Florida Friends

Hi there MFP friends...,

I live in northern California with my Husband.. He is dying to visit Florida He thinks we need to move there. However we have Never been...

We would love to come for a vacation.. we love the ocean.
Any suggestions????...... we are clueless where to go

i'd say we are half and half on things to do and just chilling..

thank you!!!

Holli

Replies

andersonh2007

The Don Caesar is a very nice/ historic hotel on the beach in St. Petersburg, FL.

holliwood97

awesome thank you. I will look it up. !!

DragonSquatter

I live in Miami. South Beach is pretty fun. You'd be right on the beach, don't need a car to get around, and there's some really fabulous restaurants down there (check out Joe's Stone Crabs if you want some of the best seafood and service).

holliwood97

ok no car is perfect! i'll look that up for sure too. ! thank you guys so much!

Tia_N_Mac

Definitely South Florida - If you had a rental car, you would be able to visit Miami, Fort Lauderdale and even West Palm Beach. I agree with the previous poster about visiting South Beach but just remember that's like 1% of what Florida is like! If you went to central Florida, you could visit Orlando, Tampa and St. Pete in one trip. You really have to narrow down the state.There's the panhandle, west coast (naples) and north (gainesville,tallahassee). It's a huge state like Cali!

rml_16

Why in the world would someone be "dying" to move someplace he's never been???

I live here. I don't love it. Southern and coastal Florida where the beaches are tend to be overbuilt and I think very ugly while northern Florida (where I live) is pretty but there's NOTHING to do. Culturally, it's a pretty desolate place all-around. If I was given the choice, though, of anywhere to live in the state, I would live either in Key West (which I do really love), Fernandina or St. Augustine. I also like Cocoa Beach, but the crime rate there is through the roof.

And of course, we have the Orlando area, which is nice to visit, but the traffic is terrible and I wouldn't live there, either.

ndj1979

OP what are you looking for?

Do you want nice beaches with a lot of night life?

Or more of a beach get a way/quite type vacation..?

rml_16

Also, if you're coming to decide if you want to live here, you should come in the summer and not go to the beach. Because living here is very different from visiting and swimming every day. We have a very different kind of heat than California.

Having to put on work clothes and get in and out of your car and run errands nand live life is a very different expeience. Plus, most summer it pours rain a good part of almost every afternoon.

ndj1979

if you want 50/50 i would recommend Destin, Fla. You can go to San Destin and get private beaches but main Destin has a good mix of nightlife, restaurants, etc. you can also take a charter boat out and get some great fishing in, if you like to fish...

PunkinSpice79

Come to the Emerald Coast (Florida Panhandle)! Destin is pretty upscale, while Panama City is a spring break type of place. Southwest flies to Panama City and Destin is 45 minutes west of there. The above comment is correct though - not much to do here but shop and sit on the beach.

ndj1979

oh, and I disagree with the statement that north florida is 'culturally deficit" ...

ayalowich

Lived here for 25 years. Half in Fort Lauderdale, half in Tampa. First thing I would say is to wait until October when the weather starts to cool down. Sure, the rates are cheap in the summer but it is very hot and you will likely have a better time if you wait.

It really depends on what you like to do. The beaches on the gulf side are far superior to the east coast so if you want to do that you can go virtually anywhere from Naples all the way up to Clearwater.

Others like the night life. In which case you really should try South Florida although I would say it depends on your age as to where you would go. The restaurants are pretty much consistently great and there is a lot do whether you try Palm Beach, Broward or Dade.

You can always try the keys. They are not my thing, but others love to go down there.

The panhandle is a place I've never visited, but everyone tells me it is great. Destin, Panama City etc. Others could tell you better than I.

There are always the Orlando theme parks, although I haven't gone there in 16 years and don't miss it.

Good luck. We love tourists so come visit.

Hi there MFP friends...,

I live in northern California with my Husband.. He is dying to visit Florida He thinks we need to move there. However we have Never been...

