Carefreetrip.com :: Travel Blog

We were prepared to go the distance to get a little closer. So three girlfriends and I packed up the SUV and headed to the northwest corner of the state for some much-needed girl time on the sublime Emerald Coast. We settled in at TOPS'L Beach & Racquet Resort...

In St. Petersburg/Clearwater, you'll find a collection of Gulf-front communities with their own distinctive feel – from buzzing beach activity on award-winning shores to blessed quiet among Old Florida cottages. Here's a look at seven of my favorites, from north to south...

My father's eyes lit up like fireworks at the thought of spending a long weekend in Pensacola Beach. It wasn't long before he had his trusted Hobie Cat sailboat tacked to the back of a borrowed truck. With enough scuba gear to satisfy a Navy SEAL and a cooler full of sandwiches stacked in the cab, we were off to the beach...

It's easy to fall in love with the many flavors of Florida's Gulf Islands of Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and the mainland areas of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. Most restaurants are locally owned, offering tastes you won't find anywhere else, and the tropical setting is ideal for the many culinary events held here...

In northwest Florida's Panama City Beach, there are plenty of ways to be entertained and to find your own fun, both on and off the beach. And you can enjoy it all at your own pace, whether that's laidback or action-packed. Which makes coming here a true escape.

If you're looking for a gateway to the Gulf's manifold charms, Bradenton area beaches will afford you passage onto parasails and kayaks, as well as into volleyball games. And whether you linger beachside or prefer to get wet, the area is the home base for Gulf-inspired activities of all kinds.

Many NASCAR drivers have taken home gold after speeding around that famous track, but there's another gold standard in Daytona: the beaches. Twenty-three miles of them to be exact. Take a surfing lesson, go swimming, stroll the shore, cruise the beach in your car or just chill.

An award-winning culinary team sets up shop in a first-class resort resting on a famous stretch of Atlantic coastline – a surprisingly short distance from Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It's the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort, and it's at the center of it all.

On a sunny afternoon at The Cove On Ormond Beach, a central east Florida resort on the Atlantic Ocean, children on tubes zoomed down a two-story water slide. A father in Bermuda shorts flipped burgers on a grill. Dozens of resort guests, including myself, lounged around the oceanfront pool...

Two white swans cross our path as my son and I paddle the narrow waterway winding through the Island Grand Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach. Up ahead I see sunlight dancing on a sparkling blue pool while my son spots a giant three-story inflated slide resting on the white sandy beach...