Moon Florida Gulf Coast: Best Beaches, Scenic Drives, Everglades Adventures

by Joshua Lawrence Kinser

Overview

Whether you're kayaking through mangroves, bodysurfing with manta rays, or sunbathing with a piña colada in hand, soak up the Sunshine State with Moon Florida Gulf Coast. Inside you'll find:

• Flexible itineraries from short beach getaways to a 10-day road trip covering all 700 miles of the Florida Gulf Coast
• The best spots for outdoor adventures like kayaking, hiking, biking, bird-watching, and fishing, and the best beaches for swimming, sunsets, and seclusion
• Top activities and unique experiences: Discover the vibrant performing arts scene in Sarasota or stroll through quaint riverfront towns and secluded island enclaves. Unwind on shell-scattered beaches, explore winding mazes of mangroves, or spot gators in the swampy Everglades. Ride the coasters at Busch Gardens, browse art galleries in Naples, or catch a college baseball game during Spring Training. Sail through the canals of Tampa, kick back at a beachfront oyster bar, and sip a local brew as the sun sets over the ocean
• Expert advice from Florida native Joshua Lawrence Kinser on where to stay, where to eat, and how to get around by car, bus, or boat
• Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout
• Background information on the Gulf Coast's landscape, wildlife, history, and culture

Experience the best of Florida's Gulf Coast with Moon.

For more of the Sunshine State, try Moon Florida Keys.
 

About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.

For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640496583
Publisher:	Avalon Publishing
Publication date:	11/22/2022
Series:	Travel Guide
Edition description:	7th ed.
Pages:	456
Sales rank:	311,413
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Joshua Lawrence Kinser is a native Floridian from Pensacola who spends the better part of each year traveling the entire length of the state's Gulf Coast. After bouncing between jobs for more than a decade, traveling around the world as a writer, a wildlife biology research technician, and a professional drummer on cruise ships, he returned to Florida to write full-time.

Joshua honed his writing skills working as a staff writer for The Pensacola News Journal and publishing articles for magazines such as SAIL and Times of the Islands. As a wildlife biology tech, he has worked in Florida, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Glacier National Park in Montana, and in the forests surrounding Yosemite National Park in California. He is passionate about the outdoors and is always searching for the best freshwater springs, hiking trails, campsites, and fishing spots along the Florida Gulf Coast.

When he isn't writing guidebooks, Joshua is busy writing fiction and nonfiction. He currently splits his time between Black Mountain, North Carolina, and Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Table of Contents

Discover the Florida Gulf Coast 6

8 Top Experiences 8

Planning Your Trip 16

Road-Tripping the Florida Gulf Coast 20

Gone Fishin' 23

Best Beaches 24

Florida For the Birds 26

Coastal Camping 27

Baseball Spring Training 29

Family Vacation 30

Naples, the Everglades, and the Paradise Coast 31

Naples 35

Marco Island 55

Everglades City 63

Information and Services 70

Fort Myers, Sanibel, and Captive 71

Fort Myers 75

Sanibel Island 88

Captiva Island 98

Charlotte Harbor and the Barrier Islands 103

Information and Services 111

Sarasota County 112

Sarasota 114

The Keys 137

Anna Maria Island 146

Information and Services 149

Tampa 150

Sights 152

Sports and Recreation 163

Entertainment and Events 168

Nightlife 170

Shopping 175

Food 177

Accommodations 185

Information and Services 188

Transportation 189

St. Petersburg and Pinellas County 190

Sights 194

Beaches 201

Sports and Recreation 204

Entertainment and Events 210

Nightlife 213

Shopping 215

Food 216

Accommodations 221

Information and Services 225

Transportation 226

The Nature Coast 227

Weeki Wachee to Crystal River 230

Cedar Key 242

Steinhatchee 247

Information and Services 253

The Forgotten Coast 254

Port St. Joe 258

Apalachicola 260

St. George Island 273

Eastpoint and Carrabelle 280

Apalachee Bay 283

Information and Services 288

Panama City Beach and the Emerald Coast 289

Panama City Beach 293

Fort Walton Beach and Destin 307

Beaches of South Walton 319

Information and Services 328

Pensacola 329

Sights 333

Beaches 341

Sports and Recreation 344

Food 347

Accommodations 352

Information and Services 355

Transportation 356

Alabama Gulf Shores 357

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores 360

Dauphin Island 380

Information and Services 388

Background 389

The Landscape 389

Plants and Animals 397

History 404

Local Culture 411

Essentials 417

Transportation 417

Visas and Officialdom 420

Travel Tips 421

Health and Safety 428

Resources 430

Suggested Reading 430

Internet Resources 435

Index 439

List of Maps 448

Editorial Reviews

"Moon handbooks are always a pleasure to read. The writing is crisp, the research impressive, and the recommendations practical and down to earth."—Chicago Tribune

“The books are more easily readable than other guides. The main attractions are also marked with a special icon and sidebars and boxes highlight special information, making the Moon handbooks one of the most user-friendly guides in terms of visual appeal and organization…the quality is uniformly excellent."—Transitions Abroad

"Far from narrow minded, each Moon travel guide gives itinerary options for a variety of travelers’ budgets—from frugal to lavish. They make books catering to those who love the outdoors, those who have limited time, those staying exclusively in cities and those who’ve fully committed to living abroad. In all, they have hundreds of titles, ranging Bermuda to Budapest, that’ll teach you to embrace a new culture."—Gear Patrol, “The Best Travel Guidebooks for Every Journey”

"Moon handbooks have become known as well-written and exceptionally informative guides."—The New York Times

"Moon guides are perfect for the relaxed road tripper or outdoor explorer."—No Small Plan

"Moon handbooks are known for cannily combining logistical information with cultural background of a country or state."—Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher