John’s Pass Village

After searching for things to do in the Treasure Beach area and talking with locals John’s Pass came up time and time again. A boardwalk? Shopping? Food options? Breathtaking views? I’m in.
So after a short bus ride from Treasure Island to Madiera Beach for a total of $ 10/​round trip for two we found ourselves here. And here basically meant a «strip» mall of sorts consisting of small stores selling the same beachy and beach related merchandise. It left me «searching» for the boardwalk — which was a dock at the end of the street, the uniqueness — nothing unique here, the great food vendors — a wine tasting place, an ice cream place, and the ever commercial Hooters. Maybe Floridians just don’t understand the concept of a boardwalk but having been to Ocean City, Maryland throughout my youth this fails in comparison and is honestly an insult to the true boardwalks up north.
While it was nice to visit another area and I did look out over the pier and see some pelicans there is really nothing special here to warrant the $ 10 bus fare or a trip in general for that matter.
But…if you are staying in Madiera Beach — which has a totally different, less retail vibe than where we were in Treasure Island, go for it.

Nice place to walk and visit all the gift and souvenir shops, always find some cool and interesting things

Stay away from the zone. My son bought a sweatshirt. Came nack to the condo to show me i said u should have gotten a bigger size cause its cheap and it will shrink. We paid $ 37.44 for it. He goes right back girl takes it behind the counter comes back and says we cant take it back there’s a stain on this. Suddenly there’s 2 dots on the lettering. Now my son is all upset that this sweatshirt is going to shrink and they wont take vit back. POS management. Buyer Beware bad customer service!

This is our favorite place at Madeira Beach for shopping, dining and strolling. The shops are great & unique. Choices for restaurants and ice cream shops are too many to list. We end up there several days during our trip because there’s too much to see in one visit.

John’s pass is a great tourist stop while in the Madeira Beach area. It has any and every type of souvenir shop you could imagine, as well as some great places to stop to eat and drink.
We didn’t get to stay and explore as long as we’d have liked, since our kids were hot and tired from the beach, but we did manage to walk away with a fun flamingo Tervis Tumbler and a few shells (sorry JPV groundskeepers) from around the trees.
In the years past (ok yes, like 10 years ago was the last time I was there!), I didn’t remember having to pay for parking, but maybe we did. It wasn’t too expensive, just $ 6 for 2 hours, but that was my only complaint, so I guess I don’t have too much to complain about :0).
This is a really cool concept because it gives you so much to shop and look for in one spot.

I LOVE JOHN’S PASS… In my fairy tale this is a town in which I would live and never again leave the beach or the pass if they had residency here I would never leave! Peaceful.Quiant.Classic.Fun.Plenty to do, see, purchase, eat, dance or relax!!! Make sure you stop by Woody’s Watersports and purchase 2 hours on the skii you will then experience euphoria and definitely see dolphins!!! How I love it here. Life is but a beach!

It’s a quaint little seaside village that employs many shopping to stir your curiosity and shopping needs. Parking can get narly at times but it’s worth the wait. Every shop offers a little bit of tourism for even the always Cleawaterains to pretend there on vacation and feel the small village charm by the sea. It’s really grown since the day and there is always something new and wonderful to check out.

Nice place to walk around have dinner and hit the little shops. Was a bit smaller then I expected but it was still fun :)

Other reviews are correct that this a tourist spot, but I would still recommend it over and over. Lots to see and do on the boardwalk. If you find a good spot around noon you can see the fishing boats come back. They’ll toss fish out to the Pelicans snd it’s a pretty fun show. Also don’t be surprised to see a few dolphins swimming around.

Nice walk on the boardwalk with old historic feeling businesses everything from restaurants to shops. This has that old welcoming feel to it. The Pelicans were pretty cool to watch since I’m from Chicago. :)

They need more parking. The garage was closed as we waited. A long line of cars as we had to wait for cars to leave the parking garage to be able to park. It was a cluster f… fudge. Yup! We circled through each lot and nothing. They did have two lots in the back $ 10 Parking all day and they were full. But we went back to the parking garage and still were packed. Told us they have to wait for a car to come out for us to go in. Finally got to really enjoy walking around here. Tons of great shops and a few new ones.

This is a great place to stroll around by yourself for a break, or with family, friends or visitors. There are plenty of food establishments and interesting shops to try out, or just have a seat to people watch, bird watch or dolphin watch right next to the water.
Parking can be a bear sometimes, but hang in there on a busy evening, you’ll find a spot.

I love John’s Pass Village area. I am always looking for something to occupy time of family visiting from out of town, and this is always a hit.
With shops and restaurants and other entertainment available we are always able to spend a leisure day walking around.

