Florida - Bradenton or Fort Lauderdale
 

Having a week's holiday at the end of April and looking in the Bradenton or Fort Lauderdale Area though cannot decide between the two different coasts. We like eating out, wildlife, shopping, sight seeing etc, and nice beaches to walk along. Can anyone give me any ideas as to which area would be better? Just myself any my husband - thanks

Lauderdale is a much busier area, and your inclusion of wildlife, makes me immediately lean toward Bradenton (Beach), Sarasota area more than the east coast.

Both have nice beaches...Sarasota area white sand, Lauderdale more golden, but the Atlantic is rougher than the Gulf, so if waves matter, and you want that, Lauderdale, otherwise the west coast. Water colors beautiful in either location.

Sarasota area has some neat shops along St Armands, but Lauderdale probably wins in the shopping department. Your choice...do you prefer more urban? Lauderdale. Smaller upscale towns, Sarasota.

Nature and wildlife, definitely Sarasota.

For nature and wild life you could always take an Everglades tour out of Fort Lauderdale.

There are HUNDREDS of restaurants here in the Fort Lauderdale area and they are much more varied than those over in Bradenton. But I'm going to tell you now that there are people who think the "west coast is the best coast" and sometime for reasons they would rather not discuss.

I'm not understanding that last sentence at all Dukey????