Clearwater's Dolphin Trail

You may have heard of Winter, Clearwater’s famous bottlenose dolphin, from the movie Dolphin Tail, but did you know that Clearwater is also home to a “pod” of colorful dolphin sculptures called the Dolphin Trail? Clearwater’s Dolphin Trail, a group project between the City of Clearwater and the Clearwater Regional Chamber, began in 2012 with 50 sculptures decorated by local artists to showcase the area’s history, wildlife and attractions. Since then, the trail has grown to include over 100 dolphins and has expanded to neighboring cities from Tarpon Springs to Saint Petersburg.

I’d noticed the dolphins around Clearwater, but I didn’t realize how many there were until this spring when Ron and I went to the Sugar Sand Festival at Clearwater Beach and started seeing them everywhere. That was the beginning of my quest to find as many of the sculptures as possible. A 2016 brochure which listed the dolphins’ locations gave me a good start, but I quickly found out that some of the original dolphins had moved and new ones had been added. I finally decided to create my own Google map, adding pins and photographs for each dolphin I visited.

Although the 6-foot-tall fiberglass dolphins are all fabricated from the same mold, every dolphin on the trail is unique. Some are painted or airbrushed, some are decorated with fabrics or mosaic glass. Most of the artists are professionals while others are just getting started, like the nine-year-old twins from the Dunedin Fine Art Center’s youth program who designed “Daisy” in Downtown Dunedin. I love seeing how the artists’ personalities and creativity come through in their designs. One of my favorite dolphins, installed in Clearwater’s Main Library, is decorated with scenes from the book Where the Wild Things Are. Perfect for a library! Another of my favorites is “Linger” on Honeymoon Island, painted with tall pine trees, ospreys and gopher turtles. Winter the dolphin sadly passed away last year, but her legacy lives on in “Winter Inspires”. Artist M’rissa Rosenthal covered her sculpture with messages from children with disabilities who were encouraged by Winter’s story of resilience. A heart-shaped patch on the sculpture’s chest was painted by Winter herself.

The Dolphin Trail highlights all the things that make the Clearwater area such a special place to visit.

A Dolphin Can Take You to Where the Wild Things Are
artist: Cathie Zurich-Wus

Treasured Current-Sea
artist: Jesse Wilhelm

Linger
artist: M'rissa Rosenthal

Akela Tiki
artist: Morgan O'Brien

Marina
artist: Demeree Barth

Hunter
artist: Dee Rodriques

Spot
artist: Liquid Sol Inc.

Welcome
artist: Cathie Zurich-Wus

Splash
artist: Don Scali

Jewel
artist: Dawn Klyczek

Queen Dolphin Diva
artist: Jules Burt

Daisy
artists: Addison and Ella Engle and Christine Renc-Carter

Sandy
artist: Liquid Sol Inc.

ZZ
artist: Larry Davis

Playing on the Water
artist: Sandra Blythe

Winter Inspires
artist: M'rissa Rosenthal (with help from Winter the dolphin)

Travel tips: The official start of the Dolphin Trail is on Clearwater Beach, where you can find more than 20 dolphins within walking distance. Just like live dolphins, the sculptures don’t always stay in one place so lists become outdated. If you spot a dolphin that isn’t on my map, please contact me at SusanSweetEscapes@gmail.com so I can add a new pin to the map.

Businesses or individuals who would like to sponsor a dolphin can contact Amplify Clearwater (formerly the Clearwater Regional Chamber). Click here for more information.