| |
Bradenton Beach
Located at the southern tip of Anna Maria Island, community of many charming shops, restaurants and accommodations. Bradenton Beach is in Manatee County just south of St Petersburg on Gulf Dr. N. between Holmes Beach and Longboat Key, situated on the banks of Sarasota Bay. With plenty of museums, historical sites and cultural events to choose from, the city of Bradenton offers small town charm with all the amenities of a larger city. also the home of Tropicana orange juice, McKenzie field spring training center for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the beautiful Gulf beaches of Anna Maria Island and Longboat key. Cortez Beach showcases 140 feet of undeveloped beach. Parking and public transportation drop off/pick available.
Bushnell
Bushnell is located in Sumter County (which is the county seat) north of Tampa between Orlando and Inverness situated off of I-75. Bushnell is also found on the outskirts of the Withlacochee State Forest.
Crystal River
Crystal River is located in Citrus County north of Tampa between Gainesville and Homosassa Springs along US Highway 98 near Crystal Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Crystal River is Known for great sea food and great hospitality. You can enjoy eating at over 60 on the water restaurants between the two cities here on the rivers. Come snorkel or swim with the manatee. Citrus County is known as “Mother Nature’s Theme Park", Citrus County is the only place in the world where interaction with the manatee is encouraged along with being a strong fishing community.
Crystal River is also famous for its flats fishing where redfish, sea trout, tarpon and mackerel are abundant. Grouper are great favorites in the deeper waters. Local fishing guides can outfit individuals or groups. The nearby islands of Kings Bay are perfect for diving as well, but are mostly accessible by boat only. There are festivals and events galore in Citrus County. Annual happenings include the Florida Manatee Festival, Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival, Floral City Strawberry Festival, Heritage Village Scarecrow Festival, theatre, concerts, and lectures - something for every interest!
Clearwater
Clearwater Beach is one of the outstanding destinations for a Florida vacation : fantastic weather, superb food, great hotels and idyllic beaches. Clearwater overlooks the Gulf of Mexico from Florida’s Pinellas Peninsula. It is a resort city with a large retirement community. Clearwater Beach known for its beautiful beaches, picturesque sunsets, mystical evenings. Who would want anything more?
Attraction and Activities on Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Marina
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Sunsets at Pier 60
The Jolley Trolley
Caledesi Island State Park
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Sand Key Park
Busch Gardens
The Sponge Docks of Tarpon Springs
Salvador Dali Museum
The Florida International Museum
Parasail City (Name says it all)
Captain Bligh’s Landing (miniature golf)
Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Show Queen (Dinner Cruise)
Kai Lani (Clearwaters Fastest Sailing Charter Boat)
Clearwater Beach has been rated the best city beach on the Gulf of Mexico and is a designated Blue Wave Beach, which is awarded for safety, cleanliness and protection of natural habitats. Clearwater also made the top 10 of best beaches, as voted for by USATODAY.com readers. Pier 60 dominates the Clearwater Beach frontage. This sightseeing and fishing pier extends over 1000 feet in to the ocean. Pier 60 offers plenty of great attractions, including fishing and the nightly street festival which celebrates the setting of the sun. The festival features street performers, music and arts produced by local artists.
There’s no shortage of events and entertainments for visitors to Clearwater, with an enormous range of activities, including the Clearwater Jazz Holiday and the popular volleyball tournaments. Something for everyone! Clearwater Beach is the ideal place to call home if you venture out to see Mickey or Shamu. It’s just over 90 minutes to Disneyworld, Seaworld and Universal Studios
Homosassa
Homosassa is in Citrus County.The community is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Homosassa Springs is located in Citrus County north of Tampa between Crystal River and Brooksville along US Hwy 19 near the Withlacooche State Forest, Crystal Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Madeira Beach
Madeira Beach is a 2.5 mile strip of sand that provides an oasis of activities for tourists. Madeira Beach started as a fishing village and commercial fishing is still an important part of the community’s activities. More grouper is brought into John’s Pass than any other place in the state. Each October the community hosts the Seafood Festival at John’s Pass attracting as many as 130,000 visitors to a fare of food, music, arts and crafts. Madeira Beach is located in Pinellas County just west of St Petersburg between Clearwater and St Petersburg Beach along Hwy 19 near Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and Boca Ciega Bay. Madeira Beach is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida metro area.
