Gulf coast areas in central Florida
 

Hello: I have no travel experience in the gulf areas of Florida. Thought of traveling from NY this April( week before Easter). I have been looking into the areas of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Sarasota. Of these areas is there one that stands out as a preferred family destination? My friend suggested Siesta Key, but it looks like this area is drivable from any of the surrounding areas. Also I saw on the forums mention of the red tide. Is this currently a serious problem? My daughter has asthma. I am open to suggestions and not set just on the areas I mentioned.
Thank you for your time and opinions.

Exactly HOW do you define the term "Family Destination?"

Both Clearwater and St. Petersburg are family-friendly and fairly close to Central Florida. Sarasota is farther away.

Here is a link to check red tide status; looks like it is worse down toward Sarasota:

http://myfwc.com/REDTIDESTATUS

Sarasota is beautiful; Clearwater is more for families with younger (5-15) children. St. Pete also nice but the downtown is quite a drive from most of the hotels on the beach.

Red tide is occasionally a factor. Last spring I was just north of St. Pete for a week, and as soon as my friend and I walked in front of the condos onto the beach, the throat started to tickle and we started coughing. Loads of dead tiny fish along the beaches. If your daughter has asthma, of course, it was be exacerbated. You can probably pick up the weather websites for the beaches, but no way to know if in a month it'd be a problem.

Siesta Key is fine, and just to the south of Sarasota. Longboat Key and Anna Marie Island are just north of Sarasota. All lovely. Easier to reach more amenities off shore from Sarasota than from Clearwater, but Clearwater easy to reach from Tampa Airport and lots of amenities near it (say on a rainy day, you want a huge mall). Circus museum at Ringling in Sarasota very interesting and fun.

I'd say for younger families (1) Clearwater, (2) Sarasota area, and (3) St. Pete

I gather "family friendly" is some sort of codeword is that it?

"Family friendly" in the restaurant category generally means places where everyone my age doesn't get all huffy when kids come to dinner, the baby throws rolls on the floor, and the six year old can spill her milk without a scene from the staff.

In the lodging category, it means places where college students and drunken twenty-somethings don't come in packs. We had a big family gathering at Smugglers Notch, the self designated "family friendly" ski resort in Vermont, and it was just that. All three generations found things to enjoy, there were both nicer and more casual dining spots, and there were no drunks wandering around screaming when the bars closed.

Panama City at Spring Break and Savannah at St Patrick's Day do not qualify as "family friendly." Dinner at the French Laundry may not qualify, but I could be wrong as I haven't been there.

>>I gather "family friendly" is some sort of codeword is that it?<<

My vision: Where one expects to see a lot of children in attendance, on the beach and in the water. There would be child-oriented activities and amenities. Were I looking for a peaceful beach day, not the sort of area I would visit.

jrsaf,

I would recommend St. Pete Beach. Several nice family resorts to choose from and lots of restaurants within walking distance. Also beach activities for the kids. Clearwater is going through a bit of a change and is catering more to upscale adult type places. Anna Maria Island is also very nice but not as many resort type hotels to choose from. Cannot comment on Siesta Key as I have never been able to find the type of place we like there but have heard many people like it. You also might consider Treasure Island.