What's Good Local

What we're building

The first question of the day, answered.

Before anyone picks where to eat, where to go out or what to do with the kids, a visiting family asks one question: can we get in the water today?

Around Tampa Bay that answer is scattered across lifeguard towers, park signs and forecast pages. We bring it together, every day, beach by beach: the flag where one is posted, the rip current risk, tides and water temperature. Where no flag is posted, we say so. We never guess one.

Around that goes the rest — a short list of restaurants, bars and things to do, picked by people who live here. Not a directory of the whole bay. A handful of places worth your time.

Where

Tampa Bay's Gulf beaches, north to south.

From Tarpon Springs down to Venice. Tap a beach for today's conditions, where to eat and what to do nearby.

Many of these beaches have no lifeguards. No lifeguard means no flag — check the rip current risk, and swim near a lifeguard when you can.

The flags

What each color means.

Flags fly at lifeguard stations and park entrances, and they can change several times a day. If no one is on duty, there is no flag.

Green — low hazard, calm conditions

Yellow — moderate surf or currents, use caution

Red — high surf or dangerous currents

Double red — water closed, no swimming

Purple — dangerous marine life

Green doesn't mean there's no danger. It means conditions are calm right now.

For businesses

Have a business on the Tampa Bay coast?

We're putting together our first list of local businesses for the season. If you want visitors to find you when they're deciding where to eat or what to do, send us a note and we'll show you how it works.

hello@whatsgoodlocal.com

Tampa Bay

The first question of the day, answered.

Tampa Bay's Gulf beaches, north to south.

Pinellas County

Anna Maria Island · Manatee County

Sarasota County

What each color means.

Have a business on the Tampa Bay coast?