Best Western Fort Walton Beachfront: Stylish, swanky, and brightly colored

Could the decor in the lobby of the Best Western Fort Walton Beach Resort be any cuter? The playful colors--flamingo pink, key lime pie green, ocean blue--recall those days in the 1960s when travelers were just discovering Florida's impossibly white beaches, turquoise waters, and fragrant orange groves.

Cheerful polka dots are everywhere! That's my daughter in the chair--but it could just as easily be famed fashion designer Lily Pulitzer who got her start in Florida as a clothing designer in 1961. Her clothes made with gloriously bright pink, green, and turquoise fabrics would fit right in the lobby at the Beachfront.

Why go in the ocean when you can sit in these gorgeous turquoise blue chairs?

It's a world of color at the Fort Walton Beachfront.

The pool sits right outside the lobby on the beach. Here my son contemplates diving in. He's thrilled when he learns from the friendly woman at the front desk that the pool is indeed heated.

Comfy lounge chairs line the outdoor pool. On a warm sunny day, you just might be tempted to stay here all day.

My daughter tests the water. "It's warm Mom! Come in!"

The Beachfront sits on a white, sugary beach.

Every room facing the Gulf of Mexico has its own private balcony.

A hair cut in Apalachicola, Fl.

In Apalachicola, Fl., my 6-year-old son announced that he wanted a hair cut. He was hot and sweaty under the Florida sun and wanted a buzz cut.

On the main drag of this history little town that sits on the southern most tip of Florida we found a barber shop. There wasn't even a sign outside but my son spotted the old chair inside.


Turns out the shop dates back to the early 1900s and Lawrence the barber in the house has been cutting hair there since 1961. When he started, he charged 1.25 for cuts. Now the price is $14, still a great deal.


Lawrence is famous. His shop was once featured in Travel and Leisure magazine.

Florida's Forgotten Coast

As I drove along Florida's north Gulf coast, I kept thinking, Where is everyone?

The flawless stretch of coastline between Cedar Key and Apalachicola was by far the most beautiful part of the state we'd seen on our trip--yet we seemed to be among only a few travelers.

I guess this makes sense. This less-touristy part of the state has miraculously remained untouched by the eager developers who have built ritzy resorts, glittering shopping centers, and exciting amusement parks up and down Florida's coastlines.

Yet still I could couldn't believe that we hardly saw a single sunbather as we drove by mile after mile of blindingly white beach stretching out into the most beautiful turquoise waters littered with dozens of tiny islands topped with a palm tree or two.

This is where photographers come to get that photo of the impossibly blue water surrounding a tiny island of white sand with only a single palm. I figured those things were done in Photoshop...this was real.

This is the Florida that you didn't think exists. This is what many refer to as the "Forgotten Coast." This is where I fell in love with Florida.

Every mile it seemed we wanted to stop...

In Newport we bought some Tuppelo honey from a man on the side of the road.

In Crawfordville we talked with a man named Kenny who was fishing in a river. He showed the kids where an alligator was lounging in the water

In the small town of Carabelle, we pulled over to chat with a man who was restoring an old pirate ship that looked as if it was being built for the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

After driving by a couple oyster farms my kids finally convinced me to pull over so they could climb atop a mountain of discarded shells.

We drove through dozens of funky towns with gigantic and old trees strewn with moss. The man at a gas station in one had no teeth and I couldn't hardly understand his thick accent but the twinkle in his eyes welcome to this far corner of our country.

We wanted to stop everywhere but we couldn't. We entirely missed Cedar Key, which is supposed to be like what Key West was like in the 1950s. It's known for its art galleries and shallow waters, perfect for sea kayaking.

We didn't have time for Little St. George Island, where you can go hunting for old Indian pottery.

We never made it to Steinhatchee, the scalloping capital of Florida.

We will return to the crook in Florida's panhandle. We will. We will.

Homosassa Springs State Park, Fl: Where we finally see a manatee

In the morning I let the kids watch a little TV while I packed up. They were fully engaged in an episode of Dinosaur Train when the screen suddenly went blank and the TV started to beep loudly.

"What happened to our show?" the kids screamed.

A message about a tornado warning appeared on the screen. A tornado just east of Tampa was spotted.

We were in Dunedin, about 30 minutes west of Tampa.

We were safe, right? Who knows? As a Californian, I don't know a thing about tornadoes.

