11 days in Central Florida
 

My family (two adults, 12 year old boy) will be in the Clearwater area for 11 days in early November. We are planning to stay in the Clearwater/Madeira Beach area for the first week, then have 4 days to go anyplace else. We fly into and out of Tampa.

We're planning to spend one day at Busch Gardens, and to spend alot of time on the beach. (We're from Washington -- I can promise that any weather there will be warmer than our ocean beaches any day.:-) We don't really want to do the Disney thing, and aren't into tourist stuff so much. We will have a car, and a VERY flexible schedule.

What should we do? Is Sanibel/Captiva worth spending 4 days, or is the area a day trip from Clearwater Beach? (Seems like a longish drive.)

I'd really appreciate any advice on:
- things to see and do (or eat!)
- places not to miss
- things or places to avoid

Thanks!
-Kat

I should add that 11 days in one place is an awfully long time for us, and we'd be up for spending the last 4 days on one of the islands in the Caribbean, or taking a short cruise (although I haven't found any that match our flights.) Are there cheap flights out of the Tampa area?

Sanibel will probably take you about 3 hours from Tampa. Leaving the Tampa Bay area for another beach probably isn't good for a 12yr old. Just because the other Gulf Coast beaches are very adult oriented (ie laid back and boring).

There are other things to do in Central Florida besides Disney.

The Kennedy Space Center is pretty cool and you could always catch a cruise out of Cape Canaveral (2.5-3hr from Tampa).

There is also Blue Springs State Park. The manatees start into the springs for the winter and you can see dozens of these huge creatures.

Enjoy your visit.

Your son would enjoy canoeing or kayaking in the Hillsborough River. The place you rent the canoes or kayaks from is called Canoe Escape. If you continue west on the street that Busch Gardens is on, you will find it. It is on the right. I cannot remember the name of the street. I am pretty sure there is a website, but I didn't save it, so I cannot tell you what it is off hand.

I did this last November solo. I had never kayaked before. I am not particularly outdoorsy either. Canoe Escape takes you to the put in and meets you at the take out about 3 hours later. You will see gators and get a view of what Florida was like before development. This turned out to be the highlight of my trip--much more interesting than Busch or Animal Kingdom and a lot cheaper to boot.

If I could do this, so could you. It is an absolute blast!

Tarpon Springs, just north of Clearwater, would make a great daytrip. It's a small Greek village, known for sponge diving, with some great restaurants and shops. You can also take a boat ride down the river to the ocean for about $5 each (price several years ago).
It's a shame you can't make the cruise idea work - your son (and you) would probably really enjoy it.

Carnival goes out of Tampa port. They might have short 3-night weekend cruises. There's 1 or 2 other cruise lines out of Tampa, but I don't know if they're short cruises. Check with Carnival. It would be a nice way to break up the vacation.

I just checked Carnival and they also have 3-night cruises that go out of Port Canaveral on the east coast of FL. That would be about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Clearwater. The ship docks early on the last day, so depending on what time your flight is out of Tampa, you could just drive straight from Port Canaveral to the Tampa airport.

Thanks for the ideas! Silly question, but I'm a NW city girl: do we need to worry about gators if we go kayaking (as suggested?) Or do they leave boats alone?

Any suggestions on which area to stay in? Clearwater Beach, Madeira Beach, St Pete's Beach, Treasure Island... we'd be looking for decent beach access, shelling -- but not so far off main roads that it takes forever to get to another part of town.

Thanks!

If seeing (and touching, if they approach you) manatees appeals to you, go to Crystal River on the Gulf Coast rather than Blue Springs. If you don;t want to go in the water yourself, go to Homosassa Springs, also on the West Coast.

Gators will not attack your boat, but DO NOT swim in the river. Gators are NOT safe, but are pretty cool to look at from your boat.

http://www.dolphinlandings.com/Egmont/snorkeling.htm is a must, not for the snorkling or lighthouse but for the most amazing historical remains of old military installations together with the best beaches and remote-paradise-island feel. Hardly anyone knows this Egmont Key since it's hard to get to.

There's also Honeymoon island off Dunedin, and a bunch of inland county parks like http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/04_Chesnut.htm with amazing networks of boardwalks above the swamp critters.

Lowry zoo, the aquarium, and fantasyofflight air museum east of tpa should amuse. There are several shelling excursions by boat in Clwtr/st Pete area - walkable areas pretty picked out.

Go at least to nearby Sarasota to the Ringaling mansion complex, bot gardens, and nearby attractions. There are interesting bluegrass festivals in the rural towns nearby - find scheds on internet.

When at Clearwater be sure to eat at Frenchy's (rockaway) They even have a live cam on their website so you can call home and wave at everyone from the beach (frenchysonline.com) Sit outside on the deck and watch the sunset over the beach..I love it!
You can rent wave runners at John's Pass, thats fun!(also a lot of shops)
Tarpon was a good idea, great food at Ellas's. but The dolphin cruise is SO much better from Clearwater.
Best place for shells is Honeymoon Island.
Have fun!