Sarasota
SARASOTA’S striking beauty has always been its chief asset with brilliant sunrises and sunsets that fire the sky into a canvas of intense pinks, reds, purples and oranges. An unspoiled paradise of palm trees, moss covered oaks, cedars, mangroves and sea grapes. A beautiful Italian Renaissance villa turned art museum, the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art houses a superb collection of Baroque paintings, plus exquisite 17th-century tapestries. Next door, the Ringling residence, Ca’ d’ Zan (House of John), a 30- room mansion set on scenic Sarasota Bay, is an architectural showcase, modeled after a Venetian palace. Rolling white-sand beaches and sparkling azure waters combine with a sophistication and charm to make Sarasota the gem of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The endless array of activities and the exhilarating mixture of attractions, restaurants, shopping, and accommodations are a sure fit for any traveler.
Be prepared to include a few evenings with our resident ballet, opera house, live theatre, comedy clubs, and jazz bars. The year round sunny days and tropical breezes are a welcome invitation to over 60 golf courses, tennis, 35 miles of pristine beaches, boating, fishing, and sight seeing.
Sarasota Attractions
Circus Sarasota
Crowley Museum and Nature Center
Ed Smith Stadium
Florida Ever-Glides Inc.
Florida House Learning Center
G.WIZ - The Hands-On Science Museum
Grande Tours, Inc.
Historic Spanish Point
IMG Academies
Key Sailing
Lady Sarasota
LeBarge Tropical Cruises
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Marina Jack Luxury Cruises
Mote Aquarium
Museum of Asian Art
Myakka Safari Tours
Myakka State Forest
Oscar Scherer State Park
PAL Sailor Circus
Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary
Sarasota Bay Explorers
Sarasota Jungle Gardens
Sarasota Kennel Club
Seminole Casino - Immokalee
Solomon’s Castle - The Boat in the Moat
South Florida Museum
S’Platters Pottery Painting Place
Sun-N-Fun Resort
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
The Springs “Original Fountain of Youth” at Warm Mineral Springs
St. Petersburg
Sparkling St. Petersburg, perched on a peninsula across the bay from Tampa, has always been a resort town famous for its 361 days sunny days a year. With 234 miles of shoreline and an average temperature of 73 degrees, Florida’s fourth largest city has much to offer. Although a city with a reputation as a cultural centre the primary lure to St Petersburg is the beach. Travel west from the town itself across an area of drab suburbs to reach one of the states busiest coastal strips. Although popular for vacationing Americans for many years, the St Petersburg beaches have increasingly come to the attention of holidaying Europeans. The beaches are situated on a number of islands that act as a barrier protecting Tampa Bay.
St Petersburg attracts quite a hub of travellers who feel like relaxing at the seaside after a visit to Florida’s Disneyland or its capital Miami.
Snorkelling, swimming, surfing….think of whatever sorts of water sports and you’ll definitely be able to exercise it here (or learn it?). Besides that, you can always watcha game of baseball in the famous St. Petersburg Thunderdome, future home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Exploring the shopping malls and the boulevard with exclusive shops (and great views) will guarantee a perfect outfit for one of the many restaurants, bars or discos. For those who want to see a bit more green, the Fort DeSoto Park might be an option. Rent a canoe, do some bird watching or go fishing. The nearby Boyd Hill Nature Park has a variety of hiking, biking and nature trails.
