For those that fancy a traditional highland games experience without the typical Scottish weather, St Pete/Clearwater on Florida's Gulf Coast is THE destination to head to this spring.

With a rich Gaelic heritage harking back to the first settlers of 1899, St. Pete/Clearwater's waterfront community of Dunedin honours its Scottish roots each year with the annual Dunedin Highland Games.

This year the Games take place on Saturday 5 April, with traditional events including tug of war, bagpipe and drumming competitions, sheepdog trials, a highland dance championship and the most challenging event - the throwing of the 100lb Dunedin Stone. There's also traditional Celtic entertainment in the form of live music and Scottish country dancers.

And if one day of highland-themed fun is too fleeting, visitors can rest assured that events on the 5 April will be complemented by a whole week of Scottish festivities in and around the area. 

Tickets to the Games cost £9 ($15) in advance or £10 ($17) on the door.

Edged by 35 miles of award-winning beaches and bathed in an average of 361 days of sunshine a year, St. Pete/Clearwater's tropical climate is a perennial hit with Scottish visitors. 

Scots can enjoy the Dunedin Highland Games with Barrhead Travel which is offering seven nights at the Quality Inn & Suites Clearwater from £969pp on a room only basis. Departing on 3 April 2014, the rate includes return flights with KLM and Delta from Glasgow to Tampa International Airport, luggage, all taxes and room only accommodation. To book, please visit www.barrheadtravel.co.uk or call 0871 964 2127.   

For more information on the Dunedin Highland Games or St. Pete/Clearwater, please visit www.visitstpeteclearwater.com. For images, please click here.  

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Nick Wheywell / Laura Jackson
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: teamvspc@rooster.co.uk  
W: www.rooster.co.uk

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater 

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) is the official destination marketing organization of Pinellas County in Florida and covers 26 municipalities in the area. 

The region is located on a beautiful peninsula on Florida's west coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Tampa Bay to the east. 

Just 30 minutes away from Busch Gardens and 90 minutes away from Walt Disney World, the area offers 35 miles of white-sand beaches and uniquely colourful communities to explore.

The destination is renowned for sunshine and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run of sunshine days, a massive 768.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is home to the star of the 2011 smash-hit Dolphin Tale, Winter the Dolphin, whose real-life story of recovering from losing her tail with the help of a prosthetic is depicted in the film. Winter will return to the silver screen in September 2014 in Dolphin Tale 2 and filming in St. Pete/Clearwater took place from October 2013 to January 2014.

Also home to the largest collection of Dali artwork outside of Spain, the county has culture, wildlife and beautiful beaches with a semi-tropical climate making it the perfect holiday destination for families, couples and singles.

Tampa International Airport is 30 minutes from St. Pete/Clearwater and accessed via a direct flight from the UK. Orlando International Airport is ninety minutes' drive from St. Pete/Clearwater.

For more information: www.visitstpeteclearwater.com