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Sophistication and Fun in a Natural Gulfcoast Gem

Sarasota, Bradenton, New Port Richey, Hudson

The Nature Coast

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota, the Central West region of Florida offers a vast array of cultural, historical, natural and recreational riches along gem-colored waters and sun-drenched beaches.

In Central West Florida, families can visit world-famous attractions, meet friendly creatures of all shapes and sizes, marvel at intriguing cultural treasures and explore historical sites hundreds of years old.

Hillsborough County is an exciting bundle of thrills, chills and spills for the entire family. From screaming roller coasters and scary sea creatures to gale-force winds and frolicking manatees, families will enjoy rides, entertainment and educational exhibits throughout the Tampa area. Explore the intrigue of turn-of-the-century Africa at Busch Gardens, a 335-acre family entertainment park packed with thrill rides, live entertainment, animals in natural settings, shops, restaurants and games in nine distinctly themed areas. With more than 3,400 animals roaming throughout the park, Busch Gardens is one of the top zoos in the country. And thanks to the new "Edge of Africa" expansion, visitors can now wander through an African village populated by hyenas, a fishing village housing hippopotamuses, baboons and various species of fish and a safari encampment overrun by lions. At Busch Gardens, visitors can also try to tame the park's other savage beasts - a collection of record-breaking roller coasters. On "Montu," one of the world's tallest and longest inverted steel roller coaster, visitors' feet dangle below the car as they drop nearly 13 stories and flip through a corkscrew finale. While on "Kumba," the southeast's largest and fastest roller coaster, riders travel at over 60 mph down nearly 4,000 feet of track towering at a height of 135 feet. Younger children will enjoy playing in the Land of Dragons, featuring climb-through mazes, watery play areas, corkscrew slides, net climbs, secret rooms and reptile exhibits.

Nearby, Adventure Island offers acres of twists and turns through 17 unique water play areas, including the new "Splash Attack," a treehouse maze of 50 interactive water elements overflowing with fun. A championship volleyball complex, game arcade and outdoor cafes round out the park's offerings.

Families can also spot exotic creatures from faraway places at Lowry Park Zoo. Ranked as one of the top three mid-size zoos in the country, Lowry Park Zoo features a free-flight bird aviary, an Asian Domain, a variety of primates - from chimpanzees to woolly monkeys - and the Florida Wildlife Center, a special sanctuary for native Floridians such as alligators, panthers, bears and red wolves. The zoo's Manatee and Aquatic Center is one of only three manatee hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Florida. Next door, at the Children's Museum of Tampa, kids can roam through a miniature outdoor city built to scale and chock-full of educational and entertaining activities.

Along downtown Tampa's waterfront, the distinctive glass-domed Florida Aquarium showcases more than 4,300 animals and plants in natural fresh- and saltwater habitats. Walking through the aquarium's huge galleries, visitors can explore Florida wetlands, bays, beaches, coral reefs and offshore depths. For the ultimate hands-on aquatic adventure, visit the new "Explore A Shore" exhibit, where children of all ages can climb among mangrove tree roots, dig for buried shells, crawl through coral caves and touch live sea creatures in a pool teeming with everything from sea stars and anemones to horseshoe crabs and angelfish.

Families will experience wonders of a different kind at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). At this scientific playground filled with more than 450 "minds-on" activities, visitors learn by doing. Encounter the gale-force winds of a Gulf Coast hurricane, explore the universe in space simulators or wander through a free-flight butterfly garden. And at Florida's first IMAX Dome, a 350-seat, 85-foot domed theater, viewers can experience the thrill of various films up-close.

Twenty miles southwest of Tampa, Pinellas County's finger-like peninsula dangles into the Gulf of Mexico, offering nearly 400 miles of shoreline and encompassing the eight resort communities of Clearwater Beach, Dunedin, Indian Rocks Beach, Madeira Beach, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Tarpon Springs and Treasure Island. Families will find the soft sandy beaches provide a refreshing break from the fast pace of nearby attractions. Gulf beaches boast 361 days of sunshine and an average water temperature of 75 degrees, making nearly every day a good one for shelling, sunning, swimming, fishing or sailing.