A fun and entertaining Boardwalk. The views are very nice, and it’s not hard at all to see a dolphin or two.
Obviously, it’s a tourist attraction, but a free one if you’re smart/​a tight ass (besides parking). Some fun shops but a lot of pointless gimmicky ones.
Beware, parking nazis are always on patrol dishing out $ 35 tickets! Pay for $ 2.00 or so for parking so you don’t yell «D’oh!» When you return to your vehicle.

I had a good time walking around at John’s Pass Village. There were a lot of shops and restaurants, and even an alligator attraction. Plenty to see and do for the whole family.
The highlight of our visit was the boardwalk. Lined by some of the shops and restaurants, the boardwalk offers a beautiful scenic view spanning from the bay to the Gulf of Mexico, with a nice beach area (shaded by the bridge) to watch all the nice boats make their way through the pass. Even some good spots to go fishing.
John’s Pass Village is a great place to spend a few hours, or even the whole day with everything from an active nightlife with craft brew, to jet ski rentals and even parasailing. I haven’t tried the eateries here yet, but I’ll certainly be back to try the deliciously smelling food. They also have an ice cream place I want to try.

I know John’s pass is for the Tourists but I LOVE to bring my out of town guests here. Ok, ok, I love any excuse to come here.
The shops are fun to browse and any restaurant on the water is my favorite restaurant. Shops include Tshirts, shells, alligator heads and anything else touristy you can imagine. Restaurants include Bubba Gump, Hooters and a few seafood places. Take a stroll by Kilwins Sweet Shop and gain 5 lbs just from the amazing smells of freshly made waffle cones and fudge.
Its a great place to spend a few hours but the best, can’t live with out it thing to do at John’s pass is dolphin watching! It only takes 10 minutes of water gazing to spot one! I have never been here and not seen dolphins. Take a stroll down the stairs behind Bubba Gump and find a path under the bridge to a small beach and a closer look at the dolphins.

John’s Pass and John’s Pass Village is a total touristville of place but as far as touristvilles go, one of the better ones and certainly by far one of the largest.
It’s ideally situated with all sorts of mediocre so-​so restaurants along the inlet off the Gulf and beach type shops along the lake area. I wouldn’t rate any of restaurant food offerings as four star or above, but they have, though mostly seafood oriented, just about every type you can think off and for stores, every type of beach oriented type of store one could possible think off.
There are also offerings for boat rides, boat chartering, fishing and other water recreational activities.
What I particularly like about the John’s Pass Village portion of it is the pleasant boardwalk and waterfront views along the inlet. For this alone, it’s definitely worth taking the time to stop by, see and enjoy.

There is everything at one spot restaurant stores fishing that’s on the beach and on the Bayside nice to walk around spend some time there but it is a bit touristy lots of parking you can even rent a boat and go out and do your own thing try Almas restaurant comes highly recommended, for ice cream on the corner is korr brothers, always my favorite in Wildwood New Jersey

TYPICAL BUT GREAT FOR TOURISTS
I’ll admit this place isn’t my type, but I’ll try to be impartial. It’s definitely touristy with many unique shops selling items (wood carvings, handmade soaps) that wouldn’t survive anywhere else except in locations like this. Lots of food places of course ranging from ice cream to bars. Lots of little places to book a jet ski, boat excursion, or parasailing adventure.
The people you’ll run into are families or people who look like they’re trying to get away from problems. At night there’s more annoying tourists enhanced by alcohol. The pay-​for-​parking signs aren’t as obvious as they should be. We had leaped out of our car and walked for almost five minutes before we realized there were pay stations.
HOW ABOUT THE WATER VIEW
It’s still a great place to walk around and window shop. The Pass pushes right against the water although it’s difficult to really approach the water because of all the little docks with commercial vessels for rent. There’s a few areas near John’s Pass to get sand in your shoes and this area seems to attract fishermen. Mostly this area i
is commercial – not a place to go sunbathing or beach volleyball.
SURPRISING NON-​TOURISTY THINGS
A few of the eateries aren’t the typical ‘horrible, overpriced’ restaurants catering to tourists. Recently opened Alma had a strong Downtown St. Pete presence for a while. Vino Florida looks touristy but has some pretty good representation of fruity, Florida wines. Above it Mad Beach Brewery (an actual brewery!) churns out some pretty good crafts.

