Tampa Bay & Southwest Florida
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Tampa Bay &
Southwest% Florida POP 3.1 MILLION / 813, 863, 727, 352, 941, 239
Includes Why Go? Tampa...... 386 To drive southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast is to enter an impres- St Petersburg...... 397 sionistic watercolor painting: first, there’s the dazzling white St Pete Beach & quartz sand of its barrier-island beaches, whose turquoise wa- Barrier Island ters darken to silver-mantled indigo as the fiery sun lowers. Beaches...... 406 Later, seen from the causeways, those same islands become a Clearwater & phosphorescent smear beneath the inky black night sky. Clearwater Beach...... 409 The Gulf Coast’s beauty is its main attraction, but variety Sarasota...... 416 is a close second: from Tampa to St Petersburg to Sarasota to Naples, there’s urban sophistication and exquisite cuisine. Fort Myers...... 426 There are secluded islands, family-friendly resorts and spring Sanibel Island...... 431 break–style parties. Naples...... 435 Here Salvador Dalí’s melting canvases, Ringling’s Venetian Gothic palace and Chihuly’s tentacled glass sculptures fit per- fectly – all are bright, bold, surreal entertainments to match wintering manatees, roseate spoonbills, open-mouthed alliga- Best Places to Eat tors and the peacock-colored, sequined costumes of twirling ¨¨Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro trapeze artists. (p438) ¨¨Ulele (p391) ¨¨Owen’s Fish Camp (p420) When to Go ¨¨Brick & Mortar (p402) Tampa Bay °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨D (p431)ixie Fish Company 40/104 8/200 (p431) 30/86 6/150
20/68 4/100 Best Places to Sleep 10/50 2/50 ¨¨Harrington House (p423) 0/32 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Gasparilla Inn (p439) ¨¨Hollander Hotel (p401) Mid-Feb–mid-Apr Jun-Sep Hot and Nov-Dec Snow- Peak season, ideal rainy. Low season birds arrive. ¨¨Mango Street Inn (p430) weather, high means beach Weather cools ¨¨‘Tween Waters Inn (p434) prices. Best for bargains; some and dries; decent camping, hiking, places close. off-season prices. manatees. Tampa Bay Bay & & Sou Southwethwestst Florida Florida Tamp a Bay & Southwest Florida Highlights 385
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) dmiring bald ) A ) Cruising by ) Cruising by ) Juggling art ) Hunting for ) Hunting for ) Sampling craft craft ) Sampling Southwest Southwest (p435 Naples Anna Maria Island Sanibel Corkscrew Corkscrew Homosassa Homosassa Island Marco St Petersburg Edison & Ford & Ford Edison Ringling Pinellas Trail ) Freewheeling 00) Freewheeling alí’s dreams in virtual in dreams alí’s Tampa Bay Swamp Sanctuary Swamp (p438 and wood cypress storks. Springs Wildlife Wildlife Springs 412 (p Park State the Paddling beside waterways slow-moving manatees. (p439 islands and mangrove dolphin-spotting. (p397 beer and wandering Salvador through D reality. Estates Winter (p428) Studying the from bright ideas famous most region’s residents. Complex Museum (p416 and circus. (p4 all the St Pete from Springs, Tarpon to way and rewarding with baklava yourself cheesecake. 9 a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 & Florida Highlights 1 Window shopping on Window South Street Third the and attending symphony. Island (p422) Finding Old Florida and nibbling on edible gardens. (p431 with the kiddos. shells 80 82 (20mi) 4 Naples Orlando Zolfo Springs 75
Forest (toll)
Airport
Fort Myers 17 River Arcadia
Sanctuary
International Ocala National Ocala pike Peace North Fort Myers Southwest Florida (30mi); Lakeland
Turn 60 27 17 's 867 441 41 Winter Bonita Springs Estates ida Fort 98 Corkscrew Swamp 50 Beach
lor Myers F Everglades (50mi)
Pine
iver er Island
R v
Ri Edison & Ford
Dade City ia e
f ate 44
Harbor 75
Myakka River State Park a n l Charlotte
Matlacha
A a Marco Island
Punta Gorda 75 M River Park 75
River State
Hillsborough Port Charlotte 70 Myakka (57.5mi) 75 Gainesville River Sanibel Island 41 Tampa Captiva Island Inverness (34.5mi); I-10 (34.5mi); Brooksville 98 41 Sarasota Lake Lakes Cabbage Key 50 km Tsala Useppa Island Apopka Land O' Tampa International Airport Gasparilla Island Bradenton Venice St Petersburg Bay 25 miles Tampa Cayo Costa State Park 19 St Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport 121 275 Siesta Key Weeki
Wachee Withlacoochee Lido Key Springs Dunedin Clearwater Tarpon Springs F Homosassa Crystal River Crystal Park Gulfport Hudson Island O Longboat Key G U L F M E X I C O Beach Island Fort DeSoto Anna Maria St Pete Beach 0 0 State Park Clearwater Wildlife State Park Wildlife State Homosassa Springs Honeymoon Pinellas Trail Key Caladesi Island Cedar