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The best free things to do in Clearwater with kids are the Sunsets at Pier 60 festival, the Coachman Park splash pad, the birds of prey at Moccasin Lake and Sand Key Park, with eight more below. The Sunsets at Pier 60 festival is the one to plan the week around. It runs every night of the year from two hours before sunset, and it costs nothing. We travel slowly with kids, one thing a day and a long afternoon in the water, and a town whose free things are real outings rather than filler makes that easy. Every item was checked against the park, city or county’s own page on September 26, 2026, and where a small fee sits beside a free thing it says so. By the end you will have a week of days that cost nothing and know which two carry a small charge.
How We Chose These
Free means the thing itself costs the family nothing to do. We left out anything that is only free for one age group, anything that is really a free walk past a paid attraction, and the tips-based tours. Where a free place charges for one part of itself, or charges for parking, that fee is printed in the item rather than left for you to discover at the gate. Ten of the twelve carry no charge at all. The other two are Sand Key Park (free to enter, $6 a day to park) and Clearwater Beach itself (the sand is free, city lots are $3.50 an hour).
Hours and fees change. Every item links to the page the operator maintains, and the dates and prices here were read from those pages on September 26, 2026. If a line below disagrees with the official page on the day you go, the official page wins.
The 12 Best Free Things to Do in Clearwater with Kids
1. The Sunsets at Pier 60 festival
A street festival of artisans and live entertainment that sets up at the foot of the pier every evening and runs from two hours before sunset until two hours after. The street performers are the draw for children, and the timing suits a family. In winter the sun sets early enough that the whole thing is over before bedtime. Watch the sunset itself from the sand beside the pier, then walk back through the stalls.
Where: Pier 60, where Causeway Boulevard meets Clearwater Beach. When: Every day of the year, weather permitting, from two hours before sunset until two hours after. Summer hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost: Free. The organizers describe it as a free nightly festival. The crafts are for sale. Check the official page before you go.
2. Coachman Park splash pad and playground
The rebuilt downtown waterfront park, with a splash pad, a playground, a lake with fountains, picnic tables and paved paths along Clearwater Harbor. The splash pad is the answer for the hottest hour of the day, and the playground is right beside it. It sits across the causeway from the beach, so it also works on a day when the beach lots are full.
Where: 300 Cleveland Street, on the downtown waterfront. When: The splash pad, playground and restrooms are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The park itself is open 5 a.m. to midnight. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
3. Moccasin Lake Nature Park
A 54-acre city nature preserve with boardwalks under old oaks, trails across ponds and creeks, a nature center, and a sanctuary for injured birds of prey. The birds of prey are the reason to go, because children rarely see a raptor this close. After the sanctuary, the boardwalks are short and shaded, and gopher tortoises are among the animals the park lists.
Where: 2750 Park Trail Lane, in east Clearwater. When: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails close to new visitors at 4:15 p.m. Closed Mondays and city holidays. No pets. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
4. Sand Key Park
A Pinellas County beach park with a playground, two bathhouses with changing stalls, outdoor showers, picnic shelters, a boardwalk nature trail and seasonal lifeguards. It is the quieter of the two beaches, with everything a family needs in one place and the car close to the sand. The playground and showers mean nobody has to leave the beach to reset.
Where: 1060 Gulf Boulevard, across the pass south of Clearwater Beach. When: 7 a.m. to sunset every day. Closed the day after Thanksgiving and December 25. Cost: Free to enter. Parking is $6 for the day, paid by plate with a credit card, which costs less than two hours in a city beach lot. Check the official page before you go.
5. Clearwater Beach itself
The public beach, which costs nothing to use. The only cost of a Clearwater beach day is parking. Arrive early for a spot in a city lot near Pier 60, then spend the morning on the sand while it is still cool. The Pier 60 Park playground below is a few steps away when they need a break.
Where: The barrier island west of downtown, across the Memorial Causeway. When: The beach is open 24 hours. City beach lots charge from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Cost: Free. City lots are $3.50 an hour and on-street meters are $4 an hour with a five-hour limit. Check the official page before you go.
6. Pier 60 Park playground
A city park at the base of Pier 60 with a playground, covered pavilions, picnic tables, paved paths and restrooms, right on the sand. It is where a beach day resets, with shade, a bathroom and a playground in sight of the water. Stay into the evening and the sunset festival sets up around you.
