going south

Hello everyone! We are planning to fly from Alberta down to either the florida panhandle or into the Jacksonville beaches (st. Augustine maybe?) area for a wk. in August. We are looking for a condo complex with a large pool, on the beach in an area with natural vegetion and wildlife, things for the kids to do, good fresh seafood, v. few highrises and traffic. We want to experience a different part of Florida than the Miami area, or the keys which we have seen (and did enjoy). Also we liked sanibel area but went over spring break and it was WAY too crowded. We want to see the "old" south, and don't want extreme crowds. Thanks for any help.

Ben

I would suggest the Jacksonville- St Augustine area. I have been in the panhandle & don't think it has what you'd like as much as St Augustine. If you enjoyed Sanibel then St Augustine is more for you. There is nice beach area, the "tourist" sites to see & stuff for the kids. We liked the fort and lighthouse as well as Ripley's. For seafood I love O'Steen's. It is always fresh & not pretentious. In fact my brother & family regularly drive from Jacksonville Beach to eat there. If you want to stay near Jax Beach maybe try down at Ponte Vedra Beach. I find the beach there less used & it is close to St Augustine. It just depends on your price range.

Have a great time!

Olga H

Do you like very hot, humid weather? August is the peak season for uncomfortable heat All over Florida and the deep south. If you loved Sanibel, why not try that area again? It won't be crowded to overflowing in August, also school starts in Florida about the last or next to last week of August.

My favorite spots on the west coast are Redington Beach which is quiet, and Madiera Beach which is close by and somewhat more active. They're close to each other, just south of Clearwater Beach. You can stay in Redington and drive to Madiera just down the road. There are lots of condos and high rises. We stayed in Redington Towers on the 13th floor directly on the beach - wonderful. Restaurants are plentiful - The Hungry Fisherman is high on the list. I don't know the ages of your children, but there are certainly things to do. A day trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa is a must. You will be sure of beautiful beaches and great swimming in the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Enjoy!

Will

Jacksonville is a good choice. Jacksonville is not a tourist area and everyone you will see there is a local. The beach is wide and the breeze is nice. The beachfront areas including Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach have been totally redeveloped. Jacksonville is one of the older cities in Florida with alot of history. There is a large downtown with the Peoplemover system and the Jacksonville Landing shopping and restaurant area right on the river. You can make a day drip to some Plantation Homes in South Georgia. Places like Waycross and Valdosta come to mind. Savannah is about two hours north and is worth at least a day trip. As mentioned above, St Augustine is close-by and worth a visit as well. The weather will probably be warmer than Alberta but in the evening it will be very comfortable. Temperatures will be 30-35 in the afternoon, dropping signifacatly with an afternoon rainshower. The panhandle of Florida is much more rural with not alot to do, and the Gulf of Mexico waterfront causes the area to be warmer and more stangnant in the summer. The east coast of Florida has a nice breeze that blows off the Atlantic Ocean that makes it feel better. It's blowing right now actually. The Atlantic Ocean water is cooler and there are waves, which make the experience a whole lot greater for someone coming from a land-locked province like AB.

Postal

It's personal preference. I live in Orlando and prefer the Gulf beaches to the East Coast. There's nothing better than Siesta Key as far as beaches go.

Jim

Also near Jacksonville is Amelia Island, which is not overdeveloped and has lots of condos and seafood.

Connie

St Joseph Peninsula was named the best beach in the U.S.

"Dr. Beach" has named this beach the #1 beach in America in the 2002 "Best Beaches" survey authored by coastal geologist Dr. Stephen Leatherman. He states, "It has the finest, whitest sand in the world, and it's not overdeveloped. It sets out on a peninsula, has lily white beaches."

www.visitgulf.com has a lot of good info for the area.

My sister went during spring break and said she often had the beach to herself! She highly recommends it.

There are several things to do in the area including a St Vincent Island that is a nature preserve. Fishing and kayaking are also big.

native son

Yes, it is a personal choice. Mine is the sugar white sand of the Gulf Coast compared to the brown dirt on the East Coast.

No matter where you go in Florida during August, it will be hot and humid. And the Gulf Coast has off-shore breezes every day during the summer, just like the East Coast.

If you want to experience the deep South and stay away from high-rises, then the East Coast of Florida is not the place to be. There is a reason they call the Emerald Coast of Florida from Pensacola Beach to Panama City lower L.A.- as in Lower Alabama. It has southern charm, emerald green waters and pure white sand.