But family activities abound off the beach as well. In Tarpon Springs, discover a seaside village settled by Greek sponge divers at the turn of the century. Kids of all ages will enjoy the delicious Greek pastries, and shoppers will find treasures in markets with a Mediterranean flair.

At the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, vacationers can meet Sam, the bottlenosed dolphin, Big Mo, a 500-pound loggerhead sea turtle and get a fish-eye's view of a mangrove and seagrass community. Nearby, Celebration Station offers a variety of rides including go-karts and bumper boats, plus miniature golf and batting cages. And parents will have a difficult time prying kids away from the park's two-story arcade.

To the south, St. Petersburg offers numerous cultural activities connected by the city's downtown trolley service, called the Looper. Family-friendly stops include the St. Petersburg Museum of History, where a replica of a Benoist airboat commemorates the world's first commercial flight made from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 1914; and Great Explorations: The Hands-On Museum, where kids can play inventor-for-a-day as they help Einstein with his latest project, reconstruct a 40-foot-long roller coaster or create their own symphony.

Along St. Pete Beach, kids can enjoy an amusement center full of video games, while parents stroll through shopping villages set in tropical surroundings.

Two Pinellas-area piers provide additional diversions. Jetting out into Tampa Bay, the quarter-mile-long St. Petersburg Pier features an inverted five-story pyramid housing a festival marketplace of shops, numerous eating establishments, an aquarium and large observation area. Plus, families can rent electric boats, visit the H.M.S. Bounty exhibit in the winter months, play miniature golf, or celebrate the end of a beautiful Gulf Coast day at Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach. Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Pier 60 offers a sunset celebration patterned after Key West's popular Mallory Square festival, but with a decidedly family-friendly atmosphere. Craftsmen, artists and entertainers perform nightly, two hours before and after sunset.

Manatee County bears the marks of centuries of history, from the 16th-century landing of the Spaniards to the 19th-century planting of sugar cane. For a historical tour of the area, families should start at the South Florida Museum in downtown Bradenton. The two-story museum contains more than 50,000 square feet of exhibits, depicting the state's history from prehistoric times to the Space Age. Life-size dioramas portraying Indian life in early Florida and replicas of 16th-century Spanish buildings are popular highlights. While at the museum, be sure to check in on "Snooty," the oldest living manatee born in captivity, or take a peek at the solar system at the Bishop Planetarium. Next, travel to DeSoto National Memorial Park to see where Hernando DeSoto landed in 1539, beginning a four-year, 4,000-mile expedition that was the first European penetration into what is now the southern United States. From December through April, park rangers dressed in period costumes, demonstrate the use of various 16th-century weapons and show how food was prepared and preserved for long journeys.

Move forward several hundred years by visiting the Manatee Village Historical Park, where life on the 19th-century Florida frontier has been preserved. Roam through a 100-year-old general store complete with merchandise from the era, meander down a brick-lined walk to a Florida cracker-style settler home and explore a boatworks building, where sailing ships were built for nearly 80 years. Next, tour the antebellum South at Gamble Plantation State Historic Site in Ellenton. Built in 1850, the mansion is the only surviving antebellum plantation house in south Florida. Guided tours describe daily life on the vast sugar plantation, which used to send molasses and sugar up the nearby Manatee River to markets in New Orleans. Wrap up the historical trek with a narrated sight-seeing trip through rural Manatee County aboard a 1950s diesel-engine train, featuring old-fashioned, open-window coaches.

For beach explorers, Bradenton and the Gulf islands of Anna Maria and Longboat Key boast 27 miles of dazzling sand beaches unmarred by high-rise condominiums or hotels. Shelling, sunbathing and swimming opportunities abound at numerous public beaches, while airboat rides offer an up-close look at the vibrant marine ecology of the Gulf islands.

Known as "Florida's Cultural Coast," Sarasota offers world-class art and entertainment the entire family will enjoy. Kids will be thrilled to discover the city was once the winter home of John Ringling and his world-famous Ringling Bros. Circus. Today, the circus magnate's legacy is on display at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Given as a gift to the people of Florida upon Ringling's death in 1936, the palatial estate includes the art museum, Circus Museum, Asolo Theater and Ringling mansion.

