Florida’s Gulf Coast

So last week you heard about our time in Orlando and if you have ever been yourself you will know you need a holiday once you return as its constant non stop!

After our 6 nights in Orlando we headed over to Tampa and spent the day in Busch Gardens. This was Charlies favourite park. It was nice and quiet and we queued no more than 10 minutes for any ride. I also love all the animals so find the park has something for everyone even if you are not a fan of Roller Coasters!

The drive to Tampa was really easy and took just over an hour. Once we were done in the park we headed off to our next stop. Madeira Beach this was around 45 minutes south of Tampa.

The beach was amazing and we had a great little studio apartment on the beach. This was a great location for Dolphin Spotting along the coast.

All the beaches along the Gulf Coast are famous for the shells. Charlie spent hours looking for interesting shells and we would often find some Florida fighting Conch too.

As we had the car it was easy to get about and you really need a car to make the most of what the area has to offer. We visited Clearwater Aquarium, Sanibel Island and numerous beaches. We also found some great restaurants that we would never have found without a car. We spent 3 nights here and found some great places to eat at Johns Pass.

From here we then headed down to Fort Myers beach. Again the beaches were amazing and there were lots of national park areas where you can often spot turtles, Alligators and Manatee in their natural environment.

We had an amazing time on the Gulf Coast and we will return. There are plenty of cruise options out of Tampa and BA even offer a direct flight from Gatwick so why not have a Cruise & stay.

You need to go and try the Yucatan Shrimps and Key Lime pie!