Indian Rocks Beach with Kids: A Family Guide to Parks, Pools and Beach Days

Bymachiaravallo

Indian Rocks Beach is about as easy as a beach vacation with kids gets. The town is small and laid-back, the sand is close, and a golf cart turns every ice cream run into an adventure. Here’s our guide to things to do in Indian Rocks Beach with kids, from playgrounds and a water park to the game room and pools at our homes.

Beach days, made easy

The best beach days with little ones are the ones where you can head home for a nap and come back for sunset. Coastal Boutique is about 0.1 mile from the sand (about a 3-minute walk), Hideaway and Getaway are one block away, and Coastal Manor is about 0.2 mile. From Coastal Charm, it’s a short golf cart ride.

You don’t need to pack much beach gear, either:

  • Coastal Boutique: beach chairs, towels, a cooler and a collapsible beach cart for each unit.
  • Hideaway and Getaway: beach chairs, umbrellas and towels.
  • Coastal Charm: beach essentials provided.

Good to know: the city asks that everything you bring to the beach (chairs, umbrellas, tents, toys) be off the sand by 10 p.m. each day. So pack up when you head in for the night.

Kolb Park: the big playground stop

Kolb Park is the biggest park in town, at 1508 Bay Palm Blvd, between 15th and 16th Avenues. It’s an easy golf cart ride from every Stay Coastal home and a great break from the sun and sand. Kids will find:

  • Two shaded playgrounds for the little ones
  • A skate park for skateboards and scooters
  • Basketball and tennis courts, plus a baseball field
  • Free pickleball courts (first come, first served)
  • A covered pavilion, picnic tables and restrooms

Bring your own balls, rackets and paddles.

Brown Park: small, fenced and quiet

At the south end of town, Brown Park (Bay Boulevard and 2nd Street) has a fully fenced children’s playground, a basketball court and a covered pavilion with picnic tables. It’s open 7 a.m. to dark, and it’s pet friendly too, so it works well if the family dog came along.

A morning walk at the Nature Preserve

The Nature Preserve boardwalk winds through the mangroves, and it’s a nice, slow morning outing for curious kids who like spotting wading birds. It’s at 903 Gulf Blvd, between 9th and 10th Avenues, and it’s open 7 a.m. to dark. Restrooms and parking are on site.

Splash Harbour Water Park

For a hot afternoon, Splash Harbour Water Park is right in Indian Rocks Beach, at 399 Second Street. Little ones have a splash zone with small slides and water features, and the big slides are for riders at least 48 inches tall. There’s also a lazy river. Daily admission is sold online, and hours can change with the weather and the season, so check the park’s website before you go.

The game area at Hideaway and Getaway

Rainy afternoon? Too much sun? The shared game area at Coastal Hideaway and Coastal Getaway has ping pong, a pool table, foosball, air hockey, shuffleboard and cornhole, plus a hot tub for the grown-ups. Guests of both units share it. Book the whole Hideaway & Getaway Duplex and it’s all yours.

Coastal Getaway also has a bunk room, which tends to be the most fought-over room in the house.

Pool time

Coastal Charm has a heated pool with a sun shelf, a shallow ledge where little ones can splash while the grown-ups lounge. Coastal Manor has a heated pool and spa on the Intracoastal Waterway. Please always supervise children around pools, hot tubs and the water.

Golf cart adventures

Every Stay Coastal IRB stay includes a golf cart. The nightly ice cream run on 14th Avenue may become your kids’ favorite tradition, and crepes at Cafe de Paris make a fun breakfast treat.

One rule for families with teens: under Indian Rocks Beach’s updated golf cart rules, drivers on public streets need to be 18 or older, or have a driver’s license or learner’s permit with a licensed adult along. Carts also can’t drive along Gulf Boulevard; they can only cross it at the marked crossings. Our golf cart guide has the details.

On the water

Kayaks come with Coastal Manor, Coastal Charm, Hideaway and Getaway, and Coastal Boutique has shared kayaks. Kids should paddle with an adult, and everyone should wear a life jacket.

Traveling with a baby or toddler?

Coastal Boutique Unit 3 has a highchair, and every Boutique condo has an in-unit washer and dryer for all those sandy outfits. Coastal Charm has a washer and dryer too.

Which home fits your family?

A sample kid-friendly day

  • Morning: beach time while it’s cooler, then lunch back at the house.
  • Afternoon: nap or quiet time, then Splash Harbour, the pool or a Kolb Park run.
  • Evening: golf cart to dinner, sunset on the beach, and ice cream on 14th Avenue.

For more ideas, see our full list of things to do in Indian Rocks Beach. When you’re ready, check availability for your dates.

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