A Vacation in Clermont, Orlando: A Vacation

Another sunny day dawned on the appropriately named Sunshine State. After a wonderful few days spent in Florida’s beautiful Clearwater Beach, we were moving on. My family and I are fairly regular visitors to Florida, so we went to explore a little more of the state. With the vacation town of Clermont in Orlando our final destination, we wanted to make some stops en route. We stopped off at some beaches and the city of St Petersburg before beginning our vacation in Clermont.

Indian Rocks Beach

First up, we drove down to Indian Rocks Beach. En route, just a short drive away from St Petersburg and Tampa, Indian Rocks Beach has almost three miles of beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. As well as gorgeous beaches for sunbathing and relaxing, it also boasts some incredible sunsets.

There are various points of access to Indian Rocks Beach, of which we took one. It’s a pretty, white sandy stretch of beach, and there are a number of shops and restaurants to be found too.

To us, Indian Rocks Beach felt a lot more tropical than Clearwater Beach. If you’ve ever been to the Florida Keys, you’ll know what I mean. Think verandas, rocking chairs, and cigars.

After a little relax on the beautiful beach, we made our next stop before beginning our vacation in Clermont, Orlando. Having visited St Petersburg a few years ago, we wanted to go back to its iconic pyramid pier. Unfortunately, it was closed for refurbishment when we visited, so we took a wander around the city instead.

St Petersburg holds the record for the ‘most consecutive days of sunshine’ with 768 days. Unsurprisingly, therefore it was probably one of the hottest days I’ve ever experienced. We walked along the beautiful waterfront and along past the luxurious St Petersburg Yacht Club. After a hot and sticky walk, we got back into the car for our drive to Clermont.

Joe’s Crab Shack

Having arrived at our lovely villa in Clermont, we were all feeling pretty hungry. Tummies rumbling, we set off in search of food. Introducing Joe’s Crab Shack. You’re seated and are each given a personalised bib with a fetching title. Yep, apparently I’m the Princess Crab.

The menu at Joe’s Crab Shack primarily consists of large buckets of seafood, either crab buckets or steam pots. You then choose your variety of crab, and a flavour for the steam. It’s pretty much my absolute dream! I decided on a bucket of King Crab with a whole lobster, crab legs, red potatoes, and corn on the cob.

Bucket of crab at Joe's Crab Shack, Orlando

The meal was delicious, and we had a lot of fun cracking open the shells to get to the goodness. It’s perfect for families and was a really fun treat.

Relaxing in Clermont, Orland

When we got back to the villa in Clermont, it was sunset. There was just one thing to do – crack open the beers and wine and take a dip in the jacuzzi. Absolute bliss. This is how to vacation in Clermont!

We went to bed and had planned to wake up and relax by the villa pool. The weather was a little grey and overcast, so instead we headed out to the Mall of Millenia. Of course, with a Cheesecake Factory there, where else would we begin our trip?

Whenever my family and I stay in Clermont, we like to browse round all of Orlando’s shopping malls. We came back with quite the haul!

Shopping during our vacation in Clermont

Unfortunately for us, it was time to head for the airport after a wonderful vacation in Clermont. We went for one final steak dinner at our beloved Outback Steakhouse. It’s really tasty and good value compared to any of the steaks back in the UK. I always go for a fillet steak with mashed potato, broccoli, and a side of sautéed mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious as always.

In reflection of the weather since arriving for our vacation in Clermont, the heavens opened. Fortunately, we just had to drive through to the airport and we made it. At least we had plenty of wonderful weather on our stay in Clearwater before arriving in Orlando.