News From Clearwater

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. October 14, 2008

CLEARWATER, FL, January 9, 2007. According to a recent survey conducted by the Travel Association of America, all of the top ten destinations selected by American travelers represented outdoor experiences, with eight of the ten natural environments. In addition, many resort-based nature programs have been created as families search for authentic, hands-on experiences. (Source: New York Times, May 21, 2006.) Other research from a variety of sources suggests that a child's positive encounters with nature at early ages can lead to the development of an environmental ethic and an affinity to, and love of, nature.

Further, the International Ecotourism Society reports that nature-based tourism - an estimated $77 billion market - is among the fastest growing travel trends: over 55 million US travelers are classified as "geo-tourists," i.e. interested in nature, culture and heritage tourism.

In fact, "green" or nature-based tourism is one of the most important travel trends in our times and of great importance to anyone involved in the travel industry.

So how does Clearwater fit into this picture?

The greater Clearwater area boasts a significant number of nature-based assets, offering visitors many opportunities to experience, explore, examine and enjoy west central Florida's unique flora, fauna and marine life. A few of these assets include award-winning beaches, world-renowned scientific facilities, as well as miles of nature trails and acres of nature parks suitable for hiking, kayaking, birding and more.

A distinguishing aspect of "natural Clearwater" is that these attractions are located within a popular urban resort area recognized world-wide for its quality accommodations and amenities. This combination makes Clearwater an ideal and accessible destination for many travelers - especially families with children, baby boomers, and seniors.

NATURE SPOTLIGHT

Over the next year, we'll be bringing you information about the Clearwater area's nature-based assets; this issue focuses on Clearwater's very own Marine Aquarium, a perfect experience for every member of the family, especially the kids.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has been in the international spotlight over the past year due to the remarkable story of "Winter," the female Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin rescued from a crab trap near Cape Canaveral in December 2005 and then transported to Clearwater. Her physical state was incredibly severe; in fact, deep wounds on her tail stalk cut off blood flow. The tail tissue died, causing the stalk to fall off within days of her arrival at the aquarium. But in spite of a grim prognosis, Winter has flourished under the care at the aquarium and grown into a healthy and fun-loving juvenile dolphin.

Currently, the aquarium is in discussions with a major prosthetics manufacturer to develop a series of prosthetic tails to be placed on Winter, which, if successful, will allow her to swim in a normal dolphin style.

Winter's story is merely part of what the professionals at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium do on a regular basis. In fact, its Marine Animal Stranding Response Team, one of the nation's most successful, is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to injured, sick, or deceased marine life. Although the goal of the team is rehabilitation and release, some animals have become permanent aquarium residents due to the extent of their injuries or permanent disabilities. In addition to Winter and other Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, other permanent residents include several species of sea turtles, North American river otters and brown pelicans.

The aquarium is a working, research-based, non-profit facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured marine life, and to public environmental education. To that end, the aquarium offers a variety of educational programs, excursions and tours. On-site attractions include "behind-the-scenes" tours, dolphin, sea turtle, stingray and otter presentations, and various observation tanks.

The aquarium's experiential programs include:

o Marine Life Adventures - Adventures, led by aquarium biologists, range from two-hour Sea Life Safari sightseeing excursions throughout Clearwater Harbor's mangrove sea-grass estuaries, three- to six-hour custom adventures through the Intracoastal Waterway to two-to-four-day adventures, total immersions in active field research.

o Sea Turtle Nesting Program - This program is responsible for monitoring sea turtle nesting along area beaches and investigating the impact of beach restoration on nesting activity.

o Marine Mammal Program -Trainers provide educational presentations regarding marine mammal biology, care, training, and enrichment. Daily educational presentations, including physical and mental stimulation exercises and husbandry sessions, are conducted for aquarium visitors.

A visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is an adventure the entire family will cherish for years afterward, and now through Aug. 30, 2007, the aquarium is partnering with several Clearwater Beach hotels for a "Winter Travel Offer." Visitors booking with one of the hotel partners listed below receive complimentary tickets to the aquarium.

Hotel Partners:

o Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort: 1-800-445-8667

o Red Roof Inn Clearwater Beach: 727-447-3464

o Sheraton Sand Key Resort Clearwater Beach: 800-456-7263

o Travelodge Clearwater Beach: 727-446-8305

Be sure to ask for the "Winter Travel Offer"

The aquarium is open seven days a week; hours vary by day. For more information, call 727-441-1790 or visit www.cmaquarium.org.

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Beach Walk, the City of Clearwater's $30 million beautification project, is on schedule!

As you may recall, Beach Walk is envisioned as a winding beachside promenade with lush landscaping, artistic, whimsical touches and clear views to Clearwater's award-winning beach and the Gulf of Mexico. It was designed with the visitor experience in mind, by providing safe and convenient access for bicyclists, rollerbladers and pedestrians, and areas for dining, shopping, socializing and sightseeing.

