Florida - Gulf Coast and Keys

[thefemaleJoshLyman]

We are wondering about taking a Florida holiday next July/August. DH doesn't want to do Disney and theme parks so I was thinking about 5 days on the Keys and 5 days on the Gulf Coast. Would really welcome feedback, ideas, activity and accommodation suggestions.

We have two DC who will be 8 and 6, would they cope?

Cope with what? Going to florida and not going to Disneyworld? I can imagine most kids would be hacked off but still have a good holiday.

More cope with the locations and travel.

Ah, we went to captiva island after Disney it was a 5.5 hour drive through rural florida. It was fine.

We did 2 1/2 weeks when kids were 6 and 8, started in Disney then went to coast. Kids loved the coast as well as parks but I do think it would be a shame not to do Disney.

We just went to Florida and didn't do Disney. We did need to stay in Orlando at the start and so the alternative was a very nice hotel with its own water park. There was a free bus over to the Disney transport hub so we went just to have a nosey one night and eat in one of the resorts where we were able to see the nightly fireworks. We were all jetlagged- the time difference of 5 hours takes a little getting used to- and it was very hot, so this worked out well as all the kids wanted to do was get in the pool. We were not that bothered about the parks which are expensive and really not for everybody. I do recommend Kennedy Space Center though as a tourist attraction, worth every penny.

If you are heading over to the Gulf way I can also highly recommend Siesta Key, near Sarasota. One of the USA's best beaches, miles of pure white sand, funky little village with nice shops & bars & restaurants and a free trolley tram thing to convey you around. Accommodation tends to require 7 night stays though if you are renting a condo or the like, so a 5 day stay might limit your options. I would say 10 days in total is a bit short if you want to do both Gulf and Keys, bearing in mind the driving distances between the two are quite long.

Something else to be aware of is that time of year, the weather tends to be quite stormy- we had a thunderstorm pretty much every afternoon which meant the beach and pool were off limits for a chunk of the day. Right after we left there was a full blown tropical storm. Don't let it put you off going but it's perhaps something to factor in- for example, do you want to be driving in torrential rain?

why go to florida if you don't want to do Disney. why not go to western Canada and travel around there. or what about Oregon, Washington, Boston.

what appeals about florida?

Siesta Key is amazing! We loved the Keys but I think it's quite an adult holiday.

It will be as hot and humid as Satan's arse crack in July/Aug though - tbh there are equally nice places to go in the States where the weather may be more clement, rather than doing Florida without Disney.

We have done the East Coast of the USA and tbh it was a bit cold for me to sit on the beach. We don't want to do loads of travelling so not a flydrive tour as such. The Atlantic Ocean is always chilly, hence the Gulf Coast not other areas. We are tied to summer because I am a teacher. For various reasons I don't want to do our main holiday at another point in the year. We have hotels for 5 night stays.

It is right at the beginning of hurricane season, I know.

take a look at Canada west coast and Oregon. just come back from the latter, swimming in crystal clear lakes a stunning place to go.

I'm in the keys right now. It's amazing but soooooo hot.

We went a couple of years ago with a 9 year old and 10 year old and didn't do Disney. We did do universal though,which appealed to the whole family a lot more. Kids not bothered by not doing Disney.

We did 2 nights Miami, 4 nights Keys, (islamorada), 2 nights just off Anna Maria island, 2 nights hard rock (for universal), 4 nights apartment.

You can definitely go to Florida without doing Disney. Drives me mad that people assume we go for that. Next year we are doing 2 wks in Orlando. Will do Universal parks, plus Gatorland, shopping, air boats etc etc. Then a week in Clearwater. Apart from chilling on the beach, we will be going on a dolphin watching trip and kayaking in Sarasota. There is soooo much to do. We go in July next year. You'll have a great time.

There is so much more to Florida than Disney! The Gulf Coast is beautiful - Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Naples - all lovely places with plenty to do. Siesta Key is wonderful with it's stunning white beach and nice little restaurants. You won't want to leave!

Florida as a state is wonderful, Orlando is not. We've done Disney, my kids were utterly underwhelmed and have no desire to go again. It's so naive to ask why anyone would go to Florida when they don't want Disney. It's a stunning state - Naples, Sarasota, Anna Maria, Miami, the keys.

We have just stayed at Fort Myers beach for 5 days - with 15y dd - after a week in Canada and a couple of days at Busch Gardens.

We stayed in a cute beach cottage just off the beach. Smallish shared pool and a few steps from the long beach and shallow warm sea. Quiet, relaxed end to our holiday for all of us. We were very lazy for 5 days after a busy first half of holiday. We did go on a boat tour though and saw manatee and dolphins.