The west coast of Florida is a fantastic place to visit. Blessed with sunshine most of the year, it’s lined with soft, sandy beaches, resorts and promenades. Drive a little inland and there are theme parks, small yet charming towns, and swamps where gators roam.
Coastal cool
If you’re looking to stay by the sea, head for Clearwater or St. Petersburg. The former boasts lovely stretches of sand, restaurants aplenty, plus parks and a small town. It can get busy in Spring Break when the college students descend, but for the rest of the year it’s a serene place to catch the sun.
St. Petersburg has a great city feel and numerous excellent cultural sites. There’s the Museum of Fine Arts, Holocaust Museum, History Museum and, perhaps best of all, a Salvador Dali Museum that houses his surrealist work in a building that the moustachioed eccentric himself would have loved.
The food is great here too – try the mullet or mackerel at the roadside classic, Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish which has been serving house-smoked fish and burgers since 1951.
Time for Tampa
This is a city that just gets keeps getting better. The Riverwalk area has breathed new life into the waterfront, now a hive of activity. Walk along here and you’ll find museums, restaurants, cafes and bars, plus perfect places to relax while local joggers and cyclists fly past you.
The Ybor district, once dedicated solely to cigar making – and housing those who worked in the industry – is now a vibrant ethnic community that has been made into a US National Historic Landmark. Preserved buildings mingle with great Cuban restaurants – it really comes to life at night.
Thrill seekers will love Busch Gardens, which has some of the state’s best coasters and a menagerie of animals from across the globe. Lions, tigers, giraffes, hippos and penguins can all be seen in a safari-style setting, before you buckle up for the animal-themed coasters. If that’s not enough wildlife, you can also head for Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium.
Heading south
To really make the most of the coast, rent a car at Tampa International Airport and stay on the I-275 over the bay, past St. Petersburg and back over the water again to Bradenton. This is a place with real charm, with vintage buildings and palms swaying in the light breeze. It’s close to bustling Sarasota, which has beaches to die for and a clutch of world-class museums.
Circus legends the Ringling Brothers lived here, and you can visit their old estate with its stunning art collection. Fit in a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – you can find peaceful spots to relax under banyan trees or take in some of the thousands of species of orchids housed here.
Car rental at Tampa Airport is your key to unlocking the treasures of Tampa, as well as seeing more of sun-kissed Florida.
