minimum, which is way more weekend-get-away-friendly than most bungalow type motels, which often require a week’s stay. (Understandable in that when they clean your unit, it’s like cleaning a whole house…)
• WE LOVE :  the lovely outdoor courtyard with grills, tables and chairs with umbrellas. Places to plop down and read, or have a party. They have scheduled group parties if you’d like to participate; pizza parties and such. FUN! Or be a hermit, that’s fine too 🙂 And Sea Star is pet-friendly!

Sea Star Cottage, I want to LIVE HERE. or at least put flip flops on MY fence!!!

Cozy Sea Star Motel courtyard

Someone at Sea Star has boatloads of creativity

Well my readers, I know this post is already kind of long but I’m just going to keep on going! I can’t say enough how adorable, timeless, and welcoming this little town is. And you may have intuited by now that I have a rather advanced case of Bungalow Addiction, and this town was like MEDICINE for me! Look at them all:

Sunshine Cozy Cottages, sunshinecozycottages.com

More Sunshine Cozy-ness

There were no vacancies at Sunshine Cozy on this particular weekend, but check their site for availability; this was “in season” when we visited

This little lady sits right next to the turquoise beauty in the top photo

Cabin cuteness

I couldn’t find a sign or a name for this little Key West-like complex; if anyone knows, please tell me!

The Arbors Seaside Cottages, beaches USA.

Arbors Cottage

Blue Heron Cottage Inn; Blue Heron Cottages

Little Shady Nook has quite the history; check it out along with rental info at scruggsharbor.com

This font for Sun Tiki Cottages is called “Cocktail Shaker”; isn’t that perfect?

And here is that turquoise gingerbread cottage again, I couldn’t get the “feature” photo to show it all:

There is more and I could go on, but I’ll reluctantly wrap this up and just say GO TO INDIAN ROCKS BEACH and you’ll see why it rocks, and why I’m waxing so enthusiastically…..  do people even say that anymore? This old-timey town makes me TALK like an old-timer 😉

Let us know if you’ve been here, and your picks of the Best Beach, Bar and Bungalow!

Indian Rocks Beach is located on Florida’s Central Gulf Coast, about 6.5 miles south of Clearwater Beach, and14.5 miles north of St. Pete Beach.