Travel from Orlando to...?

Old Jul 8th, 2006, 10:40 AM
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Travel from Orlando to...?

We have travelled to Orlando several times before and last time we went to Key West and up the eastern coast as far as St Augustine. As flights to Orlando from the UK are getting cheaper, I was looking for suggestions on where to travel to from Orlando. I had thought of Savannah and also New Orleans, or perhaps going down to Naples. Any suggestions for something a bit different would be much appreciated. We love history, nature, jazz and eating out.
Thanks for any help
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Old Jul 8th, 2006, 10:47 AM
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A trip along the coast from St. Augustine to Savannah and Charleston (or any combination) would be a nice trip. If you like history and nature, stop by and see the Millionaire's homes on Jekyll Island - and take a kayak trip through the marsh.

If you REALLY like nature, then ferry over to Cumberland Island. If your pocketbook can handle it, stay two nights at Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island (all meals included).

That would be a wonderful, wonderful trip coming from the UK. Sunny. Warm. Great seafood. Diverse. Just a great trip!
starrsville is offline  
Old Jul 8th, 2006, 10:51 AM
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We are from the UK but spend a lot of time out in Florida. One thing I would say, without being patronising is how huge this place is. We travelled from north of Palm Beach to Savannah recently - 6 hour trip - and had a lovely visit. Savannah isn't old by our standards but is lovely and easy to walk around. The west coast of Florida is very different to the east (Atlantic) coast - to my mind more touristy but with beautiful beaches - see Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island etc.
New Orleans was one of the most interesting places that we have seen but am not sure how it is since Katrina.
Naples, in my opinion doesn't have a lot to offer apart from expensive restaurants which don't really offer anything new or interesting.
Hope this helps
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Old Jul 8th, 2006, 11:04 AM
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adams41, your post reminds me of an amusing incident that happened to me when I was living in Savannah. I lived downtown in the historic district and was out and about one day when I was approached by a tourist from the UK who was inquiring as to the whereabouts of the "historic district". We were smack in the middle of it at the time, but having been to England, I thoroughly understood his confusion. For the US, yup, that is historic to us.

To yogibear, I really like Naples and the west coast of Florida. The beaches are prettier, imho, than the east coast beaches. Naples adds the interest of upscale shops and restaurants, more so than most of the other west coast cities/towns. Naples is about 3.5 from Orlando, Savannah about 4.5 hrs. If you are driving, New Orleans is just too far to go.
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Old Jul 8th, 2006, 06:35 PM
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I agree that the West Coast of Florida is a great place to visit. The beaches are truly stunning. If it were me, I'd stay in Siesta Key and/or Sanibel Island. Both are wonderful, relaxed, but upscale. If you like family-style vacations, Anna Maria Island (north of Siesta Key) is fantastic - it's low key and no tower condo buildings, just a phenomenal beach and some good Florida eating. The advantage to Siesta Key is that you can pop over to Sarasota easily enough, which has the wonderful Ringling Museum. I just love this area of Florida.

I know you said you've been to the keys - have you thought about the everglades? That is an amazing vacation in and of itself. But you'd have to go during the winter - during the summer, the mosquitos will carry you off. We have vacationed twice in the Everglades - once we stayed in Flamingo Lodge and the second time we rented a house boat. We did fun things like a "Swamp Tromp" (where the ranger takes you into the swamp and teaches you about the life cycle).

Siesta Key/Sarasota may be the best bet for you, since you'll have the culture, wonderful dining and great beaches. I'm sure they've got some nature preserves down there as well - Myakka State Park is probably a 30 minute drive away and it's GREAT. You can take a air boat toar and you'll see gators everywhere. Here's the link: http://www.myakkariver.org/

I think any of these options would be wonderful. Can you tell I really love the West Coast of Florida?
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Old Jul 10th, 2006, 06:11 PM
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Melbourne Beach and downtown Melbourne might be good for you. From Satellite Beach down to Melbourne Beach the ocean front locations are few and far between, thus less touristy. Downtown Melbourne is small and quaint. A couple of locations have live music, I think a restaurant called Austin's has live jazz many nights. Just over the bridge are the botanical gardens at the university FIT, and we do have what is reported to be an excellent zoo (not my thing so I have not been) in Melbourne. Very friendly (I live in Satellite Beach) and easy to get around (with a rental car). A1A has sidewalks & if you stay down in the Melbourne Beach area, there are a lot of great restaurants walking distance from the beach. Downtown is over the bridge on the mainlaind...Melbourne Beach and Satellite Beach, along with Indialantic and Indian Harbour Beach are all officially on the barrier island, accessible by three bridges.
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