We loaded everything into the car and I checked out. I asked the lady at the front desk about the tornado warning. She didn't know a thing about it. I figured that it must not be a big deal then.

We drove off and said goodbye to the charming village of Dunedin. We were headed north to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. A ranger in the Everglades told us that this is where we were guaranteed to see a manatee.

It started to rain. Then it started to thunder. Loud roars. We spotted lightning in the distance. My daughter screamed.

I turned on the radio, looking for a local station that would give us weather and traffic reports.

That loud, ear-piercing beeping filled the car. "This is a tornado warning." The tornado had hit Tampa, and was on it's way to Clearwater, traveling at 35 mph. We were about 15 or 20 miles north of Clearwater.

We were moving slowly along US-19, a two-lane highway filled with traffic lights. We came upon a large puddle of water in the middle of the road. Actually it was more like a lake. The cars ahead turned around and so did we. We navigated our way through backstreets to bypass the flood.

By now sheets of rain were falling. I could barely see outside the window. Every five minutes or so, you'd hear a loud roar and then the black clouds would light up.

We stopped at a gas station. Running from the car into the station, we got soaked and looked as if we'd jumped into a swimming pool with our clothes on.

The gas station was filthy and the man behind the counter didn't have any teeth. Another man walked in and he didn't look any friendlier.

"Ummm...should we be concerned about the tornado? We're driving north to Homosassa Springs. Is this safe?"

The man who just walked in gently grabbed my hands. "Let's pray. Dear Lord, please protect this woman and her beautiful children as they drive north....I think you'll be OK."

Thunder struck again. This was loudest roar yet and the windows in the gas station shook and rattled.

We continued our drive north. Another service announcement came on. Tampa was getting hit hard by the tornado--actually now it sounded as if there were several tornadoes.

I called my husband and asked him to check the weather report online. The storm was headed south. Our best bet was to continue north.

Two hours later we reached Homosassa Springs State Park. The thunder storms continued so the park wasn't running it's usual boat tours but we were able to walk through the grounds with our umbrellas. We saw an alligator, stepped inside a center housings all sorts of snakes, and posed outside yet another manatee statue. But where were the manatees?

A small lake sits at the center of the grounds yet we couldn't see a thing.

My kids ran up to a ranger, "Where are the manatees"

"Come with me," she told them.

We walked over to small dock stretching into the lake. She grabbed a wheel barrow filled with lettuce and told the kids to throw it into the water.

"There's one!"

A manatee that looked like a giant baked potato floated over to us. And then another and then another.

Here's a video showing these wonderfully unusual creatures feasting on lettuce.

Best Western Plus Yacht Harbor Inn: A place on the sea in Dunedin, Fl.

We easily could have stayed for several days at the Best Western Plus Yacht Harbor Inn. We loved everything from the peaceful waterside setting to the colorful artwork in the lobby to the heated outdoor hotel.

This boutique hotel sits at the foot of a small boat harbor overlooking St. Joseph's Sound. You can walk to the shops and restaurants of the small town that seems lost and forgotten among the nearby beach resort towns loaded with high-rise hotels, T-shirt shops, and places to play miniature golf and drive go-karts. The town is quiet, serene, and no building stands taller than a couple stories. It's village-like main drag lined with brick buildings and trees could easily be found in Europe. It seems to be the sort of spot where local Floridans go for a break.

Dunedin was settled by Scotsmen in the 1800s and still holds onto its Scottish roots with shops selling Scottish kilts and every spring the town holds the Highland Games with piping and drumming, dancing, and athletics.


The hotel lobby was recently decorated and features a colorful display of artwork by a local artist.

You can find fish like these in the sound.


Tasteful furnishings in the lobby.


The hotel juts out into the sound that's a playground for birds.


The rooms are bright and cheery.


Every room has a view of the water.

The setting is peaceful and the only noise and activity comes from the flocks of birds perched atop pilings jutting out of the shallow waters. Bald eagles, brown pelicans, wood storks, peregrine falcons, snowy plovers, and blue herons are just a few of the birds who call this area home. You can also spot manatee and loads of fish.

The new hot tub is a great place to relax.

The pool is heated and warm.

Breakfast is included and offered in the adjoining Bon Appetit restaurant. Here my kids are looking for manatees.

We want to see a Manatee!

Florida loves its manatees. These unusual creatures that look like giant Russet potatoes floating in the water are found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, bays, and estuaries all over the state. Its one of the few places in the world that you can see these rare, endangered species.

