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Mad Beach, as they call it here, stretches for about two miles at the southern end of Sand Key in Pinellas County, Florida. At the southernmost end is John's Pass, famous for it's grouper fishing fleet and John's Pass boardwalk, filled with shops and restaurants. Madeira Beach provides two main public beach accesses and plenty of street-end accesses, many of which have limited, metered parking. The Tom Stuart Causeway (S.R. 666) will take you right to the northern reaches of Mad Beach, just south of Redington Beach. Madeira beach has lots of small beachfront resorts and rental condominiums. There are also plenty of funky beach houses within a block or two of the beach. The water here is great for swimming and wading and the beach sand is generally white and soft. You will have to pay to park at any of the beach access points, but if you are staying on the beach or within a few blocks of the beach, that won't be an issue. If you stay nearer to John's Pass, you can walk to just about anything you might need or want. The City of Madeira Beach website has lots of info on this busy Gulf Coast island town. |
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Here is a dune walkover near John's Pass on Madeira Beach. The sand is soft and white here and there is some nice vegetation on the upper beach. This spot has nice restroom and changing facilities and a jetty. It is also right across the street from John's Pass Boardwalk shops and restaurants. |
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I took this photo standing on the rock jetty at John's Pass in mid summer. Notice there aren't many people on the beach. You won't find crowds here during the summer months. |
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The beach is very flat and is manicured regularly by heavy equipment. Note the beachfront condos and small resorts in the distance. |
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Madeira Beach is a nice beach for wading and is kid friendly with its shallow slope. |
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The beach at Archibald Park is not far from the Tom Stuart Causeway. I think they have too much beach equipment on the beach for such a small facility, but what do I know about running a beach concession? |
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Here's a view of the entrance to John's Pass Boardwalk shops. This is generally about as close as I get to shopping, but lots of people enjoy browsing here and eating in the restaurants. It's one way to spend a rainy day. |
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Here is a night-time view of John's Pass Boardwalk shops and the marina. It is a busy place. I took this photo from the top of the bridge between Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. |
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A view of Gulf Blvd on Madeira Beach. This photo sort of reminds me of the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. It's just missing a few jay-walkers. |
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Evening on Madeira Beach brings out the sunset watchers, beach walkers, and photographers. No crowds though. The crowds are in the restaurants. It's dinner time! |
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Moonrise over Madeira Beach. The sun has just set and now the moon is taking over. There's nothing like going for a stroll on a moonlit beach at night. |
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| Above: Here's my attempt at a panoramic shot by merging several photos. This is a view of the Madeira Beach skyline, as seen from the beach. The perspective is distorted, but you get the idea. I guess it is also a self-portrait, at least of my shadow. |
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