Phase 1, which broke ground in January 2006, is nearing completion at the end of February. This phase includes landscaping and roadway and pedestrian enhancements on Coronado Drive just east of the beach. The last portion of Phase 1 is to add wide sidewalks and convert the roadway to three lanes.

The second phase, expected to begin in March and last 12 months, will focus on the north end of Beach Walk, relocating Gulfview Boulevard, and constructing wide promenades on both east and west sides of the new road.

When completed in 2009, Beach Walk will have dramatically transformed the beach's landscape and visitor experience. And remember: during Beach Walk construction, Clearwater's other attractions, including Pier 60, the Municipal Marina - and of course, the beach itself - remain open.

Additional information, as well as a sequencing map, can be found on www.myclearwater.com/beachwalk.

NEWS & NOTES

In nearly every issue of Footprints, we like to carry the exciting news about the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE). The airport's aggressive expansion efforts continue to pay off as several airlines add new flights, and more and more visitors to the Tampa Bay area continue to discover its ease and convenience. Be sure to visit PIE's web site at www.fly2pie.com.

o Allegiant Air now serves a dozen destinations with over 30 non-stop weekly flights including Chattanooga, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; Columbia, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Lansing, Michigan; Peoria, Illinois; Roanoke, Virginia; South Bend, Indiana; Springfield, Missouri and Toledo, Ohio. Nonstop service to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, begins in February 2007. For reservations and information: www.allegiantair.com, 702-505-8888.

o Sun Country Airlines now serves Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, with daily nonstop flights. For reservations and information: www.suncountry.com, 800-359-6786.

o SkyValue USA began service in December to and from Gary, Indiana (Gary-Chicago International Airport) with twice weekly service. For reservations and information: www.flyskyvalue.com, 866-796-6117

In addition, Sunwing Airlines services Toronto, Ontario, with twice-weekly flights, and USA 3000 Airlines provides service to Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. For Sunwing reservations and information: www.flysunwing.com, 877-786-9464; for USA 3000 reservations and information: www.usa3000airlines.com, 877-872-3000.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

The second annual Clearwater Halfathon will take place on Jan. 21, 2007, with a start time 15 minutes after sunrise (approximately 7:00 a.m.)

The 13.1 mile (21.0975 kilometers) course starts and finishes in Coachman Park on Clearwater's downtown waterfront. Participants will run through downtown Clearwater onto the Clearwater Memorial Causeway and Bridge, through Clearwater Beach, over the Clearwater Pass Bridge and through beautiful Sand Key Park. This course just may be the most scenic half marathon in Florida, as well as the most challenging with four ascents over two bridges!

For more information about the Clearwater Halfathon, visit www.clearwaterhalf.info or call 727-347-4440.

The Laser Midwinter's East Regatta is expected to attract up to 180 international sailors to Clearwater from Feb. 22 to 25. The regatta will be hosted by the Clearwater Yacht Club and will be held at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center (which you may recall was featured in the Fall 2006 issue of Footprints).

Also, it's worth mentioning here that 19 year-old Paige Railey was recently honored with the world's highest competitive sailing award: the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Rolex World Sailor of the Year! Paige has been sailing with the Clearwater Yacht Club since she was an eight-year-old green fleet sailor!

The Clearwater Yacht Club has a proud history dating back to 1911 and is one of the original 13 member clubs of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs. For more information about the yacht club and the Laser Midwinter's East Regatta, call 727-447-6000 or visit www.clwyc.org.

Already well-known for the world-famous Jazz Holiday, Clearwater adds another music festival to its roster when it hosts the inaugural Knology Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival on Feb. 24 and 25, 2007. The two-day festival will present world-class blues musicians including the legendary Johnny Winter and a wide assortment of gulf coast cuisine. The event will be held at Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater. Admission is free.

In addition to Winter, other national recording acts and musicians to be featured throughout the weekend include Coco Montoya, Chris Beard, Eric Sardinas, Eric Lindell and Tinsley Ellis.

For more information call 727-562-4839 or visit www.myclearwater.com.

The sixth Florida African American Heritage Celebration will feature the sounds of gospel, jazz, blues and traditional African drumming and dance; the aromas of authentic ethnic cuisine; an exciting marketplace with African and African American arts and crafts and other merchandise and visual and performing art workshops for adults and children. The event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2007, at Heritage Village in Largo. Admission is free. For more information, call 727-582-2123 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/unity.htm.