Housed in a pink Italian Renaissance villa, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art features one of the country's largest and most celebrated collections of Baroque, Italian and Flemish Renaissance paintings as well as exquisite 17th-century tapestries. Also on the grounds is the Circus Museum, an assemblage of original circus art and artifacts, including elaborate costumes and carved circus wagons. Children will especially enjoy the Animated Miniature Circus, a scale model of the Ringling Bros. Circus as it appeared in the mid-1930s. Visitors will also marvel at the historic Asolo Theater, the only authentic 19th-century Italian theater in the United States. The rococo-style theater, with rising tiers of boxes and dazzling pastel and gold ornaments that reflect the glow of candles, is an exhibit-in-use. Visitors can enjoy the splendid decor while attending the concerts, lectures and art films still held in the theater. Situated on Sarasota Bay, Ca'd'Zan, the Ringling's 30-room Venetian Gothic mansion, will dazzle visitors with its terra cotta balustrades, European tinted glass, whimsical carvings and painted ceilings.

For treasures of another kind, families can visit the Mote Marine Aquarium, south of Longboat Key. The centerpiece of the aquarium is a 135,000-gallon outdoor shark tank. After the shark tank, take the kids to the 30-foot "Touch Tank," where horseshoe crabs, rays and sea urchins can be gently handled. Also on display are octopuses, sea turtles and manatees, among many other creatures. The aquarium offers two types of environmental boat tours - a nature cruise of Sarasota Bay with an onboard naturalist sharing interesting tidbits, and a winter bird observation tour of the mangrove islands in area bays.

Visitors to Central West Florida have always gotten plenty of things for free - dazzling sunshine, soft Gulf Coast breezes and powdery white sand. An array of special discounts can help make the rest of the region's attractions almost as economical.

Travelers can make the most of their Tampa-area vacation with "Great Tampa Getaways," a new year-round package program that pairs up Tampa attractions and hotel accommodations throughout Hillsborough County, offering visitors a value-oriented vacation plan with lots of options. Travelers can select from a range of package options, including admissions to area attractions and museums, tickets to professional sports events and outdoor activities such as deep sea fishing, canoe trips and hot air balloon expeditions. Package prices start at $79 per person, per night.

In addition, some of Tampa's most popular attractions, such as Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and MOSI, offer an average of 10 percent off admissions to senior citizens and students. For quick, affordable transportation to many of the area's cultural and historical attractions, families can take advantage of the Tampa-Ybor Trolley's 25-cent fare.

Southwest of Tampa, enjoy an average of 361 days of sunshine for free on the Pinellas Suncoast, which encompasses eight Pinellas County communities from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete Beach. Although sunny year-round, many hotels offer special packages during the summer, when the average room rate dips to less than $52 per night. And with average meal prices ranging from $3 for breakfast to $9 for dinner, vacationers may find feeding the family to be less expensive than they planned.

Within an easy drive to Tampa-area attractions, Manatee County features hotel and resort rates from just $40 per night, while campgrounds and state parks offer natural accommodations beginning at $10 per night. In addition, visitors can enjoy the Manatee Village Historical Park and DeSoto National Memorial for free. Other Manatee County attractions, such as the Gamble Plantation State Historic Site and the world's longest pier, cost less than $5 per person.

Dotting the region's coastline, a host of unique diversions await on the roads less traveled. Down scenic bayfront avenues and tucked off quiet Gulf beaches, gilded architecture, ethnic enclaves and historic villages can be explored at a leisurely pace reminiscent of a bygone era.

Rising above the Hillsborough River, the six silver onion-shaped minarets atop the former Tampa Bay Hotel are the first clue that travelers are approaching a hallmark of the city's gilded age. The former hotel, with its distinctive Moorish architecture, still stands but now operates as the University of Tampa, with one wing - the Henry B. Plant Museum - furnished as it was in the late 1800s. Visitors can wander through opulent rooms, such as the restored parlor suite, domed dining room and magnificent solarium. The museum also showcases Victorian art, furniture and fashions.

For another fine example of ornamented architecture, tour the Tampa Theatre, a restored 1926 movie palace, built to resemble a Moorish courtyard, complete with colonnades, balconies and Greek and Roman sculpture replicas. Visitors-in-the-know will want to take advantage of free guided tours offered on a monthly basis. On the tours, visitors can explore the theater from balcony to backstage, see a special film screening of "American Movie Palaces" and hear a mini-concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ. In addition, open house tours are held periodically on selected Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Interesting museums nearby include the Tampa Museum of Art, specializing in classical antiquities and showcasing Florida's acclaimed and emerging artists; and the Tampa Bay History Center, featuring exhibits on the area's historical and multicultural influences. Visit these and other cultural sites on walking tours of the city's art and architecture.

