Planning to visit Gulf Coast in October.(Is this a good time? What's the weather like?) Want a beautiful beach, really good seafood restaurants, good shopping, but not too touristy. Is it too late to go crabbing? What about shelling? Can you give us any suggestions? We are older so don't need swinging nightlife. Any opinions about which beach, where to stay, restaurants?

Could be a little chilly in October, it is hard to say for sure. Sometimes it is still warm, but the water might not be as warm as you'd like for swimming. Destin has the most beautiful beaches, in my opinion, and less of a teenage crowd than Panama City. Ft. Walton is also pretty and quieter, but it seems that there are not as many options of restaurants and shopping as in Destin. I've been to Florida every year, all my life, and never had much like finding very many shells. Not sure about crabbing. You could stay at the Ramada in Ft. Walton, which is right before crossing the bridge into Destin, so you'd kind of have the best of both worlds. Ft. Walton is not as expensive as Destin.

October is still hurricane season

Just moved from Tallahassee last week... Yes it will be plenty warm, it is still beach weather into November. Crabbing/Shelling - no clue, but sounds like fun!

Saint George Island is beautiful, but not much of the good restaurants you mentioned. Never tried Destin, but have heard good things. My vote would be for Pensacola, enough of a city to find the shopping you need, and once you get out to P. Beach, you are in another world! I stayed at the Comfort Inn Suites, I'm sure you could find a more charming place, but I had no complaints.

Perhaps someone can help me with this restaruant, something about Parrots? Blue Parrot(this may be on St. George)? Peg Leg Pete's I know is there and had wonderful Crab legs!

Enjoy!

What part of the Gulf Coast are you going to Carol, or are you trying to decide? The Gulf coast extends from Pensacola down to the Keys. It's still warm enough for swimming in October from Clearwater on down. We never saw much in the line of shells in the Panhandle, but they are present year round from Clearwater south. Crabbing...I see the bouys for the traps all year round, so I guess there are plenty of them.

If you are researching destinations, I'd look at either the Sarasota area or Sanibel/Captiva. Beautiful beaches, good restaurants, low key night life.

Definitely sounds like Sanibel Island would be perfect for you. It has everything you mentioned - but I'm not sure about the shelling.

Sanibel has the best shelling in the entire state. Crabbing is for commercial fishermen, though.

Also consider Sarasota, which has spectaular beaches. In southern Sarasota County, there are sharksteeth on the beach; mid-county, powdery white sand; north county, good shelling. Good places to stay are Siesta Key or Lido Key. Great dining everywhere.

October is the best month -- few tourists, cooler weather, although it can be in the high 80s still, or in the 60s. Great choice for timing.

Another option is to stay at a nice resort in Naples, like La Playa, Vanderbilt, or Ritz Carlton (La Playa is good value & beautiful resort), then take a day trip to Sanibel/Captiva for shelling. Have heard the restaurants on Sanibel/Captiva leave a lot to be desired, but Naples is full of excellent restaurants.

I was startled to read above that it might be chilly, then I realized the writer was talking about the Panhandle Gulf Coast. I usually think of the Gulf Coast as being St.Petersburg and south, where it is extremely unlikely to be even remotely chilly in October. In fact I've returned to Naples in October to find extremely hot and muggy weather. But it is the month when things usually "turn". So the extreme hot is less likely. But it is still the tail end of the hurricane season and can be fairly rainy as well. All in all, for beach and water activities, however, it is still a good choice, certainly better than the most inconsistent months -- November and December.
Certainly the beaches at Clearwater, Treasure Island, and St. Pete Beach fit your description. Sanibel/Captiva will have a little more upscale air, but less choice in shopping, and the best beaches for shelling. Naples will be even more upscale with lots of medium to high end shopping and upscale restaurants.

Carol, FYI: Stone Crab season begins October 15th (ends May 15th), so you might want to plan for the last half of October if you love those as much as I do!
Patrick, I disagree with you - November is my absolute favorite Florida month. We live on Sunset Beach(Treasure Island) and the sunsets are consistently beautiful in November, and I can finally open my windows and turn off my A/c!

I live in Florida year round and Oct is a beautiful time of the year. The water is still warm enought to swim plus beautiful evening sunsets. Siesta Key is lovely with a beautiful white sand beach and a unique village that has shopping and resturants. Lido Beach which isnt far from there has shells plus St. Armands for great shopping and resturants. Truely an experience. I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed. Wherever you end up have a great time.