February 14, 201115 yr BGPers: As some of you know, as each of my children turns 6 years old, I take them on a Spring Break trip by themselves. A couple years ago, my oldest selected Washington D.C. and some of you gave me some great tips and we had a blast. My second son has selected "the beach," so I think we are going to go to Florida. Typically when we have been to Florida, I have gone to Ft. Walton Beach, but this time, I want to go somewhere in south Florida that 1) has a hotel where we can walk right out on the beach (I like brand names) 2) is near some Grapefruit League spring training baseball 3) is near a dog track and 4) is family friendly. We will be flying and it will be in the last week and a half of March. I am willing to spend money but not be obscene. At the moment, I am leaning toward West Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, but Tampa/St. Pete looks awfully good too I just know absolutely nothing about it. Can anyone help an old man out with area/hotel/restaurant/event suggestions? Much obliged in advance. I know it's not Florida, but I highly recommend Jekyll Island. It's simply awesome. It's also only an hour away from Savannah, and a little bit further to Jacksonville. It's a hop skip and a jump from St. Simon's. They have a water park, golf course, horseback riding....They also have a fabulous hotel, the Jekyll Island club. It's not a "brand name" per se, but it is a member of Preferred Hotel Group. There's also a pretty decent (at least when I was there) Holiday Inn, beautifully landscaped. That's my plug for the Jekyll Island Visitors Center.
February 15, 201115 yr Can't go wrong with Siesta Key. The beach is amazing. Best beach I've been to by far.
February 15, 201115 yr Jekyll Island is a great place. We visited the island and watched the dolphins swimming and following the fishing boats. I think the sand is cleaner on the Gulf of Mexico though.
February 15, 201115 yr Can't go wrong with Siesta Key. The beach is amazing. Best beach I've been to by far. I don't think it can touch South Beach just bring a good pair of sun glasses its topless down there!
February 15, 201115 yr If you are looking to go somewhere nice in SW Florida but not too wild, somewhere like Fort Myers and Naples would be good. Fort Myers is also fairly close to Panta Gorda and Sanabell Island, both of those areas are pretty nice too and are in fairly close driving proximity of Fort Myers.
February 15, 201115 yr I don't think it can touch South Beach just bring a good pair of sun glasses its topless down there! I vacationed in Miami last summer. As far as the beach itself, South Beach is no comparison to Siesta Key. If you just want to see breast, than South Beach is probably a better option. But if you are looking for a good spot to spend some time with your family, than Siesta Key is hard to beat. Given that the original poster is wanting information as to where to take a six year old, I doubt topless tanning is high on the list of criteria.
February 15, 201115 yr I'm sorry. I just saw this. If you are interested in baseball, then Tampa Bay (Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater) is for you. The Yankees train at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, which is just across the bay from Dunedin, where the Blue Jays hold camp, which is less than 5 miles from Brighthouse Field where the Phillies train. About 45 minutes east of the Yankee complex, the Tigers train in Lakeland. . On the south side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is where the Pirates play in Bradenton. Just south of there the Orioles moved to Sarasota and will open there this spring. Further down the west coast, the Rays train in Port Charlotte, about an hour or so south of Clearwater, and another half hour south, the Twins and Red Sox are in Ft. Myers. Take a look at a map and you'll see how close these places are to one another. Of course, everything is relative. I'm used to things being spread out. Since I live here, I'm partial to the Pinellas Beaches, though I've not been to the beach in years. Tarpon Springs, Howard, Clearwater, Sand Key, Indian Rocks, North and South Reddington, Madeira, Treasure Island, Pasadena, Fort De Soto, and St. Pete make up the beaches that stretch of sand. Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands are nice places to go sun yourself, too, if you don't mind getting ferried back and forth. You can also fly into one of the finest airports in the country. I love Tampa International Airport, not just because it is here, but because I love the layout, though, Air Side A could use a people mover to the shuttles. A friend of mine had a time share over on Ormond Beach, on the north end of Daytona Beach. We stayed over there every summer until 97. I like the east coast in the summer. The wind off the Atlantic is cooler than that off the Gulf. I don't stay in the hotels here, but there are nice ones on Clearwater Beach (Adams Mark Caribbean) and out at Rocky Point near TIA. What else do you need to know?
February 15, 201115 yr It is spring break, is there any place he should avoid? Ft. Lauderdale used to be wild back in my days of spring break.
February 15, 201115 yr It is spring break, is there any place he should avoid? Ft. Lauderdale used to be wild back in my days of spring break. Ft. Lauderdale still gets rowdy as does Daytona. Clearwater is a step down, but still is a bit wild. With all the problems in Mexico, the old beaches are making a comeback.
February 15, 201115 yr It is spring break, is there any place he should avoid? Ft. Lauderdale used to be wild back in my days of spring break. Avoid PCB during spring break if you are taking young kids.
February 17, 201115 yr I'm with swamprat on this one, especially for a kid. Treasure Island is phenominal. And for baseball, it doesn't get any better than the Tampa area. I've stayed here: http://www.islandinnresort.com/ and here: http://www.bilmarbeachresort.com/?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=ppc5m&DCSext.ppc_kw=treasure+island+florida+vacation&ppc_ac=Bilmar+Beach+Resort&ppc_ag=M-+Vacation+Packages&ppc_mt=Broad I like Siesta Key also.
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