Hi,
So we finally booked a 10 day trip in the early part of September to Sarasota Florida. We will be landing in Tampa and will drive to Sarasota. I am so excited as I have never gotten a chance to swim in nice, warm, blue, and calm Florida waters, I have been to the Caribbean and have really liked it. We are looking to do things in Florida that we cannot do in California.
For instance, I want to hit the beaches, of course, like Siesta Key, Clearwater. What other beaches are a cannot miss?
Also, for sure should we are doing an airboat tour of the Everglades. I have seen that we can do them for the gulf coast side or is it better to go to the other side?
I also am intrigued by the Girafee zoo and the Tampa zoo in Tampa.
Does it make sense to go to Key West? There is catamaran that takes 3.5 hours to Key West from Fort Meyers. Is Key West worth it?
I also want to canoe on a lake or swamp. Can we feed aligators anywhere?
What else should we do? Suggestions??
thanks
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I will also heed the advice of swimming where there are lifeguards. My kids cannot swim quite yet, so I will be in the water with them. But they love the water.
Please feel free to suggest any more suggestions.
Siesta Key is amazing. We have never gone and not seen dolphins. A manatee swam right up and bumped my husband's leg. We hunt shark's teeth and find great shells.
We also frequent the Mote Aquarium. Its educational and fun. There is also great shopping and dining right by it. Busch Gardens is fun but expensive if you're not a Florida resident.
The best beach is Calisadies Island! You have to take a ferry boat but we always see dolphins! It's amazing! There's a place right outside Lakeland that is a gator ranch, or if your up to the drive the Gator Boys are in the Everglades, about 4.5 hours away. Tampa zoo is nice but kinda over rated IMO. Oh and be prepared for RAIN. It's rained just about everyday this summer. Bleh.
The best beach is Siesta (in fact it was rated #1 last year). Lido is pretty good too. Be careful to only swim the guarded beaches with flags - there have been a few drownings this season. Anna Maria Island is fun and if you get up early the shelling is supposed to be good. I have heard they may be doing some beach reconstruction, so do some research before you go. If you go to Sanibel/Captiva in September, you should be able to see manatees.
Don't forget to go see Winter in Clearwater.
You have 10 days so definitely go to Key West. Just keep in mind that it's a hike just to get to Ft. Myers and then another 3.5 hours to Key West. Will you stay overnight?
Google some water parks, too. And hit Bushc Gardens.
Enjoy your trip!
Busch Gardens in Tampa is a lot of fun. It has a lot of animals there also, so it's kind of two-fer (zoo and theme park).
Maybe I am the only one thinking this way. I assumed that maybe everyone was on this page when people kind of decided after the Trayvon Martin Trial that we were not going to spend money in FL due to the "Stand your ground law" I just came back from FL, watching the trial while in Florida, taking my 16yr old to see all the parks in Orlando. Then the verdict came and we were supposed to go back next year but have postponed this because of that law. We have opted to go to Hawaii instead. I guess there are a chosen few that are putting their foot down. No disrespect to your trip, I hope you have a wonderful time!
