Going to Florida in mid-October

If hurricanes aren't a factor in October, the remains can be.

 

Been here for 30 years, only time hurricane was a problem that late was 2 years ago when we were the bullseye.

Clearwater is a great beach. Fort Desoto is a state park that has lots of stuff in it. Farther south in Sarasota is Siesta Key and it's one of the 10 best in FL.

 

Midwesterners usually prefer Florida's west coast, so good choice. October is still in Hurricane Season, so you never know. However, the weather should be wonderful.

You may want to check out Busch Gardens while you are in the Tampa Bay area if you like amusement parks -- plus, they have the animals.

If you don't mind the drive, Sanibel and Captiva are some of the prettiest islands. In fact, I would recommend staying down in Sanibel rather than in Clearwater.

 

Hurricane season really officially lasts until the end of November, but I daresay that we won't see many hurricanes between October and November. Saggy is right, though, there might not be a hurricane, but if we have had any this season you may run into the rebuilding process. Sometimes that is worse than the actual hurricane, especially for a tourist trying to enjoy a vacation. On the upside, the weather should be perfect that time of year. :thumbs:

As for beaches, Clearwater is one of my favorites, as is St. Pete Beach. I would not recommend Daytona, Panama City Beach, or Miami. I've never really liked those beaches, besides being crowded they are the more "party centered" beaches, (if you know what I mean). Siesta Key, in Sarasota is my ultimate favorite Florida beach. Definitely worth the visit.

If you are in the neighborhood check out the theme parks. I would recommend Holy Land, and of course Universal, (work there ), and Sea World. :wavey:

 

I realize that walking way out into the water a long way before it gets deep sounds cool. After a while, though, it just gets boring - especially for the older children. And usually the waves are non-existant. And the water is normally much warmer (close to bath water).

 

Ask any Floridian about their favorite beach and you'll probably get a whole host of different answers. The reason I LOVE Siesta Key is the sand. It is the perfect sand for making sand sculptures, not to mention it literally never feels hot to walk on regardless of the temperature. The water is all fine and dandy, but being I have four year old, and a ten year old who is not particularily fond of choppy water.... Well, you get the point. St. Pete is a nice beach, but most of my memories of the area are the retirement villages. My great-grandparents owned a house on the beach there, and we literally NEVER saw anyone remotely close to our age when we visited, unless of course they were also visiting grandparents. :laugh: I know all of St. Pete is not that way, of course. Anyway, that's my two cents worth. Enjoy your vacation, and let us know where you ended up visiting!

 

Hey Filmproducer, what do you do at Universal? We were there just a few weeks ago....loved it! (Especially the Spiderman ride.)

Just wondering (maybe being a little too nosy here).....but it seems that the cost of living in Orlando would be terribly expensive (I know we spent a small fortune there).....can the folks working at the theme parks really afford to live in Orlando?

 

I am a research coordinator for the consumer insights division, we work directly for marketing and sales. With that being said, if you were asked to take a survey for UO, (NOT product testing), those are my people. They would have been wearing blue shirts and khaki pants/shorts.

In the case of our department we pay very well, because quite frankly it can be a little intimidating approaching people to take a survey when they are on vacation. :laugh: You are right, though, the cost of living in Orlando is ridiculous, but not as bad as some places. The tourism industry is Orlando's bread and butter and in the I-drive, Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista, i.e. tourist area, everything costs more.

BTW, glad you loved the park. My family does as well. Spiderman is our most popular ride, by far, in IOA. Yes, the Hulk and Dueling Dragons also get rave reviews, but Spiderman is the ride that most, even those who hate roller coasters, would enjoy. Although... my daughter begs me to take her on the Flying Unicorn every day. She still does not understand the UO is not a play ground we can go to everyday concept. :thumbs:

 

I don't know of any beaches on the Gulf coast that have many waves larger than 1-2 feet.

wish I could be more encouraging. But Daytona is 3-4 hours from st pete by I-4.