Advice about Florida
 

Allright folks, I'd like to do a family vacation in Floriday for 10 - 12 days in late April. I'd like to stick the to central Florida area coasts because of the proximity to Disney and other places I'd like to see and do.

But. Here is where you can help me.

1. Gulf Coast or Atlantic Coast? What is the difference? Where would it be better to do Snorkeling? Whats kid freindlier (my daughter is 5)?

2. Can anyone recommend a good affordable rental condo - 1 or 2 bedrooms, 1 bath is fine.

Thanks!

Daval

I'll try to help you (not much of an expert on central Florida), but I might suggest you join virtualtourist.com and ask the question and you'll get loads of answers there.

The waters are generally clearer on the Atlantic coast, *BUT*, the waves are larger, which will make it harder to snorkel on the central Atlantic side.

Now, since you've shown an interest in snorkeling, perhaps I can suggest a bit of a day (or overnite trip for you, if you want to play in the water) and go to the Gulf coast side, just south of Venice, to a place called Manasota Key (it is between Venice and Englewood). If you go early in the morning, the waters are close to like glass and right off the coast is a huge fossil bed and the currents bring all kinds of interesting fossils (mostly shark's teeth) to shore. I have found that if you snorkel in about 2 to 3 feet deep water right off of the surf line and go in a zig-zag motion, that within an hour or so, you can fill up a four finger baggie full of shark's teeth. After getting all the regular sized shark's teeth you want, I normally will go out in about 4 or 5 feet of water (depending on visibility), where there aren't so many shark's teeth and just watch the bottom for "larger" teeth. Every once in a while, you'll get lucky and find a shark's tooth that will fit in the palm of your hand.

Now, you say you have a 5 year old? Want to expose her to the beach? Go south of Manasota Key about a 30 or so minute drive (south of Englewood) to Gasparilla Island (also known to the locals as Boca Grande - you can find links about this page on my south Florida page on my personal domain, btw). This island is paradise. It will cost you about $3.00 to drive onto the island. The shark's teeth are replaced with mountains of seashells. Drive down the island and explore the town (make sure to drive down thru the Banyan trees). Go south of town (following the beach road) and you'll see an old lighthouse on your right (this is called Range Lighthouse Beach). Pull over here (cost a couple of bucks to park). You can have a cook out, here, and there are rocks just off shore that you can snorkel and see some neat tropical fish and find some nice Florida Fighting Conch shells, too. The kid can walk up and down the beach and collect seashells to her heart's content. This is a really nice beach and rarely is there a crowd there. Again, the earlier you get there, the better, if you want to snorkel.

Contact me if you have any other questions and I'll be glad to try to help you about my neck of the woods. Wish I could help you with the Orlando area, but I normally avoid it like the plague.

Have fun!

Wow, excellent advice so far. thanks!

How far of a drive is it from the Manasota Key area to/from Orlando area? I don't want to stay near Orlando, but I would like to spend about 2 days of my vacation there at two of the parks.

And do you have any suggestions for affordable Condo rentals in that area (Manasota Key)?

Daval

I'd plan on 2 1/2 hours for the drive from Manasota to Orlando (I-4 between Tampa and Orlando really does suck in a major way as it has been under construction for an eternity, now). Plan on heavy traffic and lots of stop and go between Tampa and Orlando. Check out a Florida map and avoid part of I-4 and take the country roads from Sarasota over to 27 and go up, there, and you'll make better time.



The biggest problem you will have with finding a condo will be a minimum one week stay will be required by most places. If you can park yourself for a week, I'd say plan on around a $100.00 a day, plus a security deposit, also (Spring Break paranoia).

Here's a link that will give you a bit of an idea about lodging. <A HREF="http://www.vrbo.com/27080"> Click Here </A>

I'd want to rent for about 10 - 12 days. When in Orlando I would probably get a motel room for a night and then head back to Manasota.

Which airport would be best to fly into? I was planning to fly into Orlando originally, but could obviously change that to a more convenient location.

