A week in Florida in December. Where to go?

July 16, 2008 5:17 PM

A week in Florida in December. Where to go?

We'll be in Hollywood, FL (30 minutes north of Miami) in mid-December and want to stay an extra week to enjoy some resort-y areas in Florida.

We're looking for beach, pool, restaurants, bars, maybe even some culture. Not Orlando. We like laid back and authentic, not corporate and commercial. Where should we go?

One option is a few days on South Beach and then a few days in Key West. What is Key West like these days?

We'd consider the Caribbean but flight costs are pretty high these days.

Anything on the West Coast we should consider?

By the way - we're in our mid-30s.

posted by kdern to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

Not sure how far North you'd like to go on the west coast but St. Petersburg is a pretty fun city. It has a great downtown, a lively bar scene and Fort Desoto park is absolutely magnificent. I'd block out an overnight trip, take Alligator Alley (HWY 84/ I-75) west out of Hollywood and enjoy the Everglades scenery. All together, it takes about 3 hours to get up there. You could stop at any little town and get an idea of what old Florida really was about (don't say you weren't warned). There are multiple, low-cost hotels in the downtown St. Pete area and it is a fairly safe city.
posted by priested at 5:31 PM on July 16

We'd consider the Caribbean but flight costs are pretty high these days.

Flight? You'll be right near Port Everglades. How about a cruise? A day cruise can be very reasonable.

(And seconding St. Pete...unlike it's neighbor across the bay, St. Pete is a fun place).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:41 PM on July 16

If you DO head up in the direction of St. Pete, take a day and go to Tarpon Springs, which is basically an old Greek sponging town.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:42 PM on July 16

Sanibel or Captiva are nice options for authenticity, as long as you don't require a lot of stimulating entertainment (e.g. nightclubs, noisy bars, etc.) The islands are on the west coast, about 1.5 to 2 hrs drive from Miami.
posted by brain cloud at 5:43 PM on July 16

Longboat Key or Anna Maria Island near Sarasota?
posted by matty at 5:48 PM on July 16

2nding priested. i went to college in Sarasota, and regularly visit Tampa/St. Pete. the West Coast is very nice and chill. nice beaches and restaurants abound, even some decent museums (like the Dali museum in St. Pete) Sanibel Island is a beautiful somewhat-isolated beach further south on the coast.
posted by gnutron at 5:50 PM on July 16

I thought Key West was a very interesting and enjoyable place. Wild chickens roost in palm trees right along city streets. Didn't see that one coming. There are good restaurants and such interesting and eclectic culture. It's great to just walk around and bump into things.
posted by Askr at 5:56 PM on July 16

Agreeing with brain cloud. Off the southwest coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, sit two little islands or keys, Sanibel and Captiva. When I was last there about 20 years ago, they hadn't yet lost the simple charms of the undiscovered getaway. That's subject to change, as most Florida property has succumbed to the tourist trap in the past decade. The islands have been a bird sanctuary through most of the past century, attracting many of the exotic water fowl common to the southern wetlands. The beaches are nice, the fishing and boating superb, but that isn't why I'm writing this. I wanted to tell you and about an eccentric little restaurant on Captiva Island called The Bubble Room.

The Bubble Room is Florida's most outrageous restaurant. The decor is unlike anything you have experienced, unless you normally dine where Christmas, nostalgia, antique shops and Hollywood are all rolled into one. This fascinating American-cuisine restaurant is composed of eye-catching memorabilia from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Toy trains, twinkling colored lights and more than 2,000 movie stills and glossies of stage and screen legends greet diners curious to see Captiva's famed restaurant.

Servers are aptly titled "Bubble Scouts," and sport zany hats and khaki uniforms covered in crazy buttons. Outside, the colorful decor of the three-story Bubble Room building makes you smile even before you enter. Once inside, you'll find a 7-foot Mickey Mouse from a 1930 Disney float, an old "Santa's Workshop" from a Macy's department store window, and a toy train that circumnavigates the entire innards of the building. While the food is quite good, the simple joy of "being there" is why I remember The Bubble Room to this day.
posted by netbros at 6:01 PM on July 16

St. Pete is pretty. I was just there three weeks ago. If Hollywood is your home base I don't know if I would suggest venturing over to the west coast. The Dali museum is cool (make sure to take the guided tour) and the downtown area is quite nice, but I'm not so sure that would lure me over there. But, seven days is a long time and you might want to do a couple of road trips.

