Had our vacation all planned, and then - boom! - Mr.'s bosses scheduled another meeting. So cancelling the plans.I can probably just tag along, and then we can take a few days to relax. Any places in Florida (does not matter what area, we can drive, get there, whatever) that come highly recommended? I know, September… hurricane season, so it will all be refundable. 
What would you like to do? Areas on west side for gathering sea shells , Naples, Sarasota. The Breakers in west palm beach or boca Raton resort for easy living. South beach for great dining and dancing and unique. shopping. The Keys? St Augustine for history and charming city.
I spent September in St. Augustine Beach a few years ago. Lovely, no crowds (although limited hours for some restaurants). Last year the hurricane hit in mid Oct, and that was the first hurricane Florida had had in 11 years.
Thanks! St. Augustine sounds lovely.
Siesta Key has one of the best beaches in the world. St Armand’s has shopping and restaurants. Ringling museums are worth the time as well
Gulf beaches are calmer and a bit warmer. If you want more surf, head to the Atlantic side.
Like oysters? Get some of the reknowned Apalachicola bay oysters. It’s on the near side of the panhandle, but they should be around in other places.
Adding this because it has articles on “why we love the gulf”, with several pieces about Florida.
http://gardenandgun.com/articles/why-we-love-apalachicola-oysters/
St Augustine is a lot of fun and very pretty… Eat at the Columbia restaurant.
I am a Lido Key fan. Less busy than some of the other area keys.
The Gulf water is much nicer and warmer. Sanibel Island or Siesta Key would be my recommendations. I love Amelia Island and think it is the best of Florida, but the Atlantic water isn’t quite as nice. It should be warm in September, though. For Sanibel you would fly to Ft. Myers if you are flying. Siesta would be Tampa. Amelia would be Jacksonville. Naples is always a winner! (Ft. Myers as well but drive is easy from Miami/Lauderdale)
I second eating at the Columbia Restaurant…and make,sure,you get their excellent house salad.
Taking notes, thank you all! I was absolutely livid when I learned that the trip to Maui had to be cancelled. You are making me feel better.
Yes–the 1905 salad and a pitcher of red or white sangria…yum…
Also look at the Panhandle if you just want time to relax. Seaside, where the Truman Show was filmed, is a beautiful are, although there are plenty of other areas nearby to stay: WaterColor, Rosemary Beach, etc… I am partial to the Gulf, so would prefer the Panhandle or Siesta Key.
http://www.seasidefl.com/
http://www.visitsouthwalton.com/
http://www.watercolorresort.com/
http://www.thepearlrb.com/
We enjoyed swimming with the manatees in Crystal River. We spent several days in St. Petersburg and went up to Crystal River the night before since our trip was really early. We enjoyed having a meal in Tarpon Springs.
On the same trip we also spent several days on the beach on the Atlantic side in Delray Beach. I preferred the Atlantic side but that’s just me.
There is so much to see and do in St. Petersburg. If you want to stay at a beach, head to St. Pete Beach. The quieter end of the beach is in Pass a Grille. Lovely small boutique inns. The city of St. Petersburg is about 15 min. away. Great dining and entertainment options.
If you go to St. Pete, you might want to go to Fort de Soto park beach. It’s huge and gorgeous, on the extreme southern tip of land that is part of the city. OTOH, it’s fun to just go to a cheap lunch place in town and walk across the street for a dip in the gulf.
Florida has a lot of strange tolls. Some roads and bridges have no attendant so bring a bunch of quarters.
ETA - D3 and I visited those beaches after looking at Ekerd College so you could get in a college visit if that’s still applicable.
When we have stayed on the Gulf side we were in Naples and also Gasparilla Island. Gasparilla Inn is very funky and fun. This year we went to visit my cousin who lives on Johns Island, which is right by Vero Beach. Both were very scenic. I would go back to both.
Retired to Tampa for a reason. Had made several trips to Florida over the years. September is still the rainy season- but that usually means mainly sunshine, a half hour or so it could pour. Higher chances of hurricanes later in the season s well- but if you can cancel you will have plenty of warning. Hot and humid so being near a Gulf beach is an excellent idea. The water temp at Clearwater beach is around 90 by now- nice wading. Kids will be in school so less crowded. Many places to choose based on your budget, desire for activities, large city amenities… Consider restaurants available as well. I recall not many available on Marco Island when we day tripped there as part of a long ago vacation. Sanibel Island is known for shelling.
Feel free to PM me with questions. Will be home from my Alaska cruise soon (done but still in Seattle- who told the weather to be above normal! we wanted it cool…). Many options.
Based on your avatar you should drive to Key West and visit Hemingway house inhabited by 40 cats, some of them with 6 paws. Also, second Ringling museum/mansion/art museum as well as Dali museum in St. Pete.
There is so much to do in Sarasota. Siesta Key beach is beautiful and a very nice place to stay. You are an easy 15 minute drive to downtown Sarasota which is nice to walk around, cute shops and restaurants. It’s across the street from Sarasota Bay, where you can book a sunset cruise around the bay. 5 minutes from downtown is St. Armand’s Circle. Mid to high end shopping, with the Colombia restaurant. Siesta Key also has a village with some cute shops and laid back restaurants…the Daquari Deck, really, there is tons to do there!