Florida Destination for Family of Three (with toddler) this Oct./Nov.
 

Can anyone recommend a destination within Florida that will provide us with beach, things to do during the day and in general a clean safe area. If you can recommend a resort that would be great.

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I'd concentrate on the Gulf Coast -- the beaches are nice and the water less turbulent. When our kids were little, Grannie and Pops had a place on Siesta Key, which has one of the most beautiful beaches you'll ever see in America. The area is filled with restaurants in all price ranges (many kid-friendly). You might look for Florida tourism or Sarasota area websites for some links -- lots of the places are condo's and many are rented by month/week to vacationers. It's nice to have a kitchen with a toddler in the family. Another place to look would be Long Boat Key, but I think Siesta is more family-oriented.

We live in the Fort Myers area, and I agree that with children, the gulf coast is the best place to be. The water is relatively calm....shallow, and the beaches are very nice. <BR>Fort Myers Beach, or Sanibel Island are my favorites. <BR>Holiday Inn on Sanibel even has a restaurant similar to Rainforest cafe with animals and thunderstorms happening occasionally.

I love Longboat Key for a nice relaxing vacation. I don't recall any "attractions" for little ones however. Another nice area IMO is the Dania Beach area (close to Ft Lauderdale), although I've never spent the night there, I've made it a habbit of spending the afternoon there before my flight out of Ft. Lauderdale airport in the evening.