Favorite Places in Central Florida
 

I’m making a list of all the places I cannot wait too visit again once everything is fully open & safe. Would you like to share some of your favorite Central Floridian places?

Here are some of mine:

•PassAGrille (pristine beach on a point near St. Pete Beach) great sunset views over the Gulf
•Mt. Dora (quaint downtown)
•John’s Pass Boardwalk (eateries, water rentals, and shipping near St. Pete Beach)
•Downtown St. Pete Beach art fairs every Sat morning (pre-coronavirus)
•Bern’s Steakhouse, Tampa (awesome steak and wine cellar tour. Dessert in keg room is not to be missed!)
•Winter Garden, FL (great downtown)
•Party Boat Fishing from PassAGrill, FL (inexpensive day of sun & fun on the Gulf)
•Cape Canaveral Space Museum and SeaShore
•The Columbia (Cuban restaurant with several FL locations)
•The Don Cesar Hotel & Maritana Restaurant (St. Pete Beach)
•Honeymoon Beach State Park
•downtown Winter Park, FL
•Downtown on St. Armand’s Circle, Sarasota, FL
•The Mote Aquarium, Sarasota
•downtown Celebration, FL especially the dog store & farmers market
•Shingle Creek Hotel & Spa, Orlando
•Key West (not in central Florida but there used to be a fast shuttle boat from Ft Myers to Key West) Also Loved the day trip via seaplane from Key West to The Dry Tortugas.

I would love to add some of your favorite places to my “must visit” list. Thanks for sharing!

When you get to St. Armand's Key, you should look for this guy in the traffic circle. Skip the commercial at the beginning.

Just One Person Stops to Listen - After the Song He Says This - YouTube

Opa's Greek Restaurant in Orlando...best roast lamb this side of the Atlantic...the waitstaff toss napkins up into the air to the music of "Zorba The Greek" and the belly dancers dance on the table with the patrons.....it's wild and crazy and totally safe and appropriate for kids too

Where to go
 

Tarpon Springs is kinda neat for walking around and enjoying Greek cuisine.

Thanks for the link.That guitarist is very talented. Sorry but I couldn’t hear the conversation at the end. What was said?

Thanks for the suggestion! The tossed napkins might be scary if I can get some Saganaki too :0 (flaming Greek cheese :) Opa’s is now in my list.

I forgot a couple of wonderful places:

Fort DeSoto Park near St Pete
& Tibby’s New Orleans —fantastic—restaurant in a little strip center near Winter Park (A northern Orlando Suburb) The Coop near Winter Park is a great grab & go for fried chicken in the park. 4Rivers Smokehouse is awesome. I also love Rocco’s Tacos on Sand Lake road Orlando (try to get a table overlook the lake & be sure to get fresh table-side guacamole & fantastic margaritas :) Yum!

Thanks! I’ve read that Tarpon Springs is known for its sponge harvesting. Are there any waterside spots to see the boats unload?

Oooo...I just remembered...beach bars...caddy’s & rum runners in St Pete Beach are awesome for bar food, stiff mixed drinks in plastic cups, live music and sunset right on the beautiful beach. Have too much to drink? There’s Uber or a Gulf Blvd. shuttle & many nice beach hotels. St Pete Beach is my favorite beach. Beats South Beach, Waikiki and Cocoa, I think.

I believe some sponge diving is still going on, but never saw a catch brought in during my visits there. Lots of shops selling sponges, however.

When I was 12 in 1962, my 6th grade class went on a field trip to Tarpon Springs and they took us out in a boat. It wasn't very big, maybe ten of us at a time, and we watched the hard-hat diver go down and bring up a sponge. They still have the tours.

Tarpon Springs is home to a Greek Community and part of their heritage was hard-hat diving for sponges. There use to a very famous Greek Restaurant at the harbor in Tarpon Springs called Louis Pappas. It first opened in 1925 but I found that it closed in 2005. We had another very popular one in St. Petersburg (Pasadena), but it also has closed. They still have smaller locations in Clearwater and Tampa. So if you see a 'Louie' Pappas Restaurant, it's excellent Greek food.

St. Nicholas Boat Line

Tarpon Springs Tours - Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks

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https://www.louispappas.com/?fbclid=...-Amofw9wHW_JGU

This huge building was the Pappas Restaurant at Tarpon Springs, it closed in 2005.

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Now the nearest to Tarpon Springs is this Clearwater shopping Center location.

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Two Tails Ranch in Williston is worth a visit. It is an elephant rescue ranch with lots of other animals too.

There is always Gator Land, Homossasa Springs, and Bock Tower.

IF you go to Winter Park do the canal boat tour. Not sure if it is currently in operation but I would look
for it in the future.

Cedar Key.. any one of many springs (Blue, Manatee, Salt, others) bank fishing for crappie any where along the St John, the gardens at UofF, Rainbow River..

Linda’s LaCantina in Orlando across from executive airport on E Colonial. The best steak! Been eating there since 1960.

holes 13 - 17
 

Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course in Lecanto.

Local Gems
 

Ocala, right up the street, has the Appleton Museum, Sholom Park, Florida Horse Park, Silver Springs, Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum, Zip Line, Gypsy Golf Horse Farm, just to name a few!

Bok Tower gardens Lake Wales.

