Tampa Bay Area
The location for the popular resort areas of Clearwater and St Petersburg, about 1hr 30mins drive from Orlando, as well as a number of other beachfront resort communities along the Gulf, are ideal for families.
These resorts include Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Madeira Beach, Reddington, Treasure Island and St Pete’s Beach, and provide plenty of animal shows, theme parks, entertainment centres and resort properties with activities.
Sarasota, 52 miles south of Tampa, is worth an excursion to see the artists’ enclave of Siesta Key, wealthy Longboat Key and the shopping district of St Armands.
Bradenton and Anna Maria Island lie 26 miles south of St Peterburg and offer seven miles of beaches in the northernmost section of the barrier islands stretching from Tampa Bay to Sarasota. The area offers a laidback lifestyle with very little resort development.
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Linked by the Sanibel Causeway, the two barrier islands are largely undeveloped, with accommodation in cottages, inns and mostly small resort properties.
The beach and sea dominate a host of leisurely activities, and hunting for specimens of more than 200 different types of shells is a popular pastime. Whelks, scallops and conch are also sought along this coastline.
Aside from shelling cruises, a visit to the Wildlife Refuge on the Sanibel-Captiva Road brings the visitor close to alligators, raccoons, otters and hundreds of bird species.
There is also a five-mile, one-way Wildlife Drive covering 6,000 acres of mangrove swamps and winding waterways.
If you’re staying on either island, leave the car at the hotel and hire a bike. It’s a good way to get around, as there is no public transportation and cars are not allowed on any road on Captiva. Parking is permitted on the causeway.
Fort Myers
Known as the City of Palms, Fort Myers was home to inventor Thomas Edison and motor magnate Henry Ford; their winter estates, including Edison’s Seminole Lodge, are now tourist attractions.
Some of his lightbulbs dating from the 1920s still glow in the laboratory where he and his staff worked on some of his 1,093 inventions.
Shopping with a difference includes The Shell Factory, featuring one of the largest collections of shells, corals, sponges and fossils, and the Fleamarket Mall for bric-a-brac and Sanibel Factory Stores.
Some 13 miles south is Fort Myers beach, often overshadowed by trendy Sanibel and Captiva islands to the north, and Naples to the south.
It is popular with families and young singles who flock to the San Carlos and Estero boulevards, known locally as ‘Times Square’, with its many bars, shops, restaurants and motels. Estero Bay is an official state aquatic reserve, inhabited by many species of birds, manatee mammals and dolphins, where nature cruises operate around a series of small islands. South is Lover’s Key State Park with access to a good beach.
FLORIDA’S southwest Gulf Coast, with its hundreds of miles of white beaches, warm waters, coral reefs has long been popular as a summer sun destination.
Although traditionally the second half of a holiday to Orlando’s theme parks, the coast is now a destination in its own right, from Marco Island and Naples in the southwest to the more familiar Clearwater and St Petersburg areas around the Tampa Bayregion.
Other resorts receiving attention from UK tour operators include Fort Myers, Boca Grande, and Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
Naples
Thirty-six miles from the Everglades National Park, Naples is regarded as southwest Florida’s most sophisticated city, with boutiques and art galleries upstaging those in places like Palm Springs and Beverly Hills.
Affluent beachside homes are strung along Millionaires’ Row in Old Naples, reflecting the atmosphere of the original 1886 settlement. Take the Naples Trolley route with 25 hop-on, hop-off stops between Marketplace and Tin City in the old quarter.
Naples has 10 miles of white-sand beach, Clam Pass Country Park with a 3,000ft boardwalk through mangrove swamps, and a host of water sports and recreational activities. Natural attractions include Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the marsh trail system – a five-mile loop through pine forests for hikers.