At the north end of Long Boat Key, a barrier island just south of Tampa Bay, there is a restaurant known as Moore's Stone Crab. With that name, a visit was required. The restaurant is located on a little bay along the Intracoastal Waterway and has a dock for visiting boaters. An overnight stay is free if you eat in the restaurant. A deal that could not be passed up.
The stone crab dinners were offered in 3 sizes: 7 house size claws, 6 large size claws, or 5 jumbo size claws. The jumbo claw dinner was priced at $74.99. This fact made it easy to understand why there were so many crab traps offshore at Clearwater. Very precious, these little crabs.
It is illegal to kill a stone crab - a meat bearing animal that does not have to give up its life to provide a meal. Stone crabs are caught in traps, one claw is broken off, and the crab is returned to the water. The crab is able to catch prey and feed itself with one claw and the lost claw grows back.
The community of Long Beach is a quiet, quaint village, far different from the highrise condos of Clearwater and St. Pete. Smaller, older homes populate the village.
And, the few newer homes make their impact through architectural details rather than outlandish size.
Then, there were the interesting and quirky aspects of Long Beach, like Peacocks roaming the neighborhood.
Seems the residents express creativity, and maybe a bit more quirkiness, through eschewing traditional mailboxes.
There is a beach in Long Beach; a nice, white-sand one. Black Skimmers and Royal Terns stand on the beach, facing the wind in groups.
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