You’ve seen it innumerable times on television: bottle-nosed dolphins arching gracefully out of the water, body-surfing the bow waves of a white ship as she cuts through breathtakingly-blue water. It’s more than an image folks, it’s reality.
Head to St. Petersburg and Clearwater, on Florida’s west coast. Settle into the hotel and make one of your first calls to Dolphin Racer. Dolphin Racer departs three times daily from John’s Pass Village: 11am, 1:30pm and 4pm. As they say, bring your camera.
More sedately, take in one of Florida’s most sensuous sunsets from the deck of a Dolphin Landings sailing yacht. The ship sets sail from St. Pete Beach an hour before sunset for the two-hour voyage. That affords you plenty of time for a proper dinner afterwards.
West Florida hides perhaps the most Scottish town this side of the Atlantic. It’s Dunedin. Steeped in Scottish heritage, it comes replete with appropriate shopping and dining. Ditch the car and walk. It’s perfect for perambulation. Dunedin’s beaches are pristine and startlingly white. Nearby Caledesi Island harbors one of the best beaches on the planet.
After beach, sea and such, towel off the kids and carve out some time for a trip to Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Pete. It’s a great place to let ‘em burn off what energy they might have left. They can climb a giant tree house, learn what it means to be a veterinarian and even make orange juice. This exploratory enclave has what all really good children’s museums do: ingrained interactivity.
There are a couple of airports that funnel fliers into the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area: Tampa International (TPA) and St. Petersburg/Clearwater International (PIE). Both provide lots of low-fare lift.
(Image: The Story Lady)
