The Johnson Crew!

We had the best time at Indian Shores, Florida, for our 2022 summer family vacation. We rented a beach house on VRBO for four days, swam in clear blue Gulf water, played in powdery white sand, ate ice cream every day, and stopped at Island H2O Live water park on the way home. We got home really late that night. Worth it! Here’s how it went, plus a few tips.

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Getting out the door

We were packed up and ready to rock and roll at 7:30 in the morning. We pulled out at 9:45. That’s how it goes with kids, right? The van was packed to the brim.

Tip: order groceries on the drive

I packed a snack bag, but we didn’t have room for a week of groceries. So I used our drive time to place a grocery pickup order at the Walmart closest to our beach house. Then we just grabbed it on the way in. It saved so much space and hassle.

Days at the beach

Our VRBO beach house was great, and the kids loved exploring it. Then it was beach time: swimming in the clear Gulf water, digging in the sand, running from the waves and playing in the big waves. Everyone was worn out from the sun by dinnertime.

Ice cream was an every-day thing. My youngest picked his flavor based on color, not taste, and went with the bright blue cotton candy. Priorities.

Island H2O Live water park

On our last day we checked out of the beach house, grabbed Chick-fil-A for breakfast, and headed to Island H2O Live, near Orlando in Kissimmee, on the way home.

Here’s our honest take:

• Short waits. The lines for slides weren’t that long.
• Lots for little ones. There was a ton for small kids to do.
• A manageable size. It’s not as big as some water parks, and I actually preferred that. It felt less likely that someone would get lost.

We’d highly recommend it. All of us had a fantastic time.

A heads-up for parents of little ones

By the end of the day, my youngest was pretty bummed that he couldn’t ride all the big-kid slides, and he had an epic meltdown. Not gonna lie, it was pretty epic. If you have a little one with big siblings, it might help to talk about height limits before you go.

Why we loved Indian Shores

Indian Shores is a gorgeous beach and an awesome beach town with lots to do. Clearwater is about 30 minutes north and St. Petersburg is about 30 minutes south. We’d highly recommend the west coast of Florida.

Key takeaways

• Expect to leave later than planned with kids.
• Order grocery pickup near your rental during the drive.
• Indian Shores has clear water, white sand and a fun beach town.
• Island H2O Live has short waits and lots for little kids.
• Prep little ones for slides they may be too small to ride.

Where did you go on vacation this year? Tell me in the comments, and come hang out with our crew on YouTube. Subscribe to The Johnson Crew on YouTube.

FAQ

Is Indian Shores, Florida, good for families?

We loved it. The beach is gorgeous, the water was clear, and the beach town has lots to do. Clearwater and St. Petersburg are each about 30 minutes away.

Is Island H2O Live good for young kids?

Yes. It has a ton for little ones and shorter waits. It’s smaller than some water parks, which made it easier to keep track of everyone.

How do you handle groceries for a beach rental?

I placed a grocery pickup order during our drive at the Walmart closest to our rental, then picked it up on the way.

What viewers say

Our whole family just watched this. We were cracking up. We all agree that you guys should do more of these!

@twoarrowfilms on YouTube

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Full transcript

All right we're all packed up headed to indian rocks beach 7 30 in the morning we're ready to rock and roll eyes all lives we didn't pull out till 9 way later than whom we were thinking that's how it goes with kids we are packed to the brim in here all right to the bathroom that's pretty fun what'd you get popcorn I packed us a snack bag but we did not have room to bring groceries for the week so I just used our drive time to make a grocery pickup order for the walmart that's closest to our beach house hey oh oh that's neat it's like right in the room

And a big closet nice bed all right I do can you hang out out here yeah but don't fall down in there what I won't oh good you're so big get him get him get him oh theo you're so crazy good are you job thank you thank you you do good nice mommy oh wow yeah I can see them some 50 cents and then like one full one the other one's been broken wait guys I'll be poking you guys go I'll be right here okay count to ten

Okay one everybody run maggie's clunky feet let's go great job awesome hmm you all ready to get some dinner look at this kid cool hairdo got the man bun going on tonight everyone's tired from being in the sun all day all right waving it to my face should we walk to dinner which one are you getting theo the blue one oh you want the cotton candy yeah I think you're just going based on color not one point let me have what did you get so was one of the greatest innovators wow the big wave hey guys fire one more time oh my goodness oh we just checked out of our vrbo our beach house

But today's water park day are you all excited yeah whoa and chick-fil-a for breakfast is that was so scary y'all are so brave come back ready there they go there they go theo yeah you had a great time but poor thing by the end of the day was pretty bummed that he couldn't ride all the big kid slides so he had a pretty epic meltdown not gonna lie it was pretty epic um but all in all a fantastic day would highly recommend island h2o live water park in orlando really though the wait times for the slides weren't that long they had plenty of stuff to do a ton of stuff for little ones all of us had a fantastic time

And it wasn't quite as big as some of the bigger water parks but I kind of preferred that because I felt like it was less likely for somebody to get lost so it was it was so much fun so that's a wrap on our vacation we loved indian shores it's a gorgeous beach an awesome beach town so fun lots to do so would highly recommend going out there too so all in all an awesome vacation thanks for joining us let me know in the comments below where you went on vacation this year or where you're planning to go next

And if you've ever been to indian shores or clearwater is just like 30 minutes north and st petersburg is like 30 minutes south about that so if you've ever been to the west coast of florida let me know it is gorgeous hope you have an awesome day see you in the next video