Florida for lazy people
February 8, 2014 10:40 PM   Subscribe

I'm going to Florida next week with my old parents, so I'm looking for activities and places to go for people who prefer not being too physically active. We'll be staying in Miami, Key West, and Naples.

Not looking for theme parks either. Maybe particularly scenic beaches or parks that are easily accessible? We're visiting family and I can't say my parents have any obvious hobbies, so I'm open to suggestions.
posted by myntu to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Airboats and Alligators in Lake Trafford was great, and all you do is sit in an airboat. Bring earplugs and a camera.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 11:08 PM on February 8, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I might have more tolerance for walking than your folks do, but I'm middle-aged and, uh, not a sports enthusiast, so here's some of what I've enjoyed around Miami/Key West.

Miami: there are lots of places to stop and sit at Lincoln Road Mall; you can drive through the Art Deco District; and the beach all along there is quite close to the street but very crowded--maybe go some blocks north to find a relatively quiet spot. Fairchild Tropical Gardens is huge, but it has tram tours. Joanna's Marketplace is a little corner market with good sandwiches as you drive south out of town.

Homestead: assuming that you're driving from Miami to Key West, consider stopping at the Coral Castle. It costs more than it should and has the air of a tourist trap, but it's a weird little treasure. You do walk around most of the time you're there, but it's small. If it were a park, it would be a very tiny one.

Key West: you can park pretty close to the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor, plus there are picnic tables amid the trees there; Duval Street is littered with places you can sit and have a drink or something while shopping; the Hemingway House is nice, though a bit expensive, and I don't recall much seating; the Truman Little White House tour is quaint and IIRC air-conditioned, though I think you walk the whole time there too; the La Concha hotel has a bar and viewing deck on the top floor that's open to non-guests, so go up there for a glance around; and in the evening, there are cabaret / drag performances where you can just sit and enjoy a show (my mom in her mid-70s would be OK with the content; really, it's the tipping she might have a problem with). For food, Sarabeth's is only one block from Duval. The hardest thing might be finding parking near there.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 12:12 AM on February 9, 2014


Naples has a first-class, moderately sized art museum that you can tour in just a couple of hours. It also has a beautiful botanical garden, but that will involve a walk of about a mile or two to see.
posted by Camofrog at 9:42 AM on February 9, 2014


Oh, and it's a bit hokey, but Billie Swamp Safari is actually super fun and entertaining, and it's a great place to grab lunch.
posted by Camofrog at 9:44 AM on February 9, 2014


Corkscrew Sanctuary is pretty nice. There is a very tame boardwalk path that shouldn't be too challenging, but I don't know what the wildlife situation is there this time of year.

I'm also pretty fond of Randy's Fishmarket. It's kind of hard to find some good, non-mall restaurants out there, so Randy's is refreshingly genuine.
posted by Think_Long at 11:23 AM on February 9, 2014


Miami just opened the pamm art museum. It has some nice views of the city/water. If the weather is nice, it would be easy to kill an afternoon touring the museum and hanging out at the restaurant/cafe.
posted by LaunchBox at 8:41 PM on February 9, 2014


When I went to Key West several years ago, they had tons of little electric car things (a little more than golf carts, but not much). Renting one of those might be helpful.
posted by Madamina at 5:51 AM on February 10, 2014


Seconding Fort Zachary Taylor beach in Key West. They have picnic tables and a place to get lunch. The electric cars are indeed a good way to get around but might be pricey depending on how long you wanted to rent them for. As mentioned there are lots of shops, bars and restaurants close together on Duval street.
posted by Shadow Boxer at 6:59 AM on February 11, 2014


Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Didn't use most of them, partly because my dad was feeling worse than expected. But great ideas for future trips!
posted by myntu at 4:06 PM on February 17, 2014


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