You can find two of Florida's top twenty restaurants there (McGuires in Pensacola and Criollas in Grayton Beach) and dozens others listed in the top 200 (according to Florida Trend Magazine)

The largest Air Force base in the United States is located there (Eglin Air Force Base) as well as Pensacola Naval Air Station (what the series JAG is based on)

There is world-class fishing to be found along with world-class southern hospitality. And if you don't like high-rises, try staying in Appalachicola, Grayton Beach, Seasise or Seagrove Beach. You won't be sorry.

Try www.dune-allenrealty.com or www.graytonbeach.com

OliveOyl

I far and away prefer the Panhandle beaches to those around JAX or St Augustine. Pure white sand and turquoise water make the Panhandle's beaches some of the prettiest in the entire state.

I'm familiar with some of the beaches Dr Beach has named as the best of the best, and feel he weighs seclusion too heavily--at least for my tastes. Have not been to St Joe's, but believe it's similar to others on his list--Ft Desoto State Park, or Caladesi (#s 4 and 5). These are fine, but you can't stay there, and really, sand and water for sand and water, neither DeSoto nor Caladesi are any better than any other beach in this area...it's just that there is nothing else there, so it's more peaceful, but "conveniences" are few and far between. If I'm vacationing, I don't want to stay in one place and drive to a beach in another, (miles for either Caladesi or DeSoto), and it'd be nice to be able to hit the local Beach Grill, rather than pack food and drinks for the crew. It's just my preference to have a few more amenities than either Caladesi or DeSoto offers, and I suspect St Joe's falls into the same category.

Kris

I second Amelia Island for a base, with day trips to St Augustine or other locales of interest. Amelia Island Plantation is a nice place to stay there.

Michelle

I personally would not travel all the way from Alberta to go to Gulf Beaches. You could just go to a lake in Canada! There is nothing as invigorating and powerful as the Ocean. As a matter of fact is is several degrees cooler in the summer on the Atlantic Coast of FLorida. The Atlantic Ocean is deep and the water is not as not as the Gulf so the air temp is always lower. And the breeze comes all the way from Africa, not from Mexico, so it is noticably stronger. I definately recommend staying near the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia Island, Jacksonville, and St Augustine are all part of old Florida. Also, Hurricanes NEVER strike this area. The Gulf Beaches, especially the ones mentioned above, get direct hits every few years. Good luck and enjoy your stay.

rob

i've lived on the east coast of florida my entire life.....and the panhandle beaches are the best we have...period...end of discussion. (not including panama city bch...uggghh!!)

kt

If the beach is your primary focus, go to the panhandle, which does have nicer water and prettier sand. However, that being said, the east coast has more to do in terms of seeing "old south." If you stay in the JAX area, you have day-trip access to some wonderful areas in rural Georgia- Darien, St. Mary's, Brunswick/St. Simons Island/Jekyll Island are all great for anything from antebellum homes to the "cottages" of millionaires. And, if a current resident of the area may say so, Mayport shrimp are the best out there!

native

To Michelle, you are at best uninformed. Your opinion of hurricanes is so off base. Most of the hurricanes that "hit" Northwest FL do so from September-November, not August. Oh, except for that major storm Andrew, which hit the EAST coast, not the Gulf Coast, in August of 1993.
And, it is just as hot and humid around Jax and St. Augustine as it is in northwest Florida, and it feels every bit as hot and humid. This is from someone who has lived in both places and observes the weather daily.

Michelle

To native. Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992, not 1993. Who is uninformed? Also Florida's First Coast has never had a direct hit in 100 years. Look at the map. Geography will show you that Northeast Florida sets well inside a recess in the coast of the US. The Panhandle has direct hits every few years. Yes, Miami gets hit, and so does the coast of SC and NC but from Daytona to Savannah hurricanes are very rare.

been south

I've never been to Jacksonville, but last year we went to the Panhandle over the 4th of July. We stayed in SeaGrove Beach which was a cute little laid back area. Just down the road (really) is Seaside and Watercolor. Seaside is the pristine little town where they filmed THE TRUMAN SHOW. Watercolor is the new town that will look like Seaside. We had a nice condo across the street from the beach with a pool and right on a nature preserve (for some reason we didn't get around to exploring that area).
The beaches were great. There were good little seafood shops. Destin was about a 30 minute drive and it had more of the chain restaurants and hotels and go-cart park and big cool-looking water park for kids.
We plan to go back again.
Have fun whatever you choose!