I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to West Florida not only once but twice – once by car from Tampa to Everglades City then by bus from Orlando to Sarasota and Bradenton.
The first time I came to visit West Florida I rented a car at Tampa Airport and spent a night in Ybor City.
From Ybor City I drove to the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, checked out Sarasota Beach, Fort Myers, the Edison and Ford Estate then the beaches of Naples, wading through mangroves in San Marcos Island, finally arriving in Everglades City for dinner at an alligator restaurant!
Follow this guide to do the same things or mix and match your activities along the Western coast of Florida with its white sandy beaches plus some amazing restaurants!
As a bonus, I’ve written several posts about Florida, starting from Key West to Miami, Orlando, St Augustine, branching off to Tampa in this article.
If you want to go on a nice long road trip, check out all of my posts about Florida to plan your own trip.
Things to Do in Tampa in Florida
What I did during my first trip was fly into Tampa with British Airways for a conference. I used Tampa as a base to discover the surrounding area, driving to many national parks and beautiful beaches. I arrived in Tampa on a Saturday evening and picked up a rental car from Alamo at the airport.
Driving along the Tamiami Trail you will visit many historic cities in Florida that have contributed to the economic development of this prosperous US State.
Given that it is one of the sunniest parts of the US, many rich and famous people have built huge mansions here which you will be able to check out along the Tamiami Trail.
The word Tamiami Highway actually stands for this: Tampa-Miami Highway, which has been merged to form Tamiami! Quite neat I would say – I only found out about this in the Sarasota Classic Car Museum (see below).
Things to do Along the Western Coast of Florida
• Spend a couple of nights in Tampa
• Visit the historic St Petersburg downtown and Clearwater Beach
• Check out Bradenton and Anna Maria Island
• Drive to Sarasota and visit the Classic Car Museum
• Sunbath on Siesta Key Beach
• Visit the Edison and Ford Estate near Fort Myers
• Enjoy the sunshine in Naples on the beach
• Eat deep fried alligator for lunch in Everglades City
First Stop: Tampa and Ybor City
I visited Tampa in Florida during a business trip, attending a fertilizer conference. The conference lasted three days from Monday to Wednesday and I decided to stay another couple of days to turn this visit to Florida into a bleisure trip.
Tampa is on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States with a warm climate throughout the year. There are some spectacular beaches nearby within half an hour’s driving distance and the Orlando Disney World is only a little over an hour’s drive away.
For the first night I stayed at the Rodeway Inn in Ybor City, which is a district in Tampa. The Rodeway Inn in Ybor City is about 25 minutes drive away from the airport, near the main freeway of Tampa and Florida.
The Rodeway Inn has a swimming pool, a double bed and a 24 hour reception desk plus free parking, which is why I picked this location. It was only $59 for the night so it was pretty good value for money I would say.
Ybor City, the Former Cigar Capital of Florida
Ybor City used to be the capital of cigar production in Florida where many Cubans settled to grow tobacco. Those days are long gone but you can still see the historic center of Ybor City which is served by a street car (tram) from Downtown Tampa.
During my first night in Ybor City I was suffering from the usual jetlag so I decided to drive around town in the middle of the night. The only places open at that time were the strip club, the petrol station, the bail bond shops and McDonalds.
I decided to get a breakfast roll at McDonalds at 2006 N 50th St and then drive around the back streets of Ybor City and visit the car park at the local jail.
This McDonalds is open 24/7 and their drive-thru customers have a reserved parking spot with the best views over the strip club the other side of the street.
I know, these are not exactly the thriving tourist destinations you probably look out for, but in the middle of the night this was all I could do.
Moxie’s Café – Tampa’s Best French Toast
I was staying at the Courtyard by Marriott on Cass Street and I had business at the Marriott Waterside.
On the way to the conference hotel in Tampa I stopped twice at Moxie’s in Downtown, a typical US style eatery and café. They offer table service but you can also buy at the till or order online while you are already in store.
I thought it was quite handy to order online to save yourself a bit of time but I did it the traditional way and ordered at the bar.
Their French Toast is most definitely the best French Toast in the whole world! I’ve never had anything like this before, the inside was soft and fluffy but the outside nice and cruncy! Yum!
The Marriott Hotel by the Waterside
The Marriott Hotel by the Waterside was another 10 minutes walk away from Moxies. Along the way I stopped to read various signs displaying Tampa’s history.
It turned out that Kennedy’s penultimate visit was to Tampa, after which he was shot dead in Dallas, Texas!
The signs also commemorate the 1909 car race in Tampa, various military generals and other important dates in Tampa’s history.
