September is a great time visit South Florida. The crowds have gone home, the temperature is just right, and the water is still warm enough for fun.
We were so excited to be invited along on another Florida trip, this time with our awesome friends who wanted to check out the area for retirement.
This trip would be all about discovering great places to live as well as getting in some much-needed beach time.
We stayed at a great Air BNB condo in Seminole, minutes away from the beach. Staying off the beach allowed us to get a great deal for the week!
Little did we know at the time of booking, this decision would save our noses and lungs. Just days before we arrived, tropical storm Gordon had pushed the red tide into the area.
If you don’t know about red tide, it is yucky stuff! The algae bloom kill fish and can cause respiratory irritation in humans. And the smell…YIKES!
But the red tide would not be the only challenge faced on this trip. Read on.
The First Day
Our first full day and the beach was calling. Madeira Beach, close to the condo, was not safe for swimming and was pretty stinky from the red tide. Luckily Honeymoon Island State Park, 25 miles north, was red tide free!
Honeymoon Island State Park is a park located on Honeymoon Island which is located right outside of Dunedin, FL. The park has 4 miles of shoreline with soft powdery beaches great for lounging and shelling. It has nice restrooms, and park concession is also available for food, beverages, beach supplies, and souvenirs.
All the makings for a lazy beach day! The day was spent catching some rays, playing in the water and gathering seashells.
As we were winding down we started making plans for the evening. Dinner, live music, maybe even some dancing?
And then…(remember the other challenge?)
The rock jetty! The rocks presented themselves at low tide, just before time to leave. The boys just couldn’t resist. One slip and BAM!! Brad’s face met the rocks.
Our excellent beach day turned into a mad dash to the Emergency Clinic for a tetanus shot and 14 stitches!
Open cuts and ocean water are big no-nos! So what do you do at the beach when you can’t GO to the beach?
Eat, Drink, & Explore!
Poor Brad! After he got all stitched up, I was sure food was the last thing on his mind. No way, he was starving and ready to EAT. If you know Brad, not eating is not an option.
We had consulted our condo neighbors Diane & Mary at the pool yesterday and got the hook-up on the best places to eat in the area.
Our first “local” dining experience as recommended by our excellent dining guides was at the Wahoo Waterside Pub and Patio.
From the front it isn’t much to look at – looks like a hole-in-the-wall which usually means it’s gonna be great! We got a table out back on the deck overlooking the bay.
Whahoo is known for their food, service and cold beer. The most talked about dishes are the grouper sandwich, spicy seafood gumbo, and seafood bisque. My fave was the coconut shrimp, so good!
Brad is definitely feeling better after a beer and some good food!
Sweet Sage was on the “Diane & Mary” list for the best breakfast and atmosphere. I don’t even know how to describe this place; fun & eclectic are the first words that come to mind, but that still doesn’t do it justice. In the Garden of Eatin’ (haha) there was so much to take in, I didn’t know where to look.
Funny signs and a ton of cool, colorful stuff! Even the bathroom was fun, complete with a disco ball!
And the food…OH. MY. GOSH! Waffle Daffle (in the pic), crab cake benedict, and freshly squeezed tangerine juice were our favorites.
Sweet Sage is the only restaurant we ate at twice – it’s that good!
Sweet Sage will even welcome your pooch with a menu just for dogs. Woofles anyone??
One of the goals of this trip was to check out towns and neighborhoods that might be good for retiring. As a result, we spent a good part of our days exploring different cities and communities along the coast.
We checked out Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, and Anna Maria Island.
Sandbar on Anna Maria Island got our vote for the best smoked fish dip and olive oil dipping sauce.
It seems like we something always drew us back to the St. Petersburg area. Downtown in the Waterfront Arts District we found tons of shopping, dining, galleries and ice cream!! If we had planned our time better, I would have loved to visit the Dali Museum, St. Pete’s Museum of History and the Chihuly Collection of glasswork. Oh well, salted caramel ice would have to do this trip!
Gulf Port is one of those little towns that speak my love language. It is a small community tucked in between St Pete and Boca Ciega Bay. Gulf Port is known for its quirky art scene, laid-back vibe, and locally owned restaurants – no chains here! It is also the place for GeckoFest, and end of summer celebration with street performers, crazy costumes and live music. We missed it by one week! Grrrr…..
While in Gulfport we had to eat at O’Maddy’s. This place wasn’t on the “Diane & Mary” list, but it was definitely on the “Maggie & Brad” list! We had discovered this gem during our June family vacay.
Sitting outside is definitely the way to go! The cooler temps in September were perfect for enjoying the Gulfport water view. I don’t know who was playing, but the live music was fantastic! My macadamia crusted grouper was super delicious, but Cat swears her ahi tuna with sweet potato fries won the award for best dish at the table.
Crystal Springs River Kayaking
Brad couldn’t get IN the water, but that doesn’t mean he could get ON the water.
About an hour north of the Tampa area is the Crystal Springs River Kayaking Inc. The staff hooked us up with a couple of double kayaks and a map for exploring.
He showed us all the best spots to see turtles and cranes. We really wanted to see a manatee! During the summer, they are harder to spot and we were bummed that we didn’t find one.
November 15-March 31 is prime manatee viewing time. There are several manatee refuge sights in Kings Bay, but the most popular place to see them is at Three Sisters Springs and Crystal River.
They make their way here in the winter to hang out in the warm water. The temperature stays around 72 degrees all year long, perfect for manatees in the winter. Also perfect for hot kayakers in the summer!
Last day and we were feeling the need for speed! And what better way to get your speed on than jetskiing at Clearwater Beach!
Clearwater Beach is named #1 beach by Trip Advisor. It’s easy to see why!
Beautiful white sand and calm, shallow waters make it the ideal playground!
Needing to fuel up before hitting the water, we stopped at Paradise Cafe on the beach. Shrimp burgers were a hit at the table. I don’t know how they kept all those little shrimps together in a patty, but the result was delicious!
The jet skis were a blast! Sorry, no pics. My first time riding a jet ski by myself and I figured I better pay attention to driving.
We spent our last evening having dinner with some friends who live in the area; they sure did have a lot of great things to say about living here.
Haha, apparently not!
Leaving Florida gets harder every time. I think we might be hooked!
Do you think we might settle down here?
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