Florida in the summer? Woof!. That sounds more like hell than a vacation. We went in September one year and it was unbearably hot and humid even then.
First family vacation in Florida
- Thread starter Malty Flannel
- Start date
We're looking at June. Don't want to do spring break but need to wait til kids are out of school
I'll add more as I think of this. We did this vacation (due to a couple of family-related factors) like 5 or 6 years in a row. I know the area well and dealt with multiple issues down there and could tell you how to solve them (i.e. flat tires, etc.) One year, we accidentally next to the spring break hub. HO Boy... was that something. "Sure, honey, I don't mind taking the kids to the beach by myself AT ALL...." (reality, it was the opposite, I wanted to get them the hell out of there)
If you go SW Florida, check out Sanibel Island. If you go Panhandle, check out Destin area.
As you go east from Destin you'll find that several black water lagoons drain into the Gulf, which starts to turn the color of the water a bit "browner". Not dramatically, but there is a difference. The actual beach starts to become more coarse versus Destin which is truly sugary sand.
And the further east your go the water is far rougher, even on the same day. Destin is shallower further out into the water which gives it a far prettier color, but that's what makes it calmer too. There are parts of Destin's beaches where you can go out appx 50yds from the beach and still be only chest deep, where PCB drops off much much quicker.
Having migrated north and south more times than I care to remember...
Atlanta has not been much of a problem. A few slowdowns at major highway intersections and downtown. I almost always have another person and just get into the diamond lane and go as fast as the person in front of you. (Not sure if you can do that in an RV). Also one cool thing about that is right were I-75 and I-85 veer apart there is actually a dedicated diamond lane ramp that takes you right to the diamond lane going south on I-75. Always good to avoid rush hours of course.
Nashville has always been worse. To stay on I-24 you literally have to be in left lanes, then right lanes, then left lanes type deal. You're always finding at the last minute that you need to get over. And I've had much worse traffic there than ever in Atlanta.
Chattanooga can also be a bit of a thing just S of the city at the GA border where I-24 and I-75 intersect. Always seems to be a backup there, especially going north.
I'm an odd ball. I prefer the Atlantic side beaches. Been here since 2011. Home/condo values have more than doubled since then (as have the HOAs, mostly thanks to insurance premiums).
Atlanta has not been much of a problem. A few slowdowns at major highway intersections and downtown. I almost always have another person and just get into the diamond lane and go as fast as the person in front of you. (Not sure if you can do that in an RV). Also one cool thing about that is right were I-75 and I-85 veer apart there is actually a dedicated diamond lane ramp that takes you right to the diamond lane going south on I-75. Always good to avoid rush hours of course.
Nashville has always been worse. To stay on I-24 you literally have to be in left lanes, then right lanes, then left lanes type deal. You're always finding at the last minute that you need to get over. And I've had much worse traffic there than ever in Atlanta.
Chattanooga can also be a bit of a thing just S of the city at the GA border where I-24 and I-75 intersect. Always seems to be a backup there, especially going north.
I'm an odd ball. I prefer the Atlantic side beaches. Been here since 2011. Home/condo values have more than doubled since then (as have the HOAs, mostly thanks to insurance premiums).
I was about 40 yards out last time there and a manatee came swimming right behind me. Scared the