Manasota Key is south of Sarasota and north of Fort Myers (closer to Sarasota). Unless you want to be driving traffic, I'd skip both Orlando and Tampa to fly in and out of. With a little bit of checking online, you can usually get pretty good deals into Sarasota, but not as good as flying into either Orlando or Tampa.

If you chose to hang out on the Gulf coast, let me know and I'll send you some tips about beaches to visit. Being on Manasota Key gives you close access to several nice beaches.

I think I've located a nice condo in Englewood which is about 600' from the Beach.

Just trying to find cheap flights now :)

600 feet? It must be on the back bay.

Anyway, from Englewood, you are a short trip to either Manasota or Boca Grande (Boca Grande is my all time favorite beach area). It is all small town around there and the traffic is pretty much a breeze. You are within an hour of both Sarasota and Ft. Myers, too. Both areas have interesting places to explore.

Good luck on a decent airfare. I would think the rates will get much better <I> after </I> Easter, as that is when the snowbirds have pretty much all migrated back north.

Just in case you need to get your motor running about Florida beaches, here are some links to help you get revved up :

<A HREF="http://www.leeislandcoast.com"> Lee Island Coast </A>

<A HREF="http://www.bocagrandechamber.com/index.html"> Boca Grande </A>

<A HREF="http://www.usa-chamber.com/sanibel-captiva/home.html"> Sanibel / Captiva Islands </A>

<A HREF="http://bestbeaches.org/manasotakeybeaches/"> Manasota Key Area </A>

<A HREF="http://www.sarasotachamber.org/"> Sarasota </A>

My Plan is to leave Toronto around May 1st and fly back on May 12th.

What would be closer to Englewood - Tampa or Orlando airports? If its saving me a couple 100 $$ then i'll risk the traffic :)

MAPQUEST LINK OF LOCATION

Tampa is much closer to Englewood than Orlando is. Much closer.

I just checked out your map and if you choose that spot, you will be in a primo location for both shelling (Boca Grande) and snorkeling for fossil shark's teeth (Manasota Beach).

<IMG SRC="http://www.tropicdiver.com/englewoodmap.jpg"></IMG>

Oh, I almost forgot... such a small matter, really... you will see the most incredible sunsets you can imagine while sitting on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico. :)

Man, I am so looking forward to this. I just need to figure out the flight details and send the guy a cheque :) Already talked to the boss and he said the dates are fine with him.

If there are shells and sharks teeth at these other places - surely there would be at Englewood, wouldn't there?

Yes, you'll have <I> both </I> there. You won't be disappointed. You can hit the same beach every day or mix it up and hit a different beach a day just to change things up.

It is very laid back there, also. The water should be nice and comfortable by the time you and your family arrive.

another question :)

What are the beaches like? Is there concessions? Somewhere to buy food/drinks? What about shops? Boardwalk?

No boardwalk in this area, that I am aware of. Bathrooms and soda machines and grilles to cook out on. There are grocery stores around in Englewood and you can buy a cheap styrofoam ice chest and get some ice and take eats and charcoal with you.

You can walk for miles on the beaches. You could drive up to Venice and walk along the sidewalk at the beach, but that's not my idea of fun. ;)

If you are looking for boardwalks, I'd say Ft. Lauderdale Beach, Hollywood Beach or Miami, but that's a good 4 hour drive from Englewood each way.

As long as there is no problems with bringing food/drink onto the beat - if it's allowed I'm happy.

Tropicdiver, I just wanted to say that the amount of information that I have recieved from you has far exceeded my expectations on this thread. You have been totally amazing and I thank you for your generosity.

There's no problem with that. Plan on a big picnic. There are benches and grilles up above the beach area. It's a great family atmosphere and you'll have plenty of beach to yourself, as a rule.




I'm glad I was able to help and don't hesitate to ask anymore questions if something else comes to mind. I haven't even told you about an incredibly cheap day boat trip you can take from Pine Island to Cabbage Key and on to Cayo Costa and back to Pine Island for $25.00 a head. An incredible adventure and a cheap way to spend the day exploring some of our islands on the Lee Island Coast. ;)

Oh! Do Tell! Got a link for this?