The Marriott Waterside Hotel is a typical high rise building by the convention center where I spent the next three days networking with other business people.
The Tampa River Walk
The riverside walk in Tampa, also known as River Walk is a new development by the city council. They wanted to regenerate this area and also to preserve the natural habitat of the river.
The council seems to have achieved this as dolphins are regularly spotted in the river and various birds and other animals now also call this area their home. If you are lucky you might even be able to see some dolphins swimming up river!
You can do two or three different routes: one along the riverside walk or down North Tampa Street, crossing Lykes Gaslight Park.
If you walk up north along the River Walk you will find various museums and the university. The Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children’s Museum are well worth a visit after which you can walk across the old Steel Railroad Bridge to check out the buildings on the university campus.
An alternative is to walk along North Florida Avenue but then you will miss Moxie’s Downtown Cafe.
Stop Two: Historic St Petersburg
If you have a car you can easily drive over one of the bridges connecting Tampa and St Petersburg. Alternatively, you can hop on a bus to visit this historic town.
St Petersburg is famous for its white beaches near Clearwater (aptly named) as well as all the cultural activities and exhibitions at the various local galleries & museums.
I drove over to St Pete in the afternoon to walk around the beach on the bay-side in addition to checking out the historic downtown architecture. Parking is easy in downtown in many of the parking garages after which everything is pretty much walking distance.
Undoubtedly, the major attraction in St Petersburg is Clearwater beach, where the sand is white and icing sugar! The sun shines almost year round here which is why it is one of the top destinations for beach goers on the western coast of Florida.
The other main attractions include the Dalí Museum and Chihuly Collection. For family-friendly places visit the Sunken Gardens, Florida Botanical Gardens, the popular Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and Great Explorations Children’s Museum.
Stop Three: Bradenton and Anna Maria Island
After a visit to St Petersburg jump in your car or get on the Skyway Connexion bus to Bradenton, just south of St Petersburg and Tampa.
Bradenton used to be a small beachside town but it has recently developed into a tourist hotspot.
The main attractions here are the white sandy beaches, easily reachable by bus or car, the De Soto National Historic Site as well as the Palmetto Historical Park.
You can also visit the Gamble Plantation and Mixon’s Fruit Farms where you can learn about orange growing and its challenges in Florida.
South Florida Museum
One of my favourite attractions in Bradenton was the South Florida Museum with its planetarium where the dome shaped ceiling serves as the screen for short films about space.
I was totally fascinated by the showings – the best is it only cost $10 for an adult! In the same museum you can also find exhibits about pre-historic people in addition to exhibits about the natives at the time of De Soto’s arrival.
De Soto Landing Site
The De Soto National Historic Site was quite shocking in a sense because I learned about how poorly De Soto dealt with the locals.
There were times when De Soto fed the locals to his dogs or used punishments developed during the Spanish Inquisition. These included shopping people’s nose and hands off or executing them without a trial.
Pretty shocking!
Anna Maria Island
I also went to Anna Maria Island, Manatee Beach and the Fish Hole Miniature Golf course which was quite fun! In my opinion the nicest part of the beach is up north at the tip of Anna Maria Island, where you can even spot the bridge across the bay to St Petersburg.
Getting Around by Bicycle and Bus
What I enjoyed most was the fact that I could get around almost everywhere using my rental bicycle which I could also transport around using the extensive public bus system.
In the US you can pop your bicycle on the front of the bus then get on, paying no extra fee for transporting your bike!
In total I spent three days in Bradenton, after which I would recommend heading off to Sarasota and Siesta Key Beach.
Stop Four: Sarasota and Siesta Key Beach
The drive or bus ride to Siesta Key, a beautiful beach south of Tampa takes about an hour from Tampa or about 30 minutes from Bradenton.
Siesta Key is rated the Number 1 beach in the USA by various travel booking sites for its white sands and almost year-round sunshine.
Sarasota Classic Car Museum
The Sarasota Classic Car Museum has some amazing exhibits, including Katherine Hapburn’s last car.
The museum claims to be the second oldest continuously operating antique car museum in the entire United States!
As you stroll through the museum, you will travel back in time and into the future of man’s greatest invention, the automobile!
The easiest way to get there is to drive on the Tamiami Trail from Tampa or from Miami or take the bus from Bradenton to Sarasota (number 99).
The museum will be on your left if you come from the north. The entrance fee is just under $13 and I spent about one hour there.
Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Key Beach is one of the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen in the entire world – and I am not joking! The sand is white as snow, soft as silk and the waves are amazing.
