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Florida Road Trip

by Robert Painter

A bright red Mustang, an open road and ten completely free days.  Last year I put 3,000 miles on my personal vehicle.  I remember when I typically put at least 30,000 miles on my car every year.  I’ve been spending way too much time shoehorned into an airline seat, so now it’s time to hit the open road.

I do have a few rules for this trip.  I’m going to drive no more than 1,000 miles – total. This trip is for fun, not for distance.  I don’t want to worry about where to eat every night and I certainly don’t want to eat out for every breakfast either.

I want lots of space each night and while it is a fun trip, I do have some obligations so need to have hi-speed internet connections. And I want those connections in my room so I don’t have to stand in line at a business center – or get dressed to check my email late at night or early in the morning.

Last year I stayed at a Homewood Suites in Seattle and it was exactly what I needed for this trip.  It had all the things I mentioned and not too expensive.  With a hot breakfast every morning and a nice meal included on week nights it fits my plan perfectly.

This adventure begins in Orlando, Florida and my route follows the coast as much as possible. I flew nonstop on Southwest Airlines – a favorite because I can usually get an exit row and even if I can’t they seem to have more leg room than most – to Orlando and picked up my Red Mustang rental car.. After all, this is a road trip around the coast of Florida and I’ll even be driving directly on the beach.  Might as well look cool. It may also be a cop magnet, so I’ll definitely use the cruise control.

My first and last stop for the day is the Homewood Suites in the UCF area of Orlando.  I arrived just in time for the “Welcome Home Reception,” which included a hot meal, complimentary beverages (even including wine) and a nice little dessert.  Because I didn’t have to try to find a place to eat, the rest of my evening was free.  I picked up the phone, located an old friend and arranged to meet and talk for a couple of hours and still returned to my suite for a full night’s sleep.

All the arrangements have been made for my “Tour d’Florida” so  I get up in time to go downstairs and indulge in a freshly cooked hot waffle, some sausage and orange juice before hitting the road to Sarasota.  It’s an easy drive that takes just over two hours. After checking into the Homewood Suites on Fruitville Road and checking my email with the complimentary wireless hi-speed connection in my suite I head off to Siesta Key for a walk on the beach.  This is a beach like no other.  Claiming to have the “World’s Finest, Whitest Sand,” it is a wonderful walking beach.  Starting in the center – at the pavilion – you can walk in either direction.   It’s a bit chilly for swimming in mid-January, but very comfortable for a long walk among the sea gulls and other hardy souls on the beach. 

Just a few miles south the public beach in Venice, Florida, is known for its shark’s teeth that can be easily found with just a little effort sifting through the sand.  <

If you take a short drive north from Sarasota you can drive over the strikingly beautiful Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning Tampa Bay. It is the world's longest bridge with a cable stayed main span, with a length of 87, 902 feet (exactly 5.5 miles.) It’s a beautiful drive that takes you to St. Petersburg, Clearwater and on up to Tampa.

Next stop is a short hour and a half drive down to Ft. Myers, Florida. My Hilton’s Homewood Suites (HHS from now on) was found easily just off Daniel’s Parkway next to the popular Bell Tower Shops on Big Pine Way. Ft. Myers was chosen as the winter home of both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Their winter estates are open to the public and you’ll regret it if you don’t visit.  It’s a terrific opportunity to learn more about both these fascinating inventors and entrepreneurs and their relationship with one another. The gardens alone are worth the visit and wait till you see “the tree.”  You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it.  They have to continually cut it back to keep it from taking over the entire property!

This is a road trip and I have to keep rolling my Red Mustang down the highway.  I was planning to stop next in Miami, but have decided to move on up to Palm Beach Gardens for two nights instead.  Along the way I’ll pass through Naples to the South of Ft. Myers and then across Alligator Alley.  Naples, by the way has more than one hundred golf courses.  Also, a great 1,000 foot fishing pier – a great spot to visit anytime – day or night.  You just might see someone hook into a shark in the wee hours – not certain if it’s legal, but it does happen! Believe it or not there was once a narrow gauge rail track the length of the pier. Read more about that in the links at the end of this story.

