Beach Days Are Coming

While spring break is over, it’s never too soon to start planning summer beach trips

Annabelle Bulger, Fun Coordinator

April 8, 2025

A beautiful sunset over Pass-a-Grille beach.

The best parts about being a Floridian are: Publix, it never being too cold and beaches and pools being almost everywhere. You may have been busy during spring break with extra homework, work or other activities, but luckily I have compiled a list of some favorite beaches for your summertime plans.

Picnic Island

The closest beach to Robinson, Picnic Island, is a great starting point for beach trips. It is about 10 minutes away, so it’s a very easy drive and close to Publix for beach snacks. There are no lifeguards, but the water is calm, and you don’t have much to worry about if you are a good swimmer. Furthermore, it is not busy at all and you will have the entire beach to yourself and your friends for most of the day and access to plenty of shade from the surrounding trees. While the water is prone to being contaminated after storms and algae blooms, it is a lovely hangout spot that’s close to home.

Cypress Point

The most underrated beach on this list, Cypress Point is a tiny spot just 15 minutes away from Robinson. Secluded and surrounded by palm trees and bushes, Cypress is a tiny stretch of beach with plenty of shade and picnic areas for alternating between snacking and swimming. Because no one knows about it, it’s almost always empty and never has a large crowd of people, so you’ll have the area all to yourself. While it is the smallest beach on the list and having just a small strip of beach, it’s an excellent spot for a small hangout.

Pass-a-grille Beach

Pass-a-grille Beach, a bit of a drive away, is perfect for a day trip. Surrounded by shops, restaurants and hotels, there are miles of beach to spread out on and enjoy an evening between before grabbing dinner and ice cream. The water can be rough at times, but there are usually lifeguards on watch so there isn’t much to worry about if you stay close to shore. If you’re good with the 45-minute drive, you can easily spend a day walking through the shops and enjoying the cozy beach town vibe.

Clearwater Beach

Furthest away and the most popular, Clearwater Beach is about an hour drive away. It definitely has the most surrounding it, with an aquarium, restaurants, shops and so much more to explore. It’s not as beach-towny as Pass-a-grille, there’s a couple of office buildings on the horizon so it feels like more of a city than a beach with a town around it. It is very busy, but there are lifeguards to watch the busier sections. If you’re willing to do the drive, Clearwater Beach can make a fantastic day trip with dinner or lunch, shopping, and beach all in one.

Summer is coming faster than you think, so it’s best to start planning your sun filled days now rather than later. There are dozens of beaches and other outdoor activities to do in and around Tampa, but hopefully this overview gives you some ideas for your summer plans.

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About the Contributors

Annabelle Bulger, Fun Coordinator

Annabelle Bulger is a senior at Robinson and this is her second year on staff. She is the Fun Coordinator for the Knight Writers. Bulger has been dancing since the age of three. She’s has done ballet, jazz, tap and musical theatre dance. She has lived in Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, Washington, Texas and now resides in Florida. “Dancing has pretty much been one of the few constants in my life, no matter where I went, I had dance,” Bulger said. She has gone on a few adventures. Her mother would take her on hikes during her time in Washington state. She hated it initially, but she eventually began to enjoy it. She started to like hiking more when she realized how beautiful the landscapes were. “My favorite was hiking in Mount Rainier National Park, in Washington, in the summer of 2022,” she said. “I hope to travel more once I graduate, either to Europe, New York City, Yellowstone National Park, or Washington, D.C.” Bulger loves traveling and would love to travel and explore more places once she’s done with school and college. She also loves Journalism because it gives her the freedom and space to write about whatever she wants and gives her peace of mind. “I joined journalism because I always wanted to be a part of a school newspaper or yearbook, and I got suggested to Mrs. Webster as a staff writer. I love the energy of the class and how we work together to create our final product,” Bulger said. Annabelle plans to do more fundraisers and help build a positive environment in Newspaper. She wants to focus on expanding her portfolio to include more topics. “Last year I mainly wrote opinions and A&E, and this year I want to do more sports and news,” Bulger said. Bulger has always loved non-fiction books. Some of her favorites include Wright Thompson’s “The Cost of These Dreams” and Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff.” “I loved the way these authors told their stories,” Bulger said, “and they continue to inspire how I approach my writing.” Bulger says Thompson and Wolfe are two of her biggest inspirations. After graduation, Bulger is pretty set on her plans after high school, as she has a plan for college and after college graduation. “I’m set on my future careers. I want to be an Air Force pilot and maybe once I retire, I’ll become a journalist or a screenwriter, I’ve always loved creating stories. I plan on pursuing an engineering career with some minor in either STEM or literature,” Bulger said.

Anika Sanka, Features Editor

Anika Sanka is a junior at Robinson and this is her second year on staff. This year, she will be serving as the Knight Writer’s features editor. She is an active club member at Robinson, acting as the vice president of the book club and the donation head for the clothes for kids club. She also runs for the Robinson track team outside of school. Sanka says one of the things she really likes about the Robinson track team is its structure. “Running doesn’t really seem that hard, but just motivating yourself to go on a run when you could just be sitting at home is hard,” Sanka said. “That and the team, it’s always more fun to do stuff with friends.” After growing up reading the newspaper regularly, Sanka joined the staff to have fun while learning, and she says it has been very beneficial to her writing over the years. “It’s really easy to get writers block, and this just helps you. The more you practice, the better you are, the easier it’ll come,” Sanka said. “I think it’s really helped me expand my writing skills.” Her goals for this year are to create an exceptionally good print issue for the paper. Outside of school, Sanka’s hobbies include reading good books, baking, swimming recreationally, and running to a fun playlist. “I think it makes me more efficient, sometimes, if I just come home and I’m trying to do my homework, I have a hard time focusing. If I do something else before, and don’t go straight into that, it helps me focus,” Sanka said. Her plans for after high school include attending college and going into pre-law. “There’s so many different kinds of things you can do,” Sanka said regarding the pre-law track, “you could do business, you could just be in meetings all day, or you could be talking to people about how to get their green card. I just like that there’s so many different ways you can use your degree.”

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Beach Days Are Coming

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