This is a very good beach for swimming. Lots of shells, not hardly any rocks.

The beach at madeira is usually not very cowded. There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas open daily.

Some area things to do are: Fort de Soto- beach with park/recreation and nature, downtown- the pier and the baywalk for shopping and movies, the sponge docks in tarpon springs- greek community about 1 hour north. Clearwater is a great soft sanded beach with parasailing, boating charters, etc... Seminole park is neat for seeing alligators and the orange blossom orchard (any kind of produce, mainly oranges and fruit) on seminole blvd. Miniature gold is everywhere on gulf blvd. John's pass in Treasure Island for beach shops, food (all you can eat oyster bar) and water sports rentals. The sunset cruz and casino is in John's pass. It is a several hour cruise with dinner and gambling.

Places to eat: Leverocks on the water for seafood, west shore pizza is great for a quick bite, and Bahama Breeze across the bridge in Tampa is great for a Jamaican atmosphere. There are several good restaurants at the Bay Walk downtown.

Hope this helps you!