Across the bay, St. Petersburg's trolley service provides travelers with easy access to a variety of downtown cultural treasures. Stops along the route include the world-famous Salvador Dali Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of works by the Spanish surrealist; the Florida International Museum, the state's premier museum for blockbuster exhibitions such as the "Treasures of the Czars" and "Titanic: The Exhibition;" and Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a waterfront Mediterranean villa and noted for its collection of French impressionist paintings. Since relocating from nearby Madeira Beach, the Tampa Bay Holocaust Memorial Museum and Educational Center, which features a concentration camp boxcar from Treblinka, Poland, has been added to the trolley's route. And near downtown St. Petersburg, one of Florida's original roadside attractions still thrives. Sunken Gardens features an exotic collection of more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers as well as a walk-through aviary, wax museum of biblical characters and gator wrestling shows.

Pinellas County's particular blend of culture and history is also wonderfully preserved in several vibrant communities awaiting discovery. Strolling through Tarpon Springs, vacationers get the impression they are visiting a seaside Mediterranean village. Here, the aroma of freshly baked Greek pastries and festive melodies fill the air, while fisherman and shopkeepers exchange greetings in Greek. This special flavor is an outgrowth of one of Florida's most fascinating, one-of-a-kind industries - sponge diving. Considered "America's Sponge Capital" at the turn of the century, Tarpon Springs has retained the colorful traditions and atmosphere introduced by Greek sponge divers over a hundred years ago. Today, visitors can explore the Sponge Exchange, once the "Wall Street for Sponges," now converted into a shopping and dining district featuring Greek foods and handicrafts. Learn about the history of the community at the Spongeorama or get a first-hand look at a diver harvesting sponges on sightseeing cruises. Nearby, visitors can marvel at the neo-Byzantine architecture of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, featuring Grecian marble, elaborate icons and exquisite stained glass windows.

In Dunedin, passers-by can peruse the town's Scottish heritage at the Dunedin Historical Museum, housed in the original Orange Belt Railroad station. Or take walking tours of the picturesque downtown area, featuring quirky antique shops and cafes in a village-like atmosphere. Step into turn-of-the-century Pinellas County at the Heritage Village in Largo. The 22-acre village features a fascinating collection of restored homes and buildings that depict the county's pioneer lifestyle. Spinning, weaving and other exhibitions are held regularly and add to the authentic atmosphere.

Wandering down Sarasota County's shimmering Gulf Coast, travelers will find fragrant gardens and numerous small towns offering quiet and refreshing points of interest. Overlooking Sarasota Bay, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens fills nine tranquil acres with more than 20,000 colorful plants in 20 distinct garden areas. Renowned for its rain forest canopy research, the garden also features 6,000 orchids, a banyan grove, bamboo pavilion and butterfly garden. Nearby, Sarasota Jungle Gardens showcases lush tropical vegetation and exotic waterfowl as well as a petting zoo and shell museum.

At Historic Spanish Point in Osprey, visitors can explore a late Victorian-era pioneer homestead, Native American burial mound, archaeological dig, 19th-century chapel and cemetery and the remnants of a turn-of-the-century estate's formal gardens. Further south, the delightful island village of Venice offers beaches that are rarely crowded and avenues graced by northern Italian architecture and fine shopping centers. In North Port, visitors can take a rejuvenating dip in one of nature's original health spas, Warm Mineral Springs. Relax in 87-degree, mineralized water that soothes aches and pains right away.

Driving along the fresh-smelling back roads of Florida's three Nature Coast counties - Citrus, Hernando and Pasco - travelers will be enchanted by glimpses of small-town America. Floral City's village-like atmosphere is accentuated by the Avenue of Oaks, a cathedral of trees planted in the 1880s. The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, located in the Citrus County town of Hernando, is also worth a stop. Baseball buffs will love the museum's memorabilia and may even catch sight of Williams himself, who lives nearby and annually picks new inductees into his hall of fame.