As a matter of fact I do. <A HREF="http://www.tropicstarcruises.com/TropicStarCruises_2.htm"> Click here for a great time </A>

I've taken this cruise several times and just last Summer, I took it with both of my teenaged daughters. We had a blast. You leave Pineland Marina on Pine Island for a leisurely cruise to Cabbage Key, where you can buy the best $4.00 hamburger for $6.00. After eating lunch and exploring the nature trail, you get back in the boat and cruise on up to Cayo Costa Island (state park) and spend a couple of hours there on a pristine beach. Then they boat you back over to Pineland Marina for you to make the 90 minute drive back to Englewood. Well worth setting the day aside for this and it truely is one of those hidden gems that not many people know about, but us locals.

<IMG SRC="http://www.tropicdiver.com/cayo.jpg">

I just got back from FL, about 20 mins ago.

I flew into Tampa, stayed in Port Charlotte at a bed and breakfast which basically gave us a whole house for the weekend.

I had to drive to Sarasota to visit with family. I got married in Long Boat Key on the Gulf at sunset. The water on the Gulf is much warmer than the Atlantic.

There are plenty of resorts and timeshares there. I higly recommend that you investigate that for your family, because it can cut down on costs since you don't have to eat out all the time as you'll have a full kitchen with all the trappings of home save food and spices. But even still making breakfasts and sandwiches is a great way to save some dough.

Damn it! I just got back from Port Charlotte, too!

I was visiting my grandparents who are packing up to move to New Jersey to be near their son (my uncle).

I flew into Orlando, though, as I was also attending a conference there.

Small world...

Heya,
I've now booked the Condo right on Manasota Key, booked the flights to Ft. Meyers, and have a rental car waiting for me when I get there.

Can you recommend anywhere that would rent out jet-ski's? Found boat rental places on the web, but not a jet-ski.

Also, do you have a good website that talks about the types of shells to be found, as well as the types of sites that could be found underwater?

What family freindly restaurants do you recommend in the area?

Dave

Sonny's BBQ

Ponderossa if one is nearby.

then of course there's the proverbial rest of the corporates out there... from Outback to AppleBee's

You can't beat <A HREF="http://www.shellmuseum.org/sanibel_shells_pictures.html"><B>THIS LINK</B></A> for information about the types of shells that you can find in southwest Florida. Too bad you don't have a day to kill on Sanibel and Captiva Islands, while you're down here in the Ft. Myers area, as this is a nice museum to visit for the shelling enthusiast, not to mention Sanibel and Captiva are known as the third best places in the world for shelling (especially right after a storm).

You need to keep a thing or two about our local waters in mind. Lots of people mistakenly think the water is gin clear and full of coral reefs and that is not the case. Our waters are very shallow (makes for great swimming for kids). You have to go a long ways out to normally get in deep water. Mostly all you are going to see on a "clear" water day is going to be a sandy bottom. If you do make it down to Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande) and you stop at the beach at Range Lighthouse, if you swim just a little bit out from the light house and go a little bit north, you'll find some rock ledges in shallow water and you'll see some tropical fish and the occasional Florida fighting conch seashell.

I really can't tell you about good places to eat in the Manasota area, as I just make a day trip of going up there and pack my ice chest for the beach.

If you decide to spend anytime in Ft. Myers, let me know and I can tell you some good places to eat down here, tho.

Have fun! :-)

Below is a place that looks like it is right where you are staying. I have no personal knowledge of the facility, but there's a phone number for you to call. :)

Island Jet Ski
450 Beach Rd.
Englewood, FL.
941-474-1168.

East Coast snorkeling? You won't see anything. It's all cloudy. West Coast definately.

