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#1
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Taste of Florida?
Is it possible to get a good look at Florida in two weeks? I'd like to take
my wife there in January or February and just see what there is to see. She has an aunt who lives just north of Orlando so we'd probably spend a day or so there but other than that I'd like to have suggestions on where to go and what to see. We're an older couple without kids so things like Disney World doesn't sound appealing but neither does a night-club scene. We've been to Hawaii and we love beaches and nature but don't want to spend the whole time lounging on a beach. I've been to Florida a couple of times but it was many, many years ago so I don't remember much. Busch Gardens,Tampa stands out in my mind but if I remember correctly the only ride there at that time was a tram/monorail over an area that they called an African veldt. That would maybe be appealing but I guess that's all turned into a big amusement park now so it's probably not the same. Thrill rides don't thrill us! I'm thinking that Florida's really too big to see much in just two weeks. If so, maybe just from Orlando area down towards the Keys might be our target area. Any suggestions would be appreciated. TIA! |
#2
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Taste of Florida?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Depends on your interests, of course. For two weeks, Orlando and Miami-Keys would be great. You've been to Tampa, but Fort Myers-Sanibel-Naples area would be another good choice. You know the sites in Orlando. NASA is at Cape Canaveral. Palm Beach is good for a stop (to see the shops), as is the beach at Fort Lauderdale. Check live theaters, museums, and sports for Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Miami in January-February (college or pro basketball, Dania jai alai, Gulfstream Park thoroughbred racing, Pompano Park harness racing, Hialeah quarter horses next year, greyhounds), Miami Beach walkway, Calle Ocho (Cuban section), Coconut Grove, aquarium, planetarium, Vizcaya ... again, depends on your interests. The Everglades are off the road on the way to the keys. The key highway is a treat, on weekdays at least (less traffic). Hike throuogh the Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key and see the key deer up close. You can find plenty on Key West in the archives of this newsgroup. |
#3
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Taste of Florida?
Hey, thanks for the quick reply! You've already given me a couple of good
ideas. I know that I wasn't very informative in the original post but to set the record straight--I was in Tampa (Busch Gardens) over 30 years ago and the wife has never been to Florida at all, so it would be mostly new to us. I wonder if it's doable to fly in to Orlando, rent a car, drive over to the gulf coast, drive south along the gulf coast, over to the east coast, down to the keys, back up to Daytona and back to Orlando and still have time to see things. If we do that, what are the options for seeing "Florida"? We're not too far from Chicago and St. Louis so, while we don't have jai alai, we've got a lot of the other stuff around here. We love racing and casinos but we've got them here, too. What we don't have is Everglades, beaches, and forts and cities dating from the 17th century. The Key highway and the Key deer refuge sounds great. But, so does Key West, for a short visit. Does that sound contradictory? Anyhow, thanks for the reply! I'm filing it all to help plan the trip! "Nile" wrote in message ... Any suggestions would be appreciated. Depends on your interests, of course. For two weeks, Orlando and Miami-Keys would be great. You've been to Tampa, but Fort Myers-Sanibel-Naples area would be another good choice. You know the sites in Orlando. NASA is at Cape Canaveral. Palm Beach is good for a stop (to see the shops), as is the beach at Fort Lauderdale. Check live theaters, museums, and sports for Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Miami in January-February (college or pro basketball, Dania jai alai, Gulfstream Park thoroughbred racing, Pompano Park harness racing, Hialeah quarter horses next year, greyhounds), Miami Beach walkway, Calle Ocho (Cuban section), Coconut Grove, aquarium, planetarium, Vizcaya ... again, depends on your interests. The Everglades are off the road on the way to the keys. The key highway is a treat, on weekdays at least (less traffic). Hike throuogh the Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key and see the key deer up close. You can find plenty on Key West in the archives of this newsgroup. |
#4
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Taste of Florida?
Thanks, Shawn for the replies! The main reason I've included Orlando is the
idea that we'll visit my wife's aunt who lives a bit north of there. I just figured that flights in and out of there are about as cheap as anywhere and rental cars seem pretty cheap there, too. I guess that I could look into flying into Orlando and out of Miami/Fort Lauderdale. That'd save a little drive time but then I'd probably have a drop-off charge on the rental car. But, that'd also cut out the drive on one of the coasts, too, so I don't know if I want to do that. (BTW, we live in central Illinois so we know all about flat land and long, boring drives!) Gary "Shawn Hirn" wrote in message ... In article , "GV" wrote: Hey, thanks for the quick reply! You've already given me a couple of good ideas. I know that I wasn't very informative in the original post but to set the record straight--I was in Tampa (Busch Gardens) over 30 years ago and the wife has never been to Florida at all, so it would be mostly new to us. I wonder if it's doable to fly in to Orlando, rent a car, drive over to the gulf coast, drive south along the gulf coast, over to the east coast, down to the keys, back up to Daytona and back to Orlando and still have time to see things. If we do that, what are the options for seeing "Florida"? We're not too far from Chicago and St. Louis so, while we don't have jai alai, we've got a lot of the other stuff around here. We love racing and casinos but we've got them here, too. What we don't have is Everglades, beaches, and forts and cities dating from the 17th century. The Key highway and the Key deer refuge sounds great. But, so does Key West, for a short visit. Does that sound contradictory? Anyhow, thanks for the reply! I'm filing it all to help plan the trip! That's a lot of driving, but you could certainly do it. Florida is a very boring state in which to drive. Just flat land, no real natural landmarks to see unless you go along the coast, which is very slow. My suggestion is to pick three areas to visit. If you are not interested in theme parks such as Disney World, skip Orlando as its mostly touristy things. I would pick a places such as Vero Beach for a quiet stay on the Atlantic City, Naples on the Gulf side, then maybe Key West to get that flavor. You can certainly take a tour of the Everglades too. Do a google search for "Everglades tours" and I am sure you will find lots of options. |
#5
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Taste of Florida?
