Caladesi Island
After visiting “theme park central” Florida many times since 1997, this was the first week we spent entirely in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Although we enjoyed Orlando and all its theme parks with the kids over the years, it was refreshing to escape the hustle, bustle and cost of Orlando.
Spending a week in September 2009 at Sutherland Crossing Resort, in Crystal Beach, Florida was quite relaxing. It provided us with an excellent “home” base to explore the area without excessive driving. This timeshare is unique in that it offers 35 individual guest houses surrounded by 32-acres of natural Florida habitat.
The area is packed with many day trip opportunities. We explored Tarpon Springs where we enjoyed a 2-hour cruise. We spent an entire day on Caladesi Island, which was rated America’s Best Beach in 2008. It is only accessible by boat or ferry, making it very secluded. A visit to the Lowry Park Zoo filled another interesting day. A few indoor activities included a fun visit to the Florida Aquarium and a thought-provoking tour through the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Surprisingly, we did not visit Busch Gardens, which was minutes away. We did consider it! Maybe next time.
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