[mikenbacismama]

Hi,

Friends are looking to come visit from NY and spend some vacation time with us. We live in Weeki Wachee, and they want to exchange their timeshare, probably staying on the west coast.

I've come across a cute property in Longboat Key that would definitely fit the bill for us since it'll be 2 couples & 3 kids. However, I'm not at all familiar with the area, have only lived in FL for almost 2 yrs.

They're planning on coming down mid-July, soooooo...other than the threat of hurricanes at that time of year, is there any other reason we should rule out Longboat Key? If so, can someone suggest a family-friendly area that we should look into within a 100-150 mile drive from Weeki Wachee (NOT ORLANDO - WE DID DISNEY WITH THEM LAST YEAR & WE SWORE WE'D NEVER GO BACK IN THE SUMMER!).

Any advice and recreational recommendations for your suggested areas would be much appreciated!

[Mike1306]

St.Augustine is about 160 miles and is a good trip.
There is alot to do there and some interesting history.

The kids would like the haunted tours.

[mikenbacismama]

We went to St. Augustine for a weekend last year, but didn't get to see much of it. Very nice town, hope to get back there soon. Thanks.

I especially liked the fact that the beach was pet-friendly.

[AnotherDayInParadise]

Time share on Longboat... are you looking at Little Gull?

[mikenbacismama]

Actually, yes. It looks like very charming property.

[AnotherDayInParadise]

Originally Posted by mikenbacismama

Actually, yes. It looks like very charming property.

Nearly every summer of my childhood included 2 weeks there... it is some of the most beautiful beach and gulf you will ever visit.

How old are the children you are traveling with and how long will you be there? I wouldn't think you will need to leave the Sarasota area much at all.

[mikenbacismama]

We'll be traveling with 8 yr. old boy & girl and a 5 yr. old boy. We'll probably be there for about 5 days.

The idea of a couple of leisurely days on the beach sounds heavenly, but I'm positive we'll get in a few days of sightseeing as well.

Nothing beats spending time with old friends (too bad we gotta bring the kids)!

[AnotherDayInParadise]

I think you'd make a great choce if you went with Little Gull. Again, it's such a great beach, and in July, the water will be so warm you may have a hard time getting the kids out of it. As for site seeing, there's St. Armand's Circle, Mote Marine, the Ringling Museum, Myakka State Park... you can even head up to St. Pete (an hour drive) to see the Rays if they are in town.

I hope I've helped. I think you'll really enjoy it.
This should help:

The Official Source of Travel Information for Sarasota

[tvmango]

longboat key is a great REMOTE place to go, beach is awesome, there is nothing around there though, you will have to travel to go to eat.. but it is very quiet and pretty..

[mikenbacismama]

Thanks, guys. Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to get a rental the week our friends come down. If it doesn't happen when they come, we'll definitely plan to head down there for a few days on our own either way (it's only about 150 miles for us).