Over the years, charming Dunedin has maintained a unique "Caledonian" flavor and this proud heritage is most visible in the city's annual celebrations. The 41st Annual Dunedin Highland Games and Spring Clan Gathering takes place on Mar. 31, 2007, from 8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. at Highlander Park. The Highland Games were implemented in 1966 to raise funds to support Dunedin's three Scottish bands: the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, the Dunedin High School Scottish Highlanders Band and the Dunedin Highland Middle School Band. Since then, the event has continued to grow in popularity. The event features piping, drumming, dancing, athletics and more. Admission is $10 (children 12 years and younger are admitted free with paying adult).

For more information, call 727-733-3197 or visit www.dunedinhighlandgames.com.

BATTER UP

Florida is Spring Training and Major League Baseball Spring Training is in full swing in March.

Four Major League Baseball teams train in and around Clearwater, including the Philadelphia Phillies, the oldest, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports. The Phillies have been spring training in Clearwater since 1947.

Other teams include the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who train at Al Lang Field/Progress Energy Park in downtown St. Petersburg, but call Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg "home" all season long, the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin and the New York Yankees in Tampa.

Spring Training tickets are now on sale. For more information about your favorite team, including schedules and ticket availability, visit www.mlb.com, and look for the team link. For minor league baseball schedules, check out www.minorleaguebaseball.com.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Experience an evening of comedy, audience participation and fine dining.

Since 1998, MurderS She Wrote, Inc., a Florida-based theatre group, has been performing Murder Mystery Comedy Dinner Theater throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Actors perform between dinner courses while the audience watches for clues, all the while experiencing an evening filled with fast action and contagious laughter. Improvisation and audience participation highlight the show. While the troupe travels upon request, it performs regularly at the Radisson Hotel Clearwater Central on U.S. 19 North.

On the upcoming schedule: A Wedding to Die For, Last Will and TestaMint, My Big Fat Italian Funeral and Murder On Budget Cruise Lines.

The evenings begin at 6:00 p.m. with a "social" (including cash bar); dinner and the show start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $46 per person which includes dinner, show, tax and gratuity.

For additional information call 813-727-7012 or visit www.murdersshewrote.com.

Clearwater's 2,184-seat Ruth Eckerd Hall, at the Richard B. Baumgardner Center for the Performing Arts, is one of North America's most successful and favorite performing arts facilities. In fact, it has been named one of the top five concert halls in the United States by a nation-wide industry poll of technicians, artists and management. The acoustically perfect chamber, with its continental-style seating (i.e. no center aisles) was designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Ruth Eckerd Hall welcomes over 400,000 patrons to 200-plus events annually. A truly diverse line-up is in store over the next few months: Joshua Bell, Diahann Carroll, Harry Connick, Jr., Bill Cosby, Linda Eder, Engelbert Humperdinck, Indigo Girls, Patti LaBelle, Huey Lewis & the News, Mamma Mia, Johnny Mathis, Bobby McFerrin, Liza Minnelli, Molly Ringwald in Sweet Charity, Riverdance, Arturo Sandoval and the Vienna Choir Boys, among many, many others.

For a complete line-up and ticketing information, call 727-791-7400 (or 800-875-8682) or visit www.rutheckerdhall.com.

The Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Petersburg presents "Natura Morta: Still-Life Painting and the Medici Collections" from Jan. 19 through March 18, 2007.

Natura Morta will bring more than 40 stunning paintings from some of the foremost collections in Florence, Italy, and indeed the world, to the United States for the first time. The works are borrowed from the Uffizi Gallery, the Pitti Palace, the Galleria dell' Accademia and the Botanical Museum of Florence. Most were originally collected by one of the greatest artistic dynasties in world history: the Medici family. For more information, call 727-896-2667 or visit www.fine-arts.org.

The Florida International Museum in downtown St. Petersburg presents "From Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs" from Jan. 19 to May 13, 2007. This is the largest and most comprehensive traveling national exhibition ever created to explore the history, science and evolution of dogs and their roles in human societies. The show includes four themed galleries with multi-media displays, artifacts, photo murals, dioramas and hands-on components. For more information, call 727-341-7900 or log onto www.floridamuseum.org.

Put yourself in our shoes

A seemingly endless supply of sun, a mild and temperate climate, world-renowned beaches, nature-based attractions and wide-ranging recreational and cultural activities make Clearwater, Florida, one of the country's most popular vacation destinations. Its proximity to St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota and Orlando make it an ideal "home base" for daily excursions. Come on down and put yourself in our shoes for a while!

Visitors seeking additional assistance with their Clearwater travel plans can contact the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce: 1130 Cleveland Street, Clearwater, Florida 33755; [email protected]; 888-425-3279 (toll free) or 727-461-0011. More information, as well as comprehensive lists and descriptions of accommodations, restaurants, nightlife establishments and shopping options, can be found in the free Official Visitors Guide or at www.visitclearwaterflorida.com.