What to do x5 days after Disneyworld for couple w/no kids.
 

My hubby has to travel to Orlando the week before Thanksgiving for business. We're going to spend 2-3 days at Disneyworld, then we will have 5 days to spend in Florida before flying home on Thanksgiving Day. What should we do and where should we go? We'd like to have a couple of downtime days at the beach--is Clearwater a good choice in late November? Cocoa beach? We're avid bikers so someplace with an extensive bike trail would be good. Would love to take a boat tour of the Everglades, too. Thanks!

South, VERY south of Orlando at that time of year.

Nonsense. It will still be very warm in Orlando, and there is no need to go much farther south for warm beach time, unless, of course, you want to. November, not February!

Clearwater Beach is gorgeous, and there are extensive bike trails nearby. What else do you like to do??

We like getting out in nature, pretty scenery, great food, wine and microbrews. Botanical gardens, museums, natural history stuff. We're not expecting to be able to swim at the beach this time of year, just want to sit and enjoy the view with a good book and a bottle of vino.

Forgot to mention, we also love to kayak!

There's excellent kayaking at Fort DeSoto and on Honeymoon Island, both pretty near Clearwater beach, or St. Pete Beach--really, any of the beaches in that area would be equally nice. (Could see manatees alongside your kayaks at Fort DeSoto at that time of year...)

St. Pete and Tampa are a super hot microbrew scene right now: Tampa is home to the world-famous Cigar City brewery and many others, St. Pete has Cycle and many others. I could list a bunch we personally love going to, if you end up in this area. Both Tampa and St. Pete have good art museums, though St. Pete's is bigger; St. Pete also has a Chihuly glass museum that's quite charming, and a glass-blowing demo and workshop. St. Pete gets the edge for a walkable downtown, too, with restaurants, shops, music venues and bars, plus a waterfront.

Then there's also Sarasota: great beaches, the Ringling art and circus museum and historic home, Mote Marine Aquarium and Research Center, plus an area with boutiques and good restaurants.

You could head further south than Clearwater and get a great experience in Fort Myers. You can visit Sanibel and Marco Islands. You can even get that tour of the Everglades that you desire as well since you are on the west side of the Park.

Is it cost-effective? Sure, you can get a 3 star hotel for $59 a night. A 4 star hotel on Punta Rassa overlooking Sanibel Harbour would run you $139 a night.

You love to kayak? Perfect, there are kayaking tours that take place in the Everglades and another tour taking place at sunset off Marco Island.

Itinerizer has the idea that I would go for. Fort Myers/Fort Myers beach for budget, Sanibel/Captiva for a bit more upscale. Kayaking in Pine Island area, biking or driving through Ding Darling, tour the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter homes/lab.

St. Pete is pretty appealing... Dali museum and Chihuly exhibit sound neat. And the Pinellas bike trail is intriguing, has anyone ridden it? Is this a good base for the area, it's in Boca Ciega Bay: http://floridasemester.nu/310-2/ It has bikes available and kayaks although renting kayaks near the more scenic locations is possible.

Would love your brewery recommendations, NewbE. We like porters and stouts and unusual beers brewed with weird ingredients. Detest IPA's.

Well, Cycle Brewing in St. Pete specializes in IPAs, but they almost always have something else on tap as well. You could always check their website or call ahead, because they have guest taps as well. Green Bench, also in St. Pete, has a good variety of things they make. Rapp makes great stuff that we've enjoyed, but we haven't been to their tasting room.

In Tampa, Cigar City is the big dog daddy--a must visit, IMO. Huge variety, collaborations, seasonals, all great. We like to go to their tasting room and get flights, because there are always dozens of things to taste. (The tasting room is behind a Home Depot on a commercial stretch in Tampa--easy to get to, not pretty :-) Food provided by a food truck. ) A tiny local outfit in Tampa is Southern Brewing, too small to distribute but really excellent. They are in Seminole Heights, where some of Tampa's most exciting restaurants are also located: The Refinery, and Rooster and Till. Our favorite bar is also up there, The Independent, with 16 or so taps devoted to a great variety of beers. It's a real local place, mellow for lunch or early dinner, kids and dogs in Sunday afternoon, live music on Saturdays.

You might consider the Brew Bus--google for details. They do regular tours of breweries from Dunedin to Tampa and St. Pete in between--they usually take off from the Cigar City tasting room.

I think St. Pete would make a good base for your visit...

Thanks NewbE! We booked a place in St. Pete and I am really looking forward to exploring this area. Will definitely check out Cycle Brewing, Cigar City and maybe that brew bus tour! :)