Southwest Gulf Coast
Where W Venice Ave dead-ends you'll find a covered beach pavilion with restrooms and a snack bar. Further south beyond the pier is Casperson Beach.
Must-see attractions in Southwest Florida
Sarasota
The 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable, is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier attractions and…
St Petersburg
The theatrical exterior of the Salvador Dalí Museum speaks of great things: out of a wound in the towering white shoe box oozes a 75ft geodesic glass…
Tampa Bay
With 1136 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Fort DeSoto is one of Florida’s premier beach parks. It includes 7 miles of beaches (including a dog beach), two…
Tampa Bay
Directly to the south of Honeymoon, this park is accessible only by boat and is virtually as nature made it: unspoiled and pristine. Consequently, it…
Fort Myers
Florida's snowbirds can be easy to mock, but not this pair. Thomas Edison built his winter home in 1885 and lived in Florida seasonally until his death in…
Southwest Gulf Coast
Slim as a supermodel and as lovely, Cayo Costa Island is almost entirely preserved as a 2500-acre state park. While its pale, ash-colored sand may not be…
Southwest Gulf Coast
The crown jewel in the National Audubon Society's sanctuary collection, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary provides an intimate exploration of six pristine…
Naples
This outstanding botanical garden styles itself as ‘a place of bliss, a region of supreme delight.’ And after spending some time wandering its 2½-mile…
Naples
The pride of Naples, this engaging, sophisticated art museum is part of the Artis–Naples campus, which includes the fabulous Philharmonic Center next door…
Tampa
Tampa's excellent aquarium is among the state's best. Cleverly designed, the re-created swamp lets you walk among herons and ibis as they prowl the…
Southwest Gulf Coast
The perfect antidote to party-loving Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island appears beached in a 1950s time warp, with sun-faded clapboard houses, teenagers…
St Petersburg
Like a patchwork quilt of variegated greens tossed out over Tampa Bay, this 3700-acre preserve protects a diverse aquatic and wetland ecosystem. At the…
Tampa Bay
The epic sliver of sand that is Pass-a-Grille Beach is the most idyllic barrier-island beach, backed only by beach houses and a long stretch of metered…
Tampa
This theme park has 10 loosely named African zones, which flow together without much fuss. The entire park is walkable. Admission includes three types of…
Tampa Bay
When Tampa residents need a woodsy escape, they head to this fantastic 3400-acre state park, just 20 miles (30 minutes) northeast of Tampa. For visiting…
Southwest Gulf Coast
Florida's oldest resident – the 200-million-year-old American alligator – is the star of this 39,000-acre wildlife preserve. Between 500 and 1000…
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Nature Coast
The winter home of nearly 20% of Florida's West Indian manatee population, this wildlife refuge protects almost the whole of Kings Bay. Up to 800 of these…
Tampa
Why is there a Buddhist Thai temple in the middle of Tampa? Who cares, the noodle soup is amazing. On Sundays hundreds of people show up for the food and…
Tampa
This 30-acre water park has everything a modern, top-flight water park requires: a long lazy river, a huge wave pool, bucket-dumping splash zones, a…
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
Nature Coast
Since 1947 tourists have been lured by the siren song of Weeki Wachee Springs, one of Florida's original roadside attractions. Esther Williams, Danny…
Southwest Gulf Coast
At 8 miles long, Siesta Key is the area's most popular beach hangout, with a family-friendly village and a public beach of pure quartz sand so fine it's…
Tampa Bay
Union troops were stationed on uninhabited Egmont Key during the Civil War, and you can visit Egmont’s ruined Fort Dade by ferry from Fort DeSoto Park…
Sarasota
Sarasota's marina is notable for Island Park, an attractive green space poking into the harbor: it has a great playground and play fountain, restrooms,…
Tampa Bay
This park, so named in the 1940s when marketeers pitched the island as the perfect getaway for newlyweds, is graced with the Gulf Coast's legendary white…
Southwest Gulf Coast
Explore layers of history at this environmental and archaeological site, which covers a 30-acre peninsula jutting out into Little Sarasota Bay. Covered in…
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park
Naples
This lovely state park and beach extends for a mile from the mouth of the Cocohatchee River. It boasts gorgeous white sands, which are protected during…
Fort Myers
December through March, manatees flock up the Orange River to this warm-water discharge canal from the nearby power plant. The waterway is now a protected…
Sarasota
If you visit just one botanical garden in Florida, choose Selby, which has the world's largest scientific collection of orchids and bromeliads – more than…
JN 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Southwest Gulf Coast
Named for cartoonist Jay Norwood 'Ding' Darling, an environmentalist who helped establish more than 300 sanctuaries across the USA, this 6300-acre refuge…
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve
Fort Myers
With more than 3500 acres of wetlands, this park is a great place to experience southwest Florida's flora and fauna. A 1.2-mile boardwalk trail is staffed…
Golisano Children's Museum of Naples
Naples
Designed by kids (and child psychologists) for kids, this interactive children's museum is devoted to learning through play. A trolley takes kids to…
IMAG History and Science Center
Fort Myers
Exciting changes are afoot at this already fascinating science center, which will soon add interactive exhibits and even virtual reality, weaving in…
Southwest Gulf Coast
The Mote bills itself as a research facility and aquarium, and has a large department dedicated to the study of sharks. Exhibits include a preserved giant…
Tampa Bay
The home of Winter the dolphin, this nonprofit aquarium rescues and rehabilitates injured sea animals, such as dolphins, sea otters, fish, rays, and…
St Petersburg
Dale Chihuly's glass works are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London and the Louvre in…
Southwest Gulf Coast
Just a hop, skip and jump across from St Armands Circle, Lido Key is barely 15-minutes' drive from downtown Sarasota. Lido Beach is an excellent, wide…
Southwest Gulf Coast
At the island's northernmost tip, Bowditch is a favorite with families and picnickers. The small parking lot ($2 per hour) fills up fast, so come early…
Southwest Gulf Coast
Bowman's Beach is the quintessential Sanibel beach, a bright dollop of coast with soft white sand, supplied with a playground and excellent facilities. It…
Naples
The oldest home in Naples and last remaining tabby-mortar cottage in Collier County, this quaint abode was built in 1895 for Henry Watterson, the editor…