Alligator Alley is now a stretch of I-75 that crosses the state and traverses the Big Cypress National Preserve.  There are interesting things to see and do here, but if you have a little more time I’d suggest taking the Tamiami Trail – that’s the name of Route 41- across to Miami.  Route 41 will take you through the Big Cypress as well, but will also afford you the chance to visit a couple of offbeat sites like Everglades City and a Miccosukee  Indian Village.  From near the Shark Valley Visitors Center you can get an airboat ride into the Everglades where you’re bound to see alligators in their natural habitat as well as many of Florida’s semi-tropical birds.  Of course, you’ll possibly see wild gators along the banks beside the highway – or even crossing the highway. Watch out for them! And, if you’re really, really lucky you might even spot a Florida Panther.

Next stop – Palm Beach Gardens and a beautiful HHS. Arriving this time on a weekend night – no “Welcome Home” reception – and luckily finding myself in a lovely setting with a half dozen restaurants just outside my door.  And a great selection, too, including a pizza joint, a great smelling chicken place, an Asian restaurant, and a fancy French restaurant (too fancy for me on this trip!).  There are a few others as well, but I’m a pizza lover, so that’s my meal for the night.                        

Palm Beach Gardens is a perfect location for everyone from beach lovers to high-end shoppers.  If the “good life” is your thing, then Worth Avenue is your place to shop. West Palm Beach has its own Rodeo Drive and you’ll need to bring your American Express  along for the journey.  Or maybe just a bucket full of cash.  Even if you don’t buy anything, you’ll have a great time people watching.  And auto watching.  Forget about Mercedes – they’re everywhere nowadays.  Here when you cross the street you’ll be looking out for Ferraris (both red and yellow), Lamborghinis, Bugattis and a few other exotics you may never have seen before.

If you really want to experience the “life” you may want to have dinner at the Breakers. It’s a long, slow, expensive evening, but one you’ll remember for a long, long time.

For the rest of us there are the beaches. Miles and miles of Atlantic seaboard.  Too cold for swimming in January, but perfect for very long walks or basking in the sun . A visit to Jonathan Dickinson State Park with over 11,000 acres provides numerous options, including biking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating, nature trails for hiking, picnicking and even camping.  You might enjoy the 2 hour boat tour on the Loxahatchee Queen II.

Next stop Daytona Beach.  Along the way you may want to slow down and visit Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral.  Maybe you’ll get lucky and be there in time to watch a launch from the cape.  It will be an event you will never forget.  I know I won’t.  You’ll want to consider driving at least part of this stretch along highway AIA.  A bit of traffic, but if you relax and enjoy the view and quit looking at your watch, you’ll love the journey.  You’ll probably see a fish and chips joint along the way – pull in and enjoy, then head on up the coast to Daytona.  But you may want to stop in at Ron Jon’s surf shop in Cocoa for a t shirt and a bumper sticker – but keep it for your own car, not the rental.

I pulled into my HHS in Daytona during the last hour of the Rolex 24 hour race.  I’m still kicking myself.  I love racing, especially endurance racing, but failed to check my calendar before this trip.  When I got near the Daytona Speedway I could hear the cars and suddenly realized what I was missing.  But, too late now so forget about it – or try.  My suite was waiting. I did a little work on my computer, checked my email and went out for a long walk.  This evening I decided to stay in and watch TV on the large, flat panel set in the living room, moving to the bedroom TV later, after soaking in the tub for an hour.  <

Getting up early for a very hearty hot breakfast I loaded up the Red Mustang and headed for the beach. Today it has warmed up and I’m wearing shorts and a t shirt.  A big part of the attraction of Daytona Beach is the fact that you can drive right on the sand. I remember coming here as a kid and it seemed that almost every visit would find someone parking way too close to the surf.  The tide would come in and you’d see them frantically trying to back the car up and out of the water. I recall seeing more than one tow truck dragging some hapless victim of nature (and their own thoughtlessness) out of the crashing surf.