"Nile" wrote in message ... Any suggestions would be appreciated. Depends on your interests, of course. For two weeks, Orlando and Miami-Keys would be great. You've been to Tampa, but Fort Myers-Sanibel-Naples area would be another good choice. This is an older couple with no kids. There is absolutely nothing in Orlando for them. Miami offers interesting restaurants, particularly in the Cuban areas. Tampa has the old the section, which is also interesting. A trip to the Everglades is definitely warranted. I do agree with you that Cape Canaveral is an interesting stop. You know the sites in Orlando. NASA is at Cape Canaveral. Palm Beach is good for a stop (to see the shops), as is the beach at Fort Lauderdale. Check live theaters, museums, and sports for Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Miami in January-February (college or pro basketball, Dania jai alai, Gulfstream Park thoroughbred racing, Pompano Park harness racing, Hialeah quarter horses next year, greyhounds), Miami Beach walkway, Calle Ocho (Cuban section), Coconut Grove, aquarium, planetarium, Vizcaya ... again, depends on your interests. The Everglades are off the road on the way to the keys. The key highway is a treat, on weekdays at least (less traffic). Hike throuogh the Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key and see the key deer up close. You can find plenty on Key West in the archives of this newsgroup. |
#6
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Taste of Florida?
We're an older couple without kids so things like
Disney World doesn't sound appealing Just wanted to mention that there are portions of Disney World that can be very enjoyable for adults, and one whole area of Disney World -- EPCOT -- is really designed mainly for adults. In fact there are guide books specifically for adults visiting DW without kids. in January or February... don't want to spend the whole time lounging on a beach. It's a little cool for beach lounging anyway. Miami Beach, for example, has an average high of only 75 F in January. James |
#7
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Taste of Florida?
I think definitions of "the real Florida" are fractal, and don't
claim to be an expert on them. Not a bad place to start is http://www.visitflorida.com/ -- it'll orient you to the different types of experience that are available, and where to find them (the "Insiders" column at the right hand side is particularly useful for categorization). The place has some of almost anything you might want (well, okay, it's a bit short on mountains and snow) if you know where to look... My gut feeling is that two weeks should be plenty of time to nontrivially visit one or two prime examples of all the things one couple is likely to be interested in. Enjoy your trip, --Joe |
#8
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Taste of Florida?
James, Joe, et al! Thanks again for the replies! I think that everything
you all talked about will be very helpful in planning this trip. I'm retired so time is a bit flexible so I may be able to stretch the two weeks by a day or two. But, I'm not rich so I have to watch expenses, too. I guess that's the way it is in life--when you've got the money you don't have the time and when you've got the time you don't have the money! B-) Anyhow, thanks again for the ideas! Gary |
#9
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Taste of Florida?
GV wrote:
fly in to Orlando, rent a car, drive over to the gulf coast, drive south along the gulf coast, over to the east coast, down to the keys, back up to Daytona and back to Orlando You'd spend the whole time driving and be tired when you got back if you try and visit Central, Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast. For a relaxing two weeks, I'd stick to 1) Orlando where you're flying into, plus 2) one side or the other. I'll second the Vero Beach suggestion for a quiet Atlantic side spot, although you could reach many more sites from a (relatively) quiet Miami area neighborhood like Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hollywood Beach, or Coconut Grove. On the Gulf side check out Sarasota (St. Armands Circle and the city proper) and Fort Myers or Naples. You could travel one side this year, then save the other coast for next year. You'll want to go back next winter. We love racing and casinos but we've got them here, too. * You don't have Hialeah Park! Although, it is re-opening after several years so it may not be up to its old beauty and grandeur quite yet. beaches, and forts and cities dating from the 17th century. St. Augustine is a little out of the way of the other places discussed, but you just described it. The Key highway and the Key deer refuge sounds great. But, so does Key West, for a short visit. Does that sound contradictory? Not at all. Key West is at the end of the same road. PTravel wrote: This is an older couple with no kids. There is absolutely nothing in Orlando for them. Sea World, studio tours, Epcot, maybe Magic Kingdom, baseball spring training in very late Feb., orange groves in nearby rural areas (oranges will not quite be ripe in Feb.) ... it depends on your interests. |
#10
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Taste of Florida?
I'd definitely skip Orlando. The keys are great. But on the west coast, I'd definitely hit Naples, Sarasota, Tampa, and a most interesting stop in Tarpon Springs, a Greek sponging community, just north of Tampa. On the east coast, we enjoy Miami Beach, the drive from the space center up to Jacksonville Beach, and especially St. Augustine. -- Larry |
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