In December, from Hollywood all the way down to the Keys, the water temps are cold. I don't know if you'll be doing any serious ocean bathing at this time of the year. Sure, it will still be warm, 80 degree days, but the water will still be too cold to snorkel or swim. This is unless you're a polar bear. There are plenty of beautiful beaches to walk on and wade in, up to your ankles.

South Beach doesn't thrill me. The hotels are beautiful and there is plenty of (very expensive) nightlife, but the beach isn't the nicest. This is coming from someone that has been to a lot of beautiful Florida beaches, so maybe I'm picky.

Key West is really cool. You can get down to Key West in 3.5 hours from Hollywood. I say yes, go for it. Spend a day or two in Key West. Some places are a total hole, but that's the charm. Mallory Square is always busy with lots of cool activity at sunset. You can rent bicycles and explore. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and quirky little tourist stops, like the Mel Fisher Museum.

I hope you get a response from someone that is really familiar with the Hollywood area. I'm sure there's lots of interesting stuff to do right there.
posted by LoriFLA at 6:54 PM on July 16

I'll nth St. Pete! I may be considered biased since I was raised here, but it's a fantastic city. I'm 32, and there's still plenty for me to do on a regular basis. The downtown/Beach Drive area is gorgeous, we have excellent restaurants and great antiquing, if you're into that sort of thing (also really good bars). If you're here on a Saturday, we have an awesome open air market. St. Petersburg is also Florida's first officially designated green city, and is pretty well walkable, depending on where you're staying. We also have several smaller cities nearby that are 10-15 minutes away, and Tampa across the bridge if you want a little variety.
posted by mewithoutyou at 6:54 PM on July 16

For your requirements of laid back and authentic, not corporate and commercial, I recommend St. Augustine.
posted by amyms at 7:27 PM on July 16

I have say to St. Pete is more like 3 -4 hours away depending on traffic. It is a really nice place, but maybe not the the "resort-y" place you want. Del Ray Beach is nice and Boynton isn't too bad and it's not too far from Hollywood.

MS

mewithoutyou is mostly right, but I have to make a slight correction. Should have read, If you want LITTLE or NO variety, Tampa is across the bridge :)
posted by MiggySawdust at 7:31 PM on July 16 [1 favorite]

For a day trip, the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach are really lovely and not all that far from Hollywood.

Another: the Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach. It's an elevated boardwalk that runs through reclaimed wetlands. It's not exactly huge, but it's a great opportunity to see the local wildlife in a natural environment.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:48 PM on July 16

I lived in Hollywood 12 years ago, and while I remember there being some interesting stuff to do, I can remember specifics.

Oh..one thing: Go watch some Jai Alai. It right off of Federal highway in Dania (near the airport).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:56 PM on July 16

Key West is wonderful. It's big enough where you can find some nice quiet resorts and small enough to walk or bike around. Beautiful architecture, historical buildings and sites, great restaurants, plenty to do day and night. I'd recommend it over St. Pete's, which is pretty but a little boring and you're stuck in your car if you want to get around. Not really worth the long drive and traffic to get there. Sanibel is nice, and you could actually take the ferry (although it's expensive) from Key West to Ft. Myers and from there go to Sanibel/Captiva.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 11:43 PM on July 16

Oh, and don't forget the Everglades.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 11:45 PM on July 16

Come over to my corner of the world, St Petersburg!
We got beaches, we got hipsters, we got museums, we got old people.
Just for general "What the hell else do they got there?" go to the City of St Petersburg website.
posted by willmize at 7:30 AM on July 17

If you go to St. Pete, be sure to check out the Salvador Dali museum.

I like to kooky local roadside attraction type stuff that's so easy to find in Florida. Check out
Coral Castle
Spook Hill in Lake Wales
Weeki Wachee
Dinosaur World

And go swimming in one of the springs. I can't recommend this enough.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 10:16 AM on July 17

You can also go to Caladesi Island -- thought by an expert to be the nation's best beach. Yes, you read that right.
posted by skepticallypleased at 9:06 PM on July 17