Now there are a few more regulations about parking, but you can still get stuck in the soft sand if you venture into the wrong areas.  But, it’s fun to just cruise the beach. Especially if you’re doing it in a bright Red Mustang!  O.K., I’ll admit it, a convertible would be even more cool, but I am on a budget of sorts.

Daytona is one more eminently walkable beach in Florida.  The fishermen along the shore, the few wetsuited wannabe surfers in the water, the sunbathers on the sand and the family picnickers all combine to show off what is probably Florida’s finest asset.

I have one more stop heading north and that is Jacksonville. When I was a kid Jax was kind of a commercial city, so far north that we really thought of it more as part of Georgia than Florida.  Nowadays, that’s all changed.  Jacksonville has evolved into a beautiful city and shares its reputation with nearby Amelia Island.  And, of course, St. Augustine to the south.  St. Augustine bills itself as the oldest city in the U.S.  Being from New Mexico I’d revise that and say maybe the nation’s oldest “European” city.  We have continuously inhabited Native American cities far older than St. Augustine.  But, in the spirit of friendly cooperation, let me say that when you take your road trip around Florida you certainly don’t want to miss this beautiful, small city.  The history, including Ponce de Leon and his quest for the Fountain of Youth and the Castillo de San Marcos are worth the stop. There are elegant B & B’s here as well.  Also, a very enjoyable pier and horse drawn carriages.  And, shopping!  It will be a visit worth remembering.

My HHS in Jacksonville was located in the midst of a fabulous shopping center, the St. Johns Towne Center.  If it hadn’t been for the excellent “Welcome Home’ dinner served at HHS I spotted an interesting looking Italian restaurant just across the street.  I was told that it was outstanding.  Maybe next time I’ll arrive on a weekend and give it a try. The mall is a very nice place to spend an evening walking about after dinner.  Plenty of beautiful shops.

Next trip I’m hoping to get over to Amelia Island.  I was there a couple of years ago and hope to get back for their annual Concours d’Elegance.. Instead of dodging exotic cars on Worth Avenue I’ll have time to get up close and inspect them at my leisure.

It seems that all great road trips must come to an end.  This one leads me back to Orlando where I have to return the Red Mustang.  My last night will be at the HHS on International Drive, not too far from the airport. This is a great spot – close to Disney, Universal and all the attractions, but also within easy walking distance of all the shops up and down International Drive.  There’s an all you can eat pizza place just down the street, but the Swedish Meatballs and pasta at my hotel are too good to pass up.  I noticed the desk people were wearing buttons that had a large EYE logo on them.  On close inspections I saw that it also read, in small print, Exceeding Your Expectations.  It’s a mission statement that HHS seems to be taking seriously.

I hope you enjoyed joining me on my Florida Road Trip.  I managed to keep it just under 1,000 miles and had only a couple of days with over 3 hours of actual driving time.  I only spent about $65 for gas and, fortunately, car rentals are pretty cheap right now.  I had breakfast every morning at HHS and six of my dinners there.  Breakfasts were so filling I usually just picked up a snack for lunch – or sneaked an energy bar or bagel from the breakfast table.

When you Go

www.VisitFlorida.com for lots of Florida travel info and maps

http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com Visitor info for Lee County

http://www.oldcity.com  St. Augustine info

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/MCOAFHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Orlando-UCF-Area-Florida/index.do 

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/SRQHWHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Sarasota-Florida/index.do 

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/FMYARHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Fort-Myers-Airport-FGCU-Florida/accommodations.do

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/PBIHWHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Palm-Beach-Gardens-Florida/index.do 

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/DABHWHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Daytona-Beach-Speedway-Airport-Florida/index.do

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/JAXHWHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Jacksonville-South-St-Johns-Ctr--Florida/index.do

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/MCOCVHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Orlando-International-Drive-Convention-Center-Florida/directions.do

Story and by Robert Painter. Rpainter2006@comcast.net. 

Photo – Media Credentials photo