No, no, no... (about the cloudy east coast). Try snorkeling off of Anglin Pier at the end of Commercial Drive at Lauderdale by the Sea on a calm wind day. It is a bit of a swim, but you'll be rewarded with a lovely reef full of more fish than you can imagine (you sure won't see this snorkeling off of the Florida Keys).. :)

wow! Now I want to go to Florida....:)
Just trying to work out how to save the great info on this thread, ummmmm.......

oooops, just found the printable version at the bottom :p

Well my experience scuba diving is the exact opposite. Near Clearwater, visibility was about 10ft. Near West Palm Beach, more like 80, and maybe 50 snorkeling at Key Largo one time. I'm sure it varies widely based on exact location, time of year, weather, etc.

I have been wanting to go back there for some time now. Spent a brief two months in Orlando in Nuke School befor they dropped me, then 3.5 years in Jax* with the US Navy and wouldn't mind living in Central Florida (or at least a bit further south than Jax).


*of course I was on a "reserve training carrier" that spent 7-8 months out of the year underway usually so a decent portion of that time was spent floating around on the water/doing 2 med cruises/Persian Gulf/seeing St. Maartin twice/etc.

Well, now that Easter has come and gone, so have the SnowBirds, so.... come on down. ;)

Could anyone tell me about visiting Cape Canaveral? Do they give tours? Will my wife and kids be bored as hell and only I like it?: Whats it like?

I land in Florida on May 1st and am staying in Manasota

I've enjoyed the trips to Cape Kennedy Space Center. You can take the bus tour or shop for space related gear or watch some great IMAX films that are space related. They have some decent static displays and the museum is really good, also. It's money really well spent, IMHO.

Here's their <A HREF="http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/"><B>official link</B></A>.

I enjoyed it as well; Last time I drove down there it was a few months before John Glenn's flight in 1998.

Sanibel Island is a GREAAAAAT place to visit in Florida. Lovely little island with lots of island charm and great natural beaches along with good food. LOVE IT THERE!

Coquina Beach condos through Priscilla Murphy are also a good place to stay if you go.

Daval, how was your trip to Florida? Were you happy with your visit to southwest Florida? :)

I've been meaning to post in here about the trip - I'm sorry for the delay!

Anyhow, the trip was completely fantastic. I would go back to Englewood and Manasota Key in a heartbeat. I was within walking distance of both Englewood beach and Stump Pass beach and the amount of shells and sharksteeth that you described did not dissapoint at all.

We spent a good 2 hours on most days on the beach, usually in the early morning before the sun got too hot. What I loved about it was we were alone. There would be almost no other people around so we could just relax in solitude with nothing but the sound of the water gentling lapping on the beach.

The water was incredibly warm and my five year old daughter just loved it. She was able to play in the water close to shore and it was only up to her waist. There was only waves on one day (actually had waves breaking on the sandbar and then on the shore)

I spent a ton of time snorkelling trying to find shells and just in general staring at the bottom of the gulf. We brought about 30 shells back with us, a couple of very very nice specimens.

We even found some live fighting conchs and crabs close to shore. Our landlord found some starfish but I never actually saw those.

We also spent a few days in the late afternoon fishing off of the pier at the bridge. That was a nice relaxing way to wrap up the day. Too bad we didnt really catch anything of note though.

However, we did see a LOT of Dolphins just off the pier chasing the fish on the lines and then begging the fishermen for their catch - it was so cool!

I didnt do any boating or jet-skiing, the cost was just too expensive.

We tried quite a few of the local restaurants - our two favourites were Woody's BBQ, and Barnacle Bills - both in Englewood. We also stopped for a soft-serve ice cream every day at the big massive cone on hwy 776 in the Publix plaza.

We took a drive to Port Charlotte one day and to Venice another day, but we didnt really stop, just drove around.

We also did a day at Magic Kingdom and spent the night in a cheap motel near the park. Couldnt believe the prices to get into Disney! Holy Expensive!

We were going to do the day cruise that you recommended but the day before I overdid the snorkelling (2 hours straight in very clear water) and burnt the crap out of my back, my neck, arms and legs, that we decided to take the day easy and recover.

My family and I want to thank you for all of your advice. Thanks to you I found a gem on the coast of SW Florida and I would and will definately go back to Manasota Key in Englewood.