Most importantly, there only seem to be hot people on the beach – everyone was super fit.
There is a huge car park right outside the main entrance and various shops sell food and beach gear.
Siesta Key Beach has been voted the best US beach according to Tripadvisor, so if you are nearby definitely make sure to pop in!
In Sarasota you can stroll through the smart downtown village famous of its colorful bungalows, shops and restaurants.
You can also rent a bicycle here and if you have the time, you can ride down the island and enjoy the Florida sun – but make sure to use suntan lotion! I got a really bad sunburn…
Stop Five: Naples
Naples in Florida is an up-market town filled with lots of Mercedes, Jaguars, Mustangs and Range Rovers! I first visited in March 2017 and spent two nights in a motel near the I-75.
My biggest interest was in the nearby nature reserves such as the Myakka River State Park and the Corkscrew Swamp. That’s not to say I didn’t go to see the stunning beach in Naples though.
My food recommendation is to eat at Brooks Gourmet Burgers, which is #6 on Tripadvisor’s best restaurant list. The beach is a short drive from here and parking is very easy with free spots in most parts of Naples.
Each street in Naples has an entrance to the beach where you can visit the pier or just soak in the sun.
You can use Naples as your base if you are planning to visit the local area – for example, the Edison Ford Winter Estate in Fort Myers is just a short drive away.
Stop Six: The Edison-Ford Winter Estate
The Edison Ford Winter Estate covers over 20 acres of botanical gardens, nine historic buildings, including Edison’s Botanic Research Laboratory and the Edison Ford Museum.
The museum contains an impressive collection of inventions, artifacts and special exhibit galleries.
The Edison Ford Estate offers a variety of tours or if you prefer you can walk around on your own.
The cost of the audio tour is $25 which includes entry to all areas. The estate is truly stunning with various plants, a large park as well as benches along the waterside.
Stop Seven: The Corkscrew Swamp in Florida
A visit to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary will take you into the heart of the Everglades ecosystem. Here you can discover the rugged beauty of this famed natural area.
The park’s famous 2.5-mile boardwalk will take you through pine flat woods, a wet prairie, a marsh and finally into the largest old growth Bald Cypress forest in North America.
The swamp is about 30 minutes east of Naples. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is where hundreds of alligators, otters, white-tailed deer and red-bellied turtles live.
If you are lucky and there are no noisy crowds, you might even catch a glimpse of a wide variety of wading birds, songbirds, raptors and the fabulous Painted Bunting.
You can easily spend a day here walking down the boardwalk, listening to the birds singing!
Stop Eight: The Myakka River State Park
The Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and largest state parks in Florida. It protects one of the state’s most diverse natural areas, where alligators and other wild animals reside.
The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pine lands.
Visitors to the Myakka River State Park can enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over the Upper Myakka Lake, then take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway.
I visited the park in March 2017, which is the dry season – during the wet season you may be able to see more wildlife including alligators!
Stop Nine: San Marco Island
Marco Island, just south of Naples is famous for its stunning beaches as well as mangroves. The sand here is white just like in Naples, Bradenton, Sarasota or Clearwater but what makes Marco Island different is the mangroves and the river walk.
Marco Island is basically a huge collection of holiday homes and parking is a challenge. There are two public parking lots at the north and south of the Island – I pick the north end where the Tigertail Beach is located.
Here you can park for the full day or for a couple of hours then go and discover the white sandy beaches plus the mangroves.
It is easy to spend an entire afternoon here, so make sure to bring your beach clothes and a lot of suntan lotion!
Stop Ten: Everglades City
Everglades City is at the southernmost tip of this road trip, where you will learn about life in the swamps during the early days of Florida history.
Everglades City is where I had fried alligators for lunch plus walked around the central boulevard to check out the local museum.
The Museum of the Everglades is free where you can learn about the region’s history. You can also check out some of the creatures that live in the waters around here like crabs and huge fish.
I would recommend spending a few hours here and maybe going on a river boat tour if you have the time. But what you should definitely not miss is the local restaurant called Island Café that serves fried alligators for lunch!
Read: Continuing the Road Trip Around the East Coast of Florida
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post about discovering the west coast of Florida – there are plenty of beaches to visit in addition to all the historic towns to check out!
If you want to carry on driving around Florida, then please read my next post in which you will find out about Key West, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach plus President Trump’s House!
My third post about Florida describes Orlando off the beaten path, using a bicycle and public transport.
Finally, if time allows, you can drive from Miami all the way up to St Augustine via Orlando, the Ocala National Forest and Palatka, discovering the northern and central parts of Florida.