We would love to come for a vacation.. we love the ocean.
Any suggestions????...... we are clueless where to go

i'd say we are half and half on things to do and just chilling..

thank you!!!

Holli

Angimom

I live in Southwest Florida and LOVE it. Fort Myers to be exact. We have 2 of the top 10 beaches in the world, awesome shopping here and within 2 hrs if you cannot find what you want here, many theaters, fairs and festivals are almost everyweekend during season (Oct-April) and fun friendly people. We are boaters and know there is a huge population of boating people here, for all kinds of reasons, fishing, relaxing, water skiing and just visiting all those little islands that you can only get to by boat. I love Fort Myers, you should visit if you are looking for a great place to live.

holliwood97

thank you guys so Much. I think I have actually heard of Destin someone told me about destin a few years ago. I had forgotten about it... and the 50/50 would be a lot better for us.. love to walk around during the day and hit the beach...but not the nightlife. maybe a little but here and there...

I'm not sure if we would move there or if He is joking, for now its only a vacation. .... But says he wants to check it out for retirement.. I'm not going there actually to look for a place or actually move.. He just always jokes about it. So I said don't you think we should go there some time. retiring isn't anytime soon. that I know of...

I think he wants to retire in a high rise condo over looking the ocean. ( who doesn't lol) I have heard the weather there can be incredibly humid and some days are better than others... California is very dry heat. where I live it just hit 113 this week..

thanks for all the imput. I realize it is all through the eyes of vacation... No worries on that one..

fullofquirks

Humid is an understatement! I've lived in Northern Fl almost all my life, just 20 min from Tallahassee. Emerald Coast has some beautiful spots and the state parks here are great. We are planning our vaca in Nov. because of the heat and rain-showers. We're going to Legoland because boys

and St. Augustine. So much history there.

If you are going St.Pete/ South Fl area though, do no miss out on the Dali museum if you like art, hell even if you don't it is a great museum. Also in Sarasota is the Ringling mansion and there are some glorious works of art/history pieces there as well.

http://thedali.org/home.php

http://www.ringling.org/

rml_16

oh, and I disagree with the statement that north florida is 'culturally deficit" ...

"Desolate." It doesn't mean the same thing.

And compared to most places, it absolutely is.

rml_16

thank you guys so Much. I think I have actually heard of Destin someone told me about destin a few years ago. I had forgotten about it... and the 50/50 would be a lot better for us.. love to walk around during the day and hit the beach...but not the nightlife. maybe a little but here and there...

I'm not sure if we would move there or if He is joking, for now its only a vacation. .... But says he wants to check it out for retirement.. I'm not going there actually to look for a place or actually move.. He just always jokes about it. So I said don't you think we should go there some time. retiring isn't anytime soon. that I know of...

I think he wants to retire in a high rise condo over looking the ocean. ( who doesn't lol) I have heard the weather there can be incredibly humid and some days are better than others... California is very dry heat. where I live it just hit 113 this week..

thanks for all the imput. I realize it is all through the eyes of vacation... No worries on that one..

Well in that case, go where there's a nice beach! lol

The Gulf beaches are beautiful. St. George Island is one of my favorites, but unfortunately, there isn't much there except the beach, so you'd have to drive far to get to any shopping, really. You can rent a house by the week during the peak season and it's quite peaceful. There are some restaurants and one touristy store there, most in walking distance of the rentals.

On the Atlantic side, I have not been to the beaches in Miami, but I don't like the beaches from Ft.Lauderdale north until you get to Cocoa. Cocoa to Fernandina (including Jacksonville Beach and the others in that ares) are nice and there's a lot to do in the Jax area.

And Key West will always be my favorite. I just love it there.

It is a great vacation place. Living here isn't so great. lol Except the no income tax thing.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Why in the world would someone be "dying" to move someplace he's never been???