Where: 370 Mandalay Avenue, at the foot of the pier. When: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Cost: Free. Fishing passes for the pier itself are sold separately. Check the official page before you go.
7. Kapok Park boardwalks
Nineteen acres of restored wetland and oak forest, with boardwalks, bridges over the water and a nature trail of nearly a mile. Boardwalks over water hold a small child’s attention longer than any path, and the paved loop works with a stroller. It is a few minutes from Moccasin Lake, so the two make one morning.
Where: 2950 Glen Oak Avenue North, in east Clearwater. When: Sunrise to sunset. Cost: Free. The city lists no admission charge. Check the official page before you go.
8. Clearwater Main Library
The city’s main library, air-conditioned, with free Wi-Fi and maker studios, a short walk from the Coachman Park splash pad. It is the rainy-afternoon plan and the cool-down after the splash pad. The library calendar lists the week’s free children’s programs.
Where: 100 North Osceola Avenue, on the edge of Coachman Park. When: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
9. Florida Botanical Gardens
150 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds and native habitat run by Pinellas County, with two entrances. It is open space to wander with a stroller, and the plan for a morning when the beach is too hot or too windy. Heritage Village is next door.
Where: 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, south of Clearwater. When: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, except the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Cost: Free. The county’s own words are that admission is free. Check the official page before you go.
10. Heritage Village
Pinellas County’s history museum, a village of historic houses and buildings including a Madeira Beach cottage, a pioneer family’s bungalow and an old boat-building shop. Children can walk into real old houses, which beats any glass case. Pair it with the Botanical Gardens next door for a free morning in Largo.
Where: 11909 125th Street North, Largo, beside the Botanical Gardens. When: Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. Closed Monday, Tuesday and county holidays. Cost: Free. Donations are welcome. Check the official page before you go.
11. Philippe Park and the Tocobaga temple mound
The oldest park in Pinellas County, with the largest remaining Native American temple mound in the Tampa Bay region, picnic shelters and views over the bay. The mound is the thing to see, a hill built by the Tocobaga people long before Europeans arrived. The rock-structure playground is open while the main playground is closed for work.
Where: 2525 Philippe Parkway, Safety Harbor, on Old Tampa Bay. When: 7 a.m. to sunset, seven days a week. Cost: Free to enter. The boat ramp is the only fee the county lists. Check the official page before you go.
12. Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail
A paved trail on an old railroad line, protected from traffic, for walking, running and biking. A flat path away from cars is the easiest bike ride a family will find. Join it downtown and ride north toward Dunedin for as long as the legs last.
Where: Runs 47 miles from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, through downtown Clearwater and Dunedin. When: 7 a.m. to sunset every day. Cost: Free. Bring or rent bikes. Check the official page before you go.
When You Are Ready to Spend
A free week still needs a bed and usually one paid outing. In Clearwater the paid outings worth the money are the dolphin and boat trips from the marina, and they book through GetYourGuide. For lodging, staying on Clearwater Beach puts Pier 60 and the sand within walking distance, and staying downtown puts you next to Coachman Park and the trail. Our Clearwater activities guide covers the paid side of the town, and the Clearwater beaches guide covers every public beach access.
Clearwater is one of the towns in our ranking of the best beach towns in Florida for families, which covers what a week here costs against the rest of the state.
FAQs About Free Things to Do in Clearwater with Kids
Is Clearwater Beach free?
Yes, the beach itself is free. Parking is the cost, $3.50 an hour in city lots and $4 an hour at on-street meters between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Sand Key Park, across the pass, charges $6 for the whole day and has a playground, bathhouses and showers.
Is the sunset festival at Pier 60 free?
Yes. Sunsets at Pier 60 runs every night of the year, weather permitting, from two hours before sunset until two hours after, and there is no charge to walk through it. The artisans’ work is for sale.
Where is the free splash pad in Clearwater?
Coachman Park, at 300 Cleveland Street on the downtown waterfront. The splash pad, playground and restrooms are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and there is no charge.
What is free to do in Clearwater on a rainy day?
The Main Library downtown is air-conditioned, free and open Monday to Friday, and Heritage Village in Largo is free from Wednesday to Sunday, with historic houses children can walk into. The birds of prey at Moccasin Lake are a good choice when the rain lets up.