We'll be arriving in Tampa next Thursday at 5:30 PM and by the time we rent a car and get out of the airport, it will probably be about 6:30. How long does it take to drive to Naples--will traffic out of Tampa be a bad at that time of night? Also, we plan to leave Naples on Sunday morning and head to Orlando. Are there any places along the way that we should check out or restaurants that you could recommend for lunch?

I'd say to allow about 3 hours. I prefer to head west from the airport and go down through St. Pete and across the Sunshine Bridge. Can't say how much traffic there is that way.

Going to Orlando from Naples is a little closer to 3 and a half hours. You can take I-75 to Tampa then I-4 or at Punta Gorda you can take Route 17 north through Arcadia and up which I think is a little more interesting.
(See MapQuest -- I think that's the route they send you).

Places to eat? Not a lot along the way. When we pass that way we usually look for a Sonny's BarBQ. Looking for something special? You could go up the route just a little further East through Lake Wales and have Sunday brunch at Chalet Suzanne which is a real hoot. Not cheap, but unique and good.

NeoPatrick, aren't you referring to the Skyway Bridge?

I guess we should join forces.

Actually the official name is the "Sunshine Skyway Bridge". We shortened it different ways.