I live here. I don't love it. Southern and coastal Florida where the beaches are tend to be overbuilt and I think very ugly while northern Florida (where I live) is pretty but there's NOTHING to do. Culturally, it's a pretty desolate place all-around. If I was given the choice, though, of anywhere to live in the state, I would live either in Key West (which I do really love), Fernandina or St. Augustine. I also like Cocoa Beach, but the crime rate there is through the roof.

And of course, we have the Orlando area, which is nice to visit, but the traffic is terrible and I wouldn't live there, either.

Living on the beach on the East Coast From Cocoa Beach to Flagler Beach is very isolated. It's barrier islands and old people. There aren't a lot of hotels, just condos, condos, and more condos. And no shopping, no fine dining, except the occasional diamond in the rough, and not a lot of jobs. The center of Florida from the Georgia border to Miami is all old citrus groves (mostly dead), scrub pine and swamp with the occasional patch of population. It is farm country and cattle country, and COUNTRY country.

South Florida area, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and a nice drive to Key West make a great couples vacation. Central Florida, Orlando, Tampa, COCOA BEACH (ahem) is great for families with kids, and Clearwater-St. Pete to Sarasota and Fort Myers is a great vacation for older folks. Except Clearwater is also a nice beach for a day-trip for anyone because it's huge and very white sand, but I wouldn't stay there on vacation. St. Pete Beach is better for hotels and what-not. The traffic in Orlando is less than traffic in LA by a lot, but it is still very bad. The Panhandle is basically Alabama.

Sawgrass area is FANTASTIC for golf. That's near Jacksonville.

But honestly, moving here can be a shell shock. It is a lot more open emptiness and pine scrub than most people realize. It's very different to live here than it is to vacation here. And if you don't have a job lined up before you get here, you might be treated a little like a carpet bagger. And if you're young, the older people will treat you like you don't belong in "their" state.

Do I still love it here? Yes, but I am a native.

SoViLicious

I live in Jacksonville. Please don't come here. It sucks....

rml_16

I also very much rcommend looking at hotel ratings and reviews when you book. I went to Ft. Lauderdale a few years ago with friends (they took care of the details) and the hotel we stayed in -- a Holiday Inn or some other major, well-known chain -- was right on the beach and pretty pricey. It had a gorgeous lobby and pool area, but the rooms were disgusting. Like, you didn't want to touch the walls disgusting.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I also very much rcommend looking at hotel ratings and reviews when you book. I went to Ft. Lauderdale a few years ago with friends (they took care of the details) and the hotel we stayed in -- a Holiday Inn or some other major, well-known chain -- was right on the beach and pretty pricey. It had a gorgeous lobby and pool area, but the rooms were disgusting. Like, you didn't want to touch the walls disgusting.

Make Tripadvisor your friend. We had the same thing happen in college with a Days Inn on Miami Beach that a friend booked. There was blood all over the bed sheets. Like Patrick Bateman ax-murder blood on the bed sheets. Pretty gross.

If you want to LOVE where you stay, Don Cesar in St. Petersburg is beautiful beyond compare, and the beaches over there are the best in the world. The condos over there are also pretty great.

mgj77

You DEFINITELY need to visit St.Augustine Absolutely beutiful! There is an old Fort by the King Lion draw bridge that was featured on Ghost Hunters. You can take a ghost tour also. but it fills up quick. Have a great time!! Also they have pretty beaches I dont reccomend Daytona beach very windy and cold

rml_16

You DEFINITELY need to visit St.Augustine Absolutely beutiful! There is an old Fort by the King Lion draw bridge that was featured on Ghost Hunters. You can take a ghost tour also. but it fills up quick. Have a great time!! Also they have pretty beaches I dont reccomend Daytona beach very windy and cold

Don't do the ghost tour. We did that (the walking tour, anyway) and it SUCKED. Total waste of time and money. But otherwise, St. Aug is awesomesauce.