And of course, no big cities without famous (art) collections. The Museum of Fine Arts has an interesting collection and the Dali Museum claims to have the largest collection of works of the surrealist painter. The fourth largest museum of the US dedicated to the Holocaust and its devastating impact is also located in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg Attrations includes
Sunken Gardens
1825 4th Street North,
St. Petersburg, FL 33704
Boyd Hill Nature Park
1101 Country Club Way S.
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 893-7326
Florida Holocaust Museum
55 Fifth Street South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
(727)820-0100
Florida International Museum
100 Second St. North
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 822-3693
Great Explorations
The Children’s Hands On Museum
1825 4th Street N
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 821-8885
Museum Of Fine Arts
255 Beach Drive
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 896-2667
P. Buckley Moss Gallery
190 4th Ave. N.E.
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 894-2899
Salvador Dali Museum
1000 Third Street
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 823-3767
St. Petersburg Museum Of History
335 2nd Ave N.E.
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 894-1052
The Pier
Tampa Bay Waterfront End of 2nd Ave N.E.
St. Petersburg, FL
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is one of the most popular tourist resorts of the United States. With perfect beaches lots of activities and attractions as well as a major historic monument in Fort de Soto it is hardly surprising that tourists come flocking in every year.
Ybor City is one of the coolest places of the Florida Coast with the hottest nightlife scene around. On weekend nights, it’s I-4 traffic at a near standstill as cars filled with party-hungry revelers stack up at the 20th Street exit. For good or bad, Ybor City has made a name for itself as party central in the Tampa Bay area. Tampa’s Latin Quarter knows how to heat things up. The entertainment district, with more than 60 restaurants, bars and nightclubs, draws up to 30,000 people on weekend nights.
St. Petersburg is the major hub of the region. It has great museums and attraction parks and is an ideal base for exploring the region. Pinellas Trail is great if you want to get your bum off the beach for a while. It’s a unique greenway corridor linking some of Pinellas County’s most picturesque parks, scenic coastal areas and residential neighborhoods. While traveling along the Trail, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy deep glades of ancient live oaks trailing Spanish moss, quiet waterways and tidal streams with all varieties of land and water birds. The Trail is a priceless haven in a busy, highly urbanized environment, where Trail-goers safely breeze along. The construction of eight overpasses allow Trail-goers to travel above traffic at busy intersections.
Venice
Venice, Florida abounds in natural beauty and splendor. Venice Florida offers something for everyone including beautiful beaches, its quaint downtown shopping area and the old Florida scenery along the Myakka River. The best thing to do is wander around and get lost for at least a day. Roam the winding streets and the various piazzas and see the melting pot of architectural styles. When you are interested in Venetian painting, you can bathe in the collections of paintings from artists such as Titian and members of the school of Murano. The Galleria di Palazzo Cini, for instance, houses the private art collection of Vittorio Cini, the wealthiest Venetian art collector of this century.
Central Venice, which consists in total of 118 islands, is divided into six districts or sestiere. This division might make it easier for you to get a grip on the city’s structure. Best known to everyone is the sestiere of San Marco. This district is the busiest and the most expensive one. A lot of tourists do not even come outside the boundaries of this district, which houses the main sights. Piazza San Marco will exercise your imagination, the same way it made Napoleon sigh that it was “the most beautiful salon of Europe, which deserves to have the sky as its ceiling”. Most festivities and celebrations took place here.
On the east, San Marco is bordered by the sestiere of Castello. If the Piazza San Marco would not exist, the Campo San Zanipolo would be the most impressive square in Venice. South of San Marco, across the question-mark formed Canal Grande, lies Dorsoduro. It is a shame that a lot of people do not cross the canal, or rather, do not get out of their gondola, because this area offers great sights of architecture and fine collections of both classical and modern art. The Galleria dell’Accademia is a must! The Lido area, with its concentration of crystal factories, offers a great view of Venice and is a good place to buy Venetian glasswork.
Attractions in Venice
Venice Art Center
Venetian Waterway Park
Regal Venetian 6
Venice Symphony, The
Venice Little Theatre
Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills, also known as “the friendly city of pure water,” is just a short drive from the city of Tampa and from the Gulf of Mexico. Zephyrhills was founded over 100 years ago, but until March of 1910, it was known as Abbott Station.
|
|
|
|
