Geri

Two Brits coming to celebrate 25th wedding anniversary in the States, in April 2003. We've done the Keys, the Everglades, Miami, Tampa and St Pete. Would like to investigate the rest of Florida - suggestions please - both for beach and non-beach places.
Many thanks
Geri

Cheryl

Beach places: Sanibel Island/Captiva, Naples, Marco Island.

I have also heard a lot of people mention a good place that has historical value also - I think it is Augustine.

Jen

St. Augustine - beach and non beach. St. Augustine itself is not on the beach and has many wonderful B&B's. St. Augustine Beach is just a couple of miles away and is very lovely especially at night I think.

xyz

Amelia Island - Just east of Jacksonville. Good restaurants, lots of antique shops, and nice beaches. It is one of only two places in Florida where you can go horseback riding on the beach (I think it was called Kelly's C Horse Ranch). I agree with Jen that St. Augustine is a good choice as well - lots of historical buildings, the Fort, good restaurants, etc. One other option - Cape Canaveral. They offer tours of the facilities and if you can coordinate it with a launch (see NASA's website for the schedule) it would be particularly interesting....

rob

the panhandle area......pensacola beach area. best beaches in Fla ..period.

xxx

Seaside in the panhandle area and Ponte Vedre Resort in the Jacksonville area.

renae

I agree about St. Augustine. It is very quaint. I am also a fan of the panhandle, Pensacola in particular. Beautiful beaches and not too pricey. Only problem is the weather can be cool in april. I lived in Jacksonville for a few years and would not recomend it as a vacation spot though it was a nice place to live.

todd

If you're looking for the best beaches, look no further than the area between Panama City and Navarre, Florida. My favorite place in this area is Seaside.

sue

I give another vote for Seaside. We just got back from a vacation there where we rented a house, and it was a wonderful experience. To learn more about Seaside, visit www.seasidefl.com. Another suggestion is Apalachicola. It's like stepping back in history in Florida. Wonderful old homes, historic hotels, small town, great restaurants and shopping. I would do both Seaside and Apalachicola for different views of Florida. Apalachicola is not a far drive from Seaside.

Nice FL

Vero Beach, Melbourne, Cocoa Beach Cape Caneveral area is very nice. Has the beaches, NASA, and close to Orlando etc..

denette

Geri,
Let's see where to start, most beautiful blinding snow white beaches, beautiful blue/green water with not really rough surf, fantastic fishing, great choices of restaurants,some really great springs to dive/snorkel,friendly people with the ole southern charm, beautiful historic homes in some of the towns,wonderful shells to be brought back from Shell Island, beaches you have to yourself during APril during the week when the spring breakers are not down there(outlying area between Destin and Panama City- Seagrove,Grayton,Blue Mountain, Dune Allen), it has so much going for it. Hope this helps.

Jen

As a resident of Northern Florida, here are my top picks,

St. Augustine (just look past the touristy things like the Ripley's Museum and try to see the real city)

Crescent Beach (low key white sand beach between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach)

Forgotten beach (on the Panhandle)

Cedar Key area -- this area is on the Gulf has a low key fishing village like atmosphere. It is a totally different aspect to Florida than what most tourists see. It is not for everyone but, for me, it is a great place to see the "true florida"

Mich

Cedar Key is charming. Another great thing about Cedar Key is that the crime rate is zilch. Just a sleeply little town of less than 1000 permanent residents. Since it is a fishing village get ready for a lot of fresh and I mean Very fresh seafood.

Marie

The beaches in the panhandle of Florida are BEAUTIFUL (Cape San Blas was voted the #1 beach in the US by Dr. Beach on The Travel Channel.) Appilachicola and Tallahassee are both old cities worth site-seeing in. (If you travel up to Tallahassee, take a side trip to Wakulla Springs. These are ancient springs (so old there are dinasaur bones on the bottom of the springs) and the water is usually unbelievably clear.) From St. George to Mexico Beach is known as "The Forgotten Coast" - although more and more people are discovering it. Panama City is like the Coney Island of the South - fun for families but stay away during Spring Break time. Further down the coast are Destin, Ft. Walton, Pensacola and Gulf Shore, Alabama. The water down that way can be such a pretty green/blue color.

Have to stop now, I'm making myself want to jump on a plane for the beach right now!

native

i'm from Gainsville, lived in Jacksonville, and currently live in the Panhandle, so here are my picks.

Ceder Key. Very cute little fishing village and very "sleepy". While you are over there, go into centeral FL - see the famous Suwannee River (which opens into Ceder Key), go to Jenny Springs, or any of the other Springs down there. G'ville is a nice little town, as is Ocala. You are also close to Cross Creek which is where Marjorie Rawlings wrote "The Yearling" and is also near an actuall "Plains" area of FL. Centeral FL to me is the "real" FL, old, small towns, with HUGE live oaks, and rolling (albeit small) hills.

St Augustine is of course historical, and neat to see. I agree with the last poster that said to look past the tourist traps (and there are plenty of those!). Amelia Island and Fernadina Beach are also nice and quaint.

The Panhandle in April tends to be Spring break time, so stay clear of Panama City Beach. Seaside, Destin, and P'cola are all nice. But my favorite hands down is going east along the shore to Mexico Beach and Appalachicola. From Port St Joe, on Hwy 98 you are only 4 1/2 hours from Ocala (even closer to G'ville, Ceder Key etc) so you can do Centeral FL then go along the coast to this area. You will see the most beautiful beaches and the interior of FL. Plus then you can fly into and out of Orlando (usually pretty easy for international flights) and Orlando is 5 1/2 hours from Port St Joe.

"Doing FL" this way you would see both sides of FL. Most people don't realize how diverse the state is - we're not ALL beach!

SA

Amelia Island & St. Aug. There is another Amelia Island thread I've already responded to, look there for more info. I'll top it.

geri

Many thanks to all who replied - especially pleased to have Cedar Key confirmed as a visit 'spot' - had planned to spend some time there - using it as a base to see more of the north - and will also definitely include St Augustine.
geri