SuzyLy

I live on the east coast of Central Florida and love it. Get a little taste of the cool weather (in season). Take a look at New Smyrna beach for nice condos, a little laid back with a cute town, and beautiful beaches.

fullofquirks

You DEFINITELY need to visit St.Augustine Absolutely beutiful! There is an old Fort by the King Lion draw bridge that was featured on Ghost Hunters. You can take a ghost tour also. but it fills up quick. Have a great time!! Also they have pretty beaches I dont reccomend Daytona beach very windy and cold

Don't do the ghost tour. We did that (the walking tour, anyway) and it SUCKED. Total waste of time and money. But otherwise, St. Aug is awesomesauce.

Thanks for posting this. I'm not the OP but we are driving over to St. A in the fall and were thinking of doing this on our vaca. Trying to do it kinda on a budget so I'd like to only spend $ on really cool stuff. It's been 15 years since I've been so I'm trying to pack cool stuff in for us grownups and our youngins.

rml_16

You DEFINITELY need to visit St.Augustine Absolutely beutiful! There is an old Fort by the King Lion draw bridge that was featured on Ghost Hunters. You can take a ghost tour also. but it fills up quick. Have a great time!! Also they have pretty beaches I dont reccomend Daytona beach very windy and cold

Don't do the ghost tour. We did that (the walking tour, anyway) and it SUCKED. Total waste of time and money. But otherwise, St. Aug is awesomesauce.

Thanks for posting this. I'm not the OP but we are driving over to St. A in the fall and were thinking of doing this on our vaca. Trying to do it kinda on a budget so I'd like to only spend $ on really cool stuff. It's been 15 years since I've been so I'm trying to pack cool stuff in for us grownups and our youngins.

The riding tour may be better, but it's more expensive. I don't know what they do differently or if it's just because you ride instead of walking. We were all very disappointed -- and not because we didn't see anything. It just wasn't fun.

gaterbear

Consider Pensacola (50 miles East of Mobile,AL). I have lived in Pensacola, Inglewood (near Sarasota) and Ft. Lauderdale. Moved back to Pensacola for retirement. Cost of living is much less than rest of FL, beach is best and free, Due to tourists we get great city benefits without large city problems (for the most part). Hope this helps.
Be aware that the FL Panhandle is not the "rich" part of FL and it is more like Alabama than Miami. In fact, some refer to the Panhandle as L.A. (Lower Alabama).

pkingfox

Hi....we recently (June 14, 2013) moved to Flagler Beach FL....east coast just north of Ormond and Daytona....we LOVE it here....alll residential no highrises lots of non-chain restaurants and beautiful beaches and weather. We left No. VA outside of DC and our entire family (9 yo, 2 11 yo girls - 20 yo and parents) love it here. Lots to do during daytime if you enjoy getting outside in the sunshine riding bikes, playing in the ocean etc, Lots of parks and things to do - nightlife isn't huge here a few bars and neat places to go for happy hours. We have found this to be just our speed...my husband travels alot so the kids and I always have something to do here. It is like Mayberry on the ocean....our little piece of heaven here on earth! The weather is warmer but nothing compared to DC area where it's the H's - HOT HAZY & HUMID.
Come visit - you may find your new place to live....and no it's not all OLD people either

!!!!
Oh and the housing market hasn't totally rebounded yet so many affordable homes on the beach too!!!!

ALSO...forgot I just visited the west coast on the gulf - Panama City.....it was much more commercialized and crowded and I didn't find the beaches that wonderful...very slanted and hard to walk or run on....just my opinion

cwilliams080676

I live in miami. I love it. It is expensive but seriously I love all about it. I love my condo, my kids schools, the beach our pool. I am a happy floridan

rml_16

The weather is warmer but nothing compared to DC area where it's the H's - HOT HAZY & HUMID.

Just a word of warning, but you haven't REALLY experienced Florida heat. This summer has been kind of mild.

There have been summers in the past where I developed a migraine from the heat just walking to me car from my office (about 20 feet). This year has been on the cooler side.

And I've experienced summer in Baltimore/DC. Luckily, you do have the beach close by and that helps. But be prepared for years to come!