Everywhere we went we saw manatee statues and the kids want their picture taken in front of all of them.


We were lucky to finally see a real, living Manatee at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. In fact, Snooty is one of the state's most famous as he's over 60 years old, the oldest manatee born in captivity.

But we were determined to see one in the wild.

In Naples, we looked into taking a boat tour that promised manatees sightings but we learned that the animals were swimming north in search of cooler waters.

In Bradenton, we were told you could spot them off the Memorial Pier downtown. We stood there for a good 30 minutes. No manatees.

In Dunedin, some people told us they had just seen a manatee off a pier--but he was gone.

And so we hoped that as we traveled north, we'd finally get to see one of these creatures that are often called gentle giants.

It's pouring down rain in Clearwater!

We inched along in traffic on our way from Bradenton to Clearwater, Fl. The views of the water on the drive were breathtaking yet my kids didn't want to be in the car. They wanted out. I kept reassuring them that we'd get to run around outside once we reached Clearwater Beach, which is known for its long stretch of sand. Yet by the time we arrived it was pouring down rain.

We've found that the weather can change quickly and quite dramatically in Florida. One minute it's beautiful outside and the next dark clouds sweep in and it starts raining.

We sat in the car, looking out at the beach, and we were tempted to go swimming in the downpour, but then we heard a roar of thunder and decided to move onto our next destination, Dunedin, about five miles north.

Best Western Atrea Manatee Hotel: A

The Best Western Atrea Manatee Hotel is a sparkling, new property in Bradenton, Fl., only an hour south of Tampa and just minutes north of Sarasota. It's a great place to bed down if you want to stay outside of the busy city. Our room was spacious and comfortable and came with a flat-screen TV. My kids especially liked the swimming pool in a tropical setting with palm trees.

Bradenton: Home to Florida's most famous manatee, Snooty

After looking for shells on Sanibel Island, we drove two hours north to Bradenton. This sprawling suburban town sits right on the Gulf of Mexico, an hour south of Tampa. It's best known for its sparkling white beaches, celebrity residents (Sean Connery!) and orange juice. Tropicana is headquartered here.

Most travelers stop over in Bradenton because it's parked between the artsy resort town of Sarasota and the big city of Tampa. There are two sites worth seeing here--especially if you have kids in tow.

South Florida Museum: Snooty, the oldest manatee born in captivity (1948), steals the show at this museum recounting the history of Florida from prehistoric times to the present. You'll find dinosaur bones, Native American artifacts, and a Spanish courtyard with replicas of 16th-century buildings.

Manatee Village Historical Park: Stroll this collection of old buildings dating back to the 1800s and you can imagine what life was like before the arrival of modern conveniences such as cars and electricity. You'll find a courthouse and church, a one-room schoolhouse, a sugar cane mill, a steam engine, and the ol' Wiggins store. Admission is free.

A day at Tampa Bay's Florida Aquarium

Over our spring break trip in Florida, we spent so much time driving along the coast, gazing out at pretty pale green ocean. We were ready to take a peak at the creatures who were swimming around in those waters.

Scuba-diving wasn't in the cards with our kids, ages 6 and 8. The Florida Aquarium that sits right in the heart of Tampa Bay on the water was the next best thing. This world-class attraction has brought the wildlife from Florida's sea and river waters indoors. Its tanks are filled with hammer-head sharks, barracudas, alligators, crocodiles, sting rays, sea turtles and a kaleidoscope of brightly colored fish.

My kids especially enjoyed the playful river otters and the touch tank where you can rub your fingers across a shark's back. Here's a video featuring a few highlights from our day.



Five tips for visiting the aquarium
1) Arrive early--or late. This is one of the most popular attractions in Tampa Bay, and it gets unbearably crowded smack in the middle of the day. Arrive right when the doors open or after 2 p.m.
2) Bring your AAA card. You get a discount.
3) Pack a swimsuit and a change of clothes for the kids. The aquarium has an outdoor area where kids can run around in fountains and squirt each other with water blasters.
4) Pack food. Food in the cafeteria is mediocre. You're better off bringing your own lunch.
5) Go to the shows. When you arrive, a ticket taker at the door will hand you a sheet of paper highlighting the day's shows and times. Make sure to attend a few--especially the river otter feeding. The docent talks are entertaining and your kids will learn something.