Shephard's Tiki Beach Bar sits at the south end of Clearwater Beach on Gulfview Boulevard and is the closest thing the beach has to a proper nightlife venue. The open-air tiki bar faces the Gulf, with sand underfoot and palm trees strung with lights. Live bands and DJs play most nights, and the dance floor fills up after 9 p.m., especially on weekends.
During the day it operates as a casual beach bar with tropical cocktails and frozen drinks. The atmosphere shifts as the sun goes down — the crowd skews younger and louder, and the music gets turned up. Shephard's has been a Clearwater Beach fixture since the 1950s, though the current tiki bar setup is a more recent addition. It stays open late and is one of the few spots on the beach strip with real energy after midnight.