Boca Grande Island near Port Charlotte. You can schedule a tour of the back range lighthouse (pre-pandemic)

So many in Florida. Go to AAA and get their flyers,,,,,, especially calendars,, with their trips to get more ideas than you can handle. Then go on your own but use their list of events on the foyers for the area as a guide. Their tour books are great but you might have to get a AAA Member to get you one if you aren't a member.
Also an unusual fun day is Solomon's Castle and eat in the Boat in the Moat.

Reply
 

Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Matlacha, Pine Island area

I've heard that the Barnum & Bailey mansion and circus museum is nice. We haven't had a chance to go yet, but it's been recommended to us.

That reminds me of a trip that AAA offers. It must be popular, I've seen the price go from $899 to $1049 in the past two years.

You get a bus to Fort Myers, a nice hotel there, meals at nice restaurants, then a hydroplane high speed 90 minute Key West Express boat ride to Key West. Then a couple of nights in Key West at nice place. Meals and tours and then back to Fort Myers.

If you're not into the whole excursion, you can drive to Fort Myers and park your car and take the boat ride on your own, I think it's $155 round trip.

Key West Express Official Page | Key West Ferry Service

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Ichetucknee Springs State Park for leisurely and pristine,, peaceful tubing. If you go during the week t may be more quiet. About 30 mins west of Gainesville. Rent a tube for $5 outside the park, as you approach the south entrance. Rainbow Springs tubing is also fun, but less peaceful, and more crowded.

Bok tower at Christmas.
City of DeLand downtown is very cute and has a great dog Mardi gras parade usually February and Stetson Mansion decorated beautifully at Christmas. DeLand also has several arts and crafts fairs that take up the whole main Street for a full weekend with music and food also a great place to stroll on a lazy day. The Morse museum in Winter Park has wonderful Tiffany Glass exhibits. St Augustine is a wonderful long day trip

We visited Gypsy Gold Horse Farm in February and I have been meaning to write up a review. I am not a horse person. Never been on a horse in my life. But these animals are amazing and Dennis Thompson's story of bringing the Gypsy Vanner horse to America is fascinating. Highly recommended for all ages.

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kathy

Carson Springs Wildlife Center (carsonspringswildlife.org) is just North and east of Gainsville.
Rescue center for wide variety of animals, tigers, lions, rhino, and many many others. Visit the website for details.

boat rise across Dora Lake into the Dora canal. It begins at the Lakeview Inn.

Essex Seafood II in Pierson. Just like New England.

Begone, uninvited pestilence! I want to visit some of these places and return to others!

St. Augustine
 

Once the B&B’s in St. Augustine open the old town is wonderful. On/off tram tickets are a must good for two days. Columbia restaurant has best mojitos and steak. Take A1A all the way up beautiful drive. World Golf Hall of Fame pretty fun.

Tarpon Springs
 

Had a place on the water in Tarpon Springs for 25 years before we came to TV. Was great in the 90's when Pappas was at it's peak . Tarpon Springs is still a good day trip with some good Greek food.

Skippers Smokehouse in North Tampa is a real trip (gator burgers are good) . The place has not changed since the 60's . Same great entertainment and people.

Sunken gardens in Sarasota I think, and the restaurant on site for lunch.

I’ll agree with Tarpon Springs. Go w AAA and you get a great tour also.

You had the correct coast, but Sunken Gardens is in St. Petersburg, 18th Ave and 4th Street North.

Google Maps

Sunken Gardens - St. Petersburg

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Before this thread somehow mysteriously closes, I’d like to thank everyone for contributing. I’ve added so many interesting places to my list! It’s been a pleasant diversion as I’ve Googled your recommendations. I love daydreaming about road trips, don’t you? Several of the places you’ve mentioned have been on my radar but I haven’t made the trek. As soon as I can I will make a point of going! I hope others may be able to venture out soon for a day trip to some of these awesome places too. Please continue to add your recommendations until this thread is gone since I am still making notes...and Thank you! Stay safe & be happy.

[QUOTE=John_W;1765207]You had the correct coast, but Sunken Gardens is in St. Petersburg, 18th Ave and 4th Street North.

Sunken Gardens, Ringling Museum and the cobblestone old town area in St. Augustine have been on my list for many years but I’ve never gone. It’s just so hard to take time away from the beach whenever I’m near the Gulf!
I do love to tour historic estates & homes so Central Florida has a lot to offer. My daughter is a UCF alum so I had split most of my time between Orlando & Tampa/StPete. I can’t wait to be free to roam again! I saw that CityWalk is (Limited)!open at Universal again! It’s kind of scary to think about visiting tourist areas again but this too shall pass...

Don’t forget the Freezer and Tiki Bar in Homasassa Springs, just a few miles from the state park. A seafood cook owns it and it is a bit of a dive, but the shrimp is amazing, prices are fair, and you can enjoy your chowder or shrimp on the marina, while sipping a fav beverage.
They also have a seafood market open a few days a week. This is a local hangout. Some of those Key West foodies will be there too.

We went on this...rough ride as there were some small waves...spent entire time sick often in washroom with head over the bowl and people behind me pounding for their turn....there is a cheap plane ride back in 1/3 of the time...TG

we enjoyed that boat ride too...very interesting traveling through the canal