Wer Urlaub in St. Pete Beach macht und mal so richtig Touri-​Atmosphäre haben möchte: auf nach John’s Pass Village.
Es ist ein kleiner, überschaubarer Ortsteil direkt am Wasser mit einem langen Boardwalk, an dem sich ein Restaurant an das andere lehnt, dazwischen diverse Läden mit den typischen Angeboten für Touristen. Auf der Landseite ebenso viele Geschäfte.
Shopping — Dining — Watersports: Diese drei Worte beschreiben ziemlich genau das Angebot von John’s Pass Village. Beim Shopping findet man Bekleidung und Accessoirs, Gifts and Specialities und Schmuck. Gastronomisch wetteifern Restaurants, Bars, Lounges, Coffee Shops und Stände mit Ice Cream, Candy und Snacks.
Wen es auf das Wasser zieht, kann hier Bootsfahrten buchen — beliebt die Fahrten in den Sonnenuntergang — oder selbst Boote mieten für alle Arten von Wassersport. Für Familien mit Kindern gibt es diverse Attraktionen, die auch die Kinderherzen höher schlagen lassen.
Auf der Wasserseite des Boardwalks liegen jede Menge Yachten, Schiffe, Schiffchen, auf und zwischen denen es sich unzählbar viele Pelikane gut gehen lassen und dabei ziemlich viel Dreck hinterlassen.
Ausreichend Parkplätze stehen zur Verfügung, an den Parksäulen kann man mit Kreditkarten bezahlen.
Wer’s denn mag. Für uns nett für einen Besuch, nicht aber, um länger zu verweilen. Vielen, vielen anderen scheint es weit mehr zu gefallen.

During our Thanksgiving visit to visit family in the area John’s Pass was recommended as a fun thing to do for an afternoon so we spent most of our Black Friday wandering around the area.
The parking situation is a bit odd to me. I only knew that I had to pay for parking because my dad parked near one of the machines to pay. From the spot where I parked I could have easily walked over to the shopping area without paying and not known any better until I came out to a ticket.
As far as shops and restaurants, most of it just felt very touristy with a few unique gems mixed in. Absolutely loved Mad Beach Mini Donuts in particular and thought both the brewery and winery were a really neat addition.
Generally the area is a stereotypical touristy Florida beach resort-​y place. It was a nice change of pace for a black Friday.

If you are looking for an all-​around touristy or even staycation kind of place, and you are looking to shop for fun quirky things, then John’s Pass is your place. If you are looking for a place to hang out with your friends at a bar, listen to some music, and just chill out under the sun and or shade, that’s John’s Pass too. If you are looking to get on the water, rent some wave runners, take some kayaks out, go fishing, boating, do cartwheels, or handstands, then guess what, John’s Pass is your place. You hungry, that’s cool, John’s Pass has lots of places to eat.
John’s Pass has been around forever. I have no idea how long honestly, but when I first vacationed in the area before I moved here, we went to John’s Pass, and did anything and everything including the wave runners and boat rides. I have been here so many times, and I always find something new and exciting. They often have different festivals going on throughout the year including the pirate fest, seafood fest, and some others just to name a few. They have a John’s Pass website to check out their monthly festivals.
You can bring the whole family, including your family pet. During Pirate fest, people bring their parrots as well. Often times when they have fests, parking can be a pain in the butt. They have a parking garage, and at times they have shuttles from the nearby school. The shuttle can seem far, but pretty convenient if you do not want to look for parking, or pay $ 15 parking for the day.
Parking is also available across the street from John’s Pass. There’s a sign that says village of Madeira Beach parking next to the Surf Song Resort. The parking is a meter that accepts credit cards, and is like a dollar or two an hour. You can pay for as many hours that you can guestimate staying, and if you have hours left on your meter, make sure to help another person out and give them the rest of your remaining time. Pay It Forward! If you need a break from the shopping, this parking spot is perfect to take a hop, skip, and jump to the beach. The beach is beautiful in Madeira beach, and the sand is perfect. It will be a happy day for any Florida vacationer or staycationer to spend the day in this good ol’ beautiful place.
Note, if you are bringing your pet to John’s Pass, they are not allowed at Madeira Beach. You can take them to Fort De Soto State Park in Tierra Verde. That’s the closest place.

Not my kinda thing but… If you like touristy shops along the intercostal then this is slightly like all the other ones you’ve visited.
Chock full of retail shops selling typical beach themed stuff. Prices weren’t crazy though & some of the shops were better than others.
Resturant row. Great view, cocktails, sea breeze, fried seafood, salt water taffy.
Charter boats to view porpoises, wave runners, pirate ship, real commercial fishing vessels loaded w what likely will be your dinner.
It’s clean. Gets mighty crowded.

Hier in John’s Pass kann man gut Entspannen. Beim Spazieren gehen sieht man viele tolle Restaurant’s, Geschäfte etc. Man kann auch schön im Boardwalk Grill sitzen ein gutes Menue verzehren dazu einen schönen Drink nehmen und ganz entspannt die Aussicht genießen, was gibt es schöneres ?
Die Sonne hier in Florida gibt ihr übriges dazu sich hier wohlzufühlen. Den Besuch hier werden wir wiederholen.