Vacation with family in Florida

[chri'stina 190]

Hi Julie,

I do not know Florida all that well but my In-laws live there and they showed me around a bit...I am totally in love with St. Augustine, it's supposed to be the nation's oldest city(in fact it's also known as the "Ancient City"), and one of the nation's most charming. It is also not that far from Ponte Vedra Beach, an upmarket tourist area famous for its resorts and golfing.

Well I am sure Fl residents will be more help but I totally loved those 2 places so I thought I'd toss my 2 cents.

Oh well...needless to say I also loved the parks in Orlando.

I also immediately thought of St. Augustine. DH and I went there for our honeymoon since it is only about a 3 1/2 hour drive.

I grew up going there on family vacations. It is charming and full of history. It can be something else to do besides the typical theme parks and beaches, though St. Augustine also has beaches.

But if they haven't gone to the parks in Orlando, then definitely that is a must also!

I went to Sanibel/Captiva Island on my senior trip. We stayed at some resort. It wasn't very fun. All we could do is swim, in the pool or at the beach, every single day. There was not much else to do. We did go on a sail boat ride. I think it's because we couldn't drive anywhere ourselves(came in one big van), and we were just in the resort all the time expect for one night we all wanted ice cream and had to drive forever(in a thunderstorm) til we finally found a Dairy Queen.

[Amby 490]

send them deep sea fishing. that's always lots of fun. we always do it in costa rica when we go to my friend's house there

[LaL 418]

You might try the Florida panhandle. Destin is a top attaction these days and quite upscale. Fishing and amusements abound. Great dining!

I'll second that. Fort Walton Beach/Destin would be a great place for a family. That and Orlando/Disneyworld. I've been to both...if money's an issue, I would go FWB/Destin. If you want something the kids will never forget, go to Orlando/Disneyworld. If I had to choose though, I would go FWB/Destin. It's more relaxed and has plenty for the kids and the adults.

The problem with Ft Walton & Destin is its several hours from the other more central hot spots. If they are staying on the west coast to central - then just to get there is around 4 hours from Tampa. Nothing really in between. Whereas with southern FL, you can go 1 hour, 2 hours city to city and tour several different cities.