For more than 50 years, the beautiful mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs have captivated crowds with their legendary performances in the world's only underwater spring theater. Located in Hernando County, the park also features a wilderness river cruise, exotic bird show and petting zoo. Next door, Buccaneer Bay Waterpark offers cool refreshment as the state's only natural spring-fed family waterpark. Road-weary travelers can plummet down giant slides into the spring's cool waters or relax on a lazy river ride.

Tucked amid Pasco County's green pastures and gentle, rolling hills, travelers will find the charming antique district of Dade City, featuring unique shops in early 20th-century cottages and houses. With names like "Tickle Your Fancy," "Bea's Antiques and Sweets" and "The Picket Fence," shops sell everything from collectible dolls and folk art to vintage clothing and handmade chocolates. Visitors can also peruse old-fashioned hardware stores selling pitchforks and plows or watch potters work on the wheel at Glades Pottery and Gallery. Just a mile from downtown, passers-by can stroll through the hilltop grounds of the Pioneer Florida Museum, stopping to inspect horse-drawn buggies and a steam-powered locomotive. The museum also features the replicated office of a pioneer doctor and a miniature doll collection of Florida's first ladies in their inaugural gowns.

At Skydive City in nearby Zephyrhills, adventurous vacationers can leave the beaten path altogether for the experience of a lifetime. Join the ranks of skydiving enthusiasts who travel from across the globe to the world-famous "drop zone" for a plunge through Pasco's brilliant blue skies. Expert training, full equipment, group rates and video and photography services are available.

Moving inland, DeSoto County offers small-town appeal characterized by the sights and sounds of Florida the way it used to be. Whether getting away for a romantic weekend or traveling with the family, visitors will enjoy comfortably elegant accommodations beneath towering oaks and shaded verandas at one of the quaint bed and breakfasts in historic Arcadia. Guestrooms provide a pleasant "home away from home" with the charm of turn-of-the-century Victorian décor. Walking tours allow visitors to observe some of Florida's finest examples of early 1900s "boomtown" architecture.

DeSoto County is Florida's "cowboy country" where the days of the open range have been a part of historical heritage since the 1850s. The Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo with Wild West shootouts and parade attract visitors twice a year to celebrate the granddady of all rodeos. Cattle may be king, but watermelons reign in May. Celebrate watermelon mania with the annual watermelon festival, complete with seed-spitting contests, raft races and beauty contests.

Encompassing the southern portion of Florida's Nature Coast as well as three of the world's top beaches, the region is teeming with nature-based recreational activities. From swimming with manatees to flying over secluded barrier islands, a Central West Florida vacation can include eco-adventures of every kind.

Whether it's canoeing down the Hillsborough River, soaring over Tampa Bay in a hot air balloon or catching a cobia in blue-green Gulf waters, visitors can experience more of Tampa Bay-area's nature than ever thanks to "Tampa Outdoor Adventures," an alliance of several businesses offering alternative outdoor excursions in the area. Canoe Escape provides a window to the "Real Florida" on scenic canoe trips down the Hillsborough River. Along the way, paddlers are likely to see alligators, soft shell turtles, woodpeckers and a variety of native plants. For high flying adventures, vacationers can take a hot air balloon or float plane ride over the area, glimpsing vistas of bay waters, secluded islands and Tampa's distinctive skyline. For sport fishing, knowledgeable captains take passengers to spots perfect for catching tarpon, cobia, redfish, trout and snook.

Hillsborough County also provides plenty of outdoor recreation for visitors who want to explore the area's natural beauty on their own. Northwest of Tampa, the Hillsborough River State Park is one of Florida's oldest parks and includes an authentically reconstructed Seminole War-era fort and bridge, complete with park rangers that carry out their duties as though it were still 1837. Visitors can hike along eight miles of nature trails through live oaks, sabal palms, hickory and magnolias bordering the scenic Hillsborough River.

In addition, 11 county parks offer a range of unique activities. Eureka Springs, the only botanical garden in the park system, includes a greenhouse, trellised walks, trails and boardwalks. The 600-acre Lake Park features a bicycle motorcross track, archery range and equestrian facilities as well as five lakes, pine flatwoods and hardwood hammocks. To combine canoeing with fishing, explore the Alafia and Little Manatee rivers, both are state-designated canoe trails that empty into Tampa Bay and offer fresh- and saltwater habitats. For truly extraordinary outdoor recreation, visit Two Rivers Ranch in Thonotosassa, where fox hunting takes place on the 17,000-acre ranch from late-November through mid-March. For more than a quarter of a century, riders have followed foxes and hounds through pristine pastures until the Master of the Fox Hounds declares the hunt over.

To the southwest, Pinellas County boasts 35 miles of sandy shores along the sparkling Gulf of Mexico, including three of the top beaches in the world - Caladesi Island, Fort DeSoto and Sand Key.

The 600-acre Caladesi Island State Park offers miles of undeveloped beaches, edged in sea grass and palmettos. On the bay side, visitors can explore a mangrove swamp, which offers refuge for numerous wading birds and shorebirds. A three-mile nature trail provides extensive nature study as it winds through the island's interior of virgin pine flatwood and live oak hammocks. Connected to the mainland by a causeway, nearby Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area is a popular retreat for sun seekers, shell collectors and picnickers and provides regularly scheduled ferry service to Caladesi Island, which is accessible by boat only.

To the north on the Pasco-Pinellas county line, Anclote Key State Preserve offers excellent swimming off a beautiful four-mile-long beach and nature study in six distinct biological communities. The preserve can be reached by private boat only.

At the mouth of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Fort DeSoto Park attracts record numbers of visitors wishing to sample some of Florida's most picturesque beaches, picnicking grounds and camping spots. The park consists of five connected barrier islands south of St. Petersburg. Mullet Key is the largest and is the site of Fort DeSoto, a Spanish American War-era artillery installation with unusual weaponry. The island also offers beautiful waterside camping, four miles of bicycle and in-line skating trails, ample saltwater fishing spots and a large playground for kids.

For beach scenery unlike any other, visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores. Here, cages cover an acre site along the beach, comprising one of the largest wild bird hospitals and sanctuaries in North America. Visitors can get an up-close look at more than 500 birds, including the largest collection of brown pelicans in captivity.

With nearly 400 miles of shoreline, it's not surprising that boating and fishing are popular pastimes in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. Both fresh- and saltwater fishing are welcome from piers and parks throughout the county. And anglers have their pick of numerous deep sea fishing charters, including more than 20 at the Clearwater Municipal Marina.

Inland, the 15-foot-wide, paved Pinellas Trail follows abandoned railroad tracks for 34 miles through the county, providing the perfect locale for in-line skating, biking, walking and jogging.

Leaving the Pinellas Suncoast, head south to Manatee County across the rebuilt Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which soars 183 feet above the shimmering Tampa Bay. Travelers taking this four-mile ride at sunset will be treated to some of the most spectacular vistas on the Gulf Coast. The southern section of the original bridge has been converted into the longest fishing pier in the world. The mile-and-a-half-long pier is open 24 hours a day for fishing and sightseeing.

At the mouth of Tampa Bay lies the remote, historic island of Egmont Key, home of the threatened gopher tortoise and site of the crumbling Fort Dade, a military outpost built during the Spanish American War. The island can be reached by private boat or on a guided charter trip with the Miss Cortez Fleet, which includes a walking tour that gives explorers an ecological and historical look at the island.

Aboard airboats, visitors can explore Manatee County's inland bays where porpoises play and sea turtles paddle by or glide through narrow mangrove hammocks where sandhill cranes and wood storks nest. Adventurous paddlers can hop in a canoe and follow the Manatee River into Florida's interior, where white sandbars suddenly appear around bends in the waterway and rich subtropical vegetation lines the riverbanks. Nature lovers can visit 15 manatee watch areas throughout the Bradenton area for glimpses of the county's namesake.

Stretching for 35 miles from Longboat Key to Englewood, Sarasota County's numerous public beaches offer powdery white sand full of shells, rock jetties with ideal fishing spots and calm Gulf waters popular for snorkeling. While in the area, vacationers can visit South Lido Park, a 100-acre public recreational area at the tip of Lido Key. Here, a variety of rich coastal Florida environments including bayous, lagoons and mangrove hammocks, can be explored along wooden walkways, nature trails and canoe trails. Great blue heron, tiny red fiddler crabs and pink shrimp are among the hundreds of species easily spotted throughout the park. Or visitors can go fossil hunting on Venice Beach, dubbed the "Fossilized Shark Tooth Capital of the World," for the sharp teeth routinely found along its shores.

Inland along the twisting Myakka River, visitors can explore, the Myakka River State Park, a 36,000-acre wilderness preserve replete with oak palm hammocks, grassy marshes, sloughs and lakes. For an up-close view of these habitats and the wildlife they contain, take a boat or tram tour through the park. Along the park's 39 miles of hiking trails, adventurous backpackers will experience dry prairies, pine flatwoods, numerous ponds and a 140-foot-deep sinkhole. Primitive campsites, rustic log cabins and family campgrounds offer additional ways to enjoy the river's beauty. Sarasota is also home to the Oscar Schere State Park; which has many bird species, including the endangered scrub jay.

DeSoto County boasts Florida's most popular state canoe trail on the Peace River. The meandering course takes paddlers on a scenic journey through cypress swamps, hardwood forests and old ranchlands. Besides canoeing and kayaking, camping, wildlife viewing, fishing and fossil hunting are other favorite pastimes on and along the flat blackwater of the beautiful Peace River.

Three Central West Florida counties - Citrus, Hernando and Pasco - comprise the southern reaches of Florida's Nature Coast, an eight-county, 980,000-acre natural reserve set aside for recreation and conservation. Along certain parts of this Gulf Coast area, pristine coastal beaches surrounded by serene marshlands give way to spring-fed rivers trailing through vast hardwood forests.

Comprised of tracts in all three counties, the 142,000-acre Withlacoochee State Forest features sandhill scrub and oak thickets in Citrus County, ravines and abandoned rock mines in Hernando County and pine forests and cypress ponds in Pasco County. More than 100 miles of hiking trails snake through the forest, enabling backcountry explorers to witness the biodiversity firsthand. Camping, horseback riding, birding, motorcycling and archery hunting are also welcome at various recreation areas throughout the forest. Meandering through the forest, the Withlacoochee River offers canoe trails up to 83 miles long. For fun on land, bikers will enjoy the Withlacoochee State Trail. The 46-mile-long trail follows abandoned railroad tracks from western Marion County to northern Pasco County, traversing upland mixed forests and wetland communities along the way.

Known as "Mother Nature's Theme Park," Citrus County's spring-fed rivers, shallow Gulf Coast waters and underwater caverns provide a natural wonderland for visitors to explore and enjoy. Vacationers can explore the brackish marshes and bay islets of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge via boat, canoe or sea kayak. Take wilderness excursions, including primitive camping and off-road biking, through the land tracts owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which protects vast stretches of the coastal area. Inland, the county's seven rivers, all of which are state-designated "Outstanding Florida Water Bodies," offer scuba diving in underwater caverns, canoeing through scenic side creeks and fishing in marshy wetlands. Additionally, from October through March, visitors can swim, snorkel and dive with the manatees that gather in the natural springs along the Crystal River, the only place in the entire United States where the public can swim/snorkel through organized programs with manatees in their natural habitat. At the nearby 166-acre Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, manatees can be seen at close range 365 days of the year from an underwater observatory. And along the park's unspoiled nature trails, visitors will spot deer, bear, bobcats and cougars, as well as a wide variety of birds from colorful wood ducks to flamingos.

Along Hernando County's coast, vacationers can spend the day walking along pristine shores, netting delicious blue crab, diving for fresh scallops or chartering a boat for a deep sea fishing adventure. For coastal wilderness vistas from the car window, take a drive along Shoal Line Boulevard.

Florida's Nature Coast officially ends in Pasco County, where visitors soon learn "It's Only Natural" to expect a unique outdoor Florida experience. At the 8,300-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park in New Port Richey, vacationers can explore 24 miles of hiking, nature, horse and bike trails through a variety of ecosystems, including pine flatwoods, cypress swamps, freshwater marshes and wet prairies. While at Crews Lake Park in Shady Hills, visitors can walk through a live oak hammock with more than 300 old-growth trees. The park also features a botanical garden, observation tower and bike path.

Dazzling sunsets on secluded beaches, quaint restaurants in historic districts and elegant culture in lavish surroundings, make Central West Florida the perfect romantic getaway.

Just beyond Tampa's downtown business district are the historic communities of Hyde Park and Ybor City, adding a nostalgic, romantic flair to the city's bustling, modern-day pace. Nestled in the shadows of the grand Henry B. Plant Museum lies Hyde Park, one of Tampa's oldest neighborhoods. Established in the late 19th century after the opening of the palatial Tampa Bay Hotel began attracting monied visitors to the area, Hyde Park now features stately "Princess Anne" style dwellings and brick-paved avenues perfect for strolling or biking. In the heart of this National Register Historic District is Old Hyde Park Village, a collection of upscale boutiques and trendy restaurants ideal for casual shopping in elegant surroundings.

Nearby, Tampa's Latin Quarter - Ybor City - is filled with bakeries that open before dawn and nightclubs that entertain until well after midnight. Once the "Cigar Capital of the World" and home to thousands of immigrants who worked in its famous cigar factories, Ybor City is now a 110-block collection of historical buildings, including more than 1,300 cigar factories, worker houses and ethnic clubs. An eclectic mix of Cuban, Spanish, Italian, Afro-Cuban and German immigrant groups still reside in the area, adding a multicultural flair to the city's unique atmosphere.

The hub of the action is Ybor Square, a former cigar factory now filled with shops and restaurants. The city's nightlife is centered along nearby Seventh Avenue, where numerous dance clubs and piano bars serve up live music nightly. Florida's oldest restaurant, the Columbia Restaurant, dishes out savory Spanish delicacies in ornately tiled, Old-World surroundings. The Ybor City State Museum also preserves the community's century-old roots. Housed in a former bakery, Ybor City State Museum chronicles the history of the cigar industry and uses an authentically restored cottage to illustrate how the typical cigar worker lived. The museum also offers well-narrated walking tours of the district.

For couples interested in unique wedding celebrations, Tampa offers several picturesque sites. At the Lowry Park Zoo's "Botanical Garden of Love," couples can exchange vows in a flower-draped gazebo overlooking a quaint pond filled with flamingos. Or hold the ceremony amid the ornate woodwork and buttressed arches of Henry B. Plant Museum's rambling, turn-of-the-century veranda or while sailing the waters of Tampa Bay on the Starlite Princess Riverboat, an authentic paddle wheeler featuring Victorian elegance and charm. For a romantic honeymoon escape, sail away on a four, five or seven-day cruise departing from Tampa's new Seaport Street Terminal.

In nearby Manatee County, couples can get married on stretches of sugar white beaches, caressed by warm breezes under azure-blue skies. Several area properties offer complete wedding packages that include the wedding, reception and honeymoon accommodations.

Southwest of Tampa, Pinellas County features extensive cultural activities and distinctive shopping opportunities. Traversing St. Petersburg's cultural center is the Looper, a downtown trolley service which provides easy access to six area museums, dozens of art galleries and a thriving restaurant district.

Couples will also want to explore the area's distinctive shopping. On the southern edge of Madeira Beach lies John's Pass Village and Boardwalk, a turn-of-the-century fishing community where vacationers can stroll along a 1,000-foot waterfront boardwalk to dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions housed in rustic buildings with shiny tin roofs. Although known for its Greek traditions and architecture, Tarpon Springs also features a historic business district developed in the 1880s. Here, couples can walk down brick streets lined by gabled Victorian homes, stop for tea at the Oxford House or pick up a signed Renoir or Dali at the Vintage Department Store.

Known as "Florida's Cultural Coast," Sarasota is home to Florida's official state art museum and state theater as well as a host of international film festivals, jazz clubs, dance companies and art galleries. After sampling the city's cultural offerings, couples can explore St. Armands Key across Sarasota Bay. Considered west Florida's answer to Worth Avenue, St. Armands Circle features upscale shopping in a tropical park-like setting. Here, shoppers can wander through courtyards past antique Italian statuary to exclusive jewelry shops and gourmet restaurants. Or take horse-drawn carriage rides down palm-lined avenues leading to the island's central park, which is decorated by the Circus Ring of Fame. On nearby Siesta Key Beach, couples can renew their wedding vows at the sunset "Say I Do Again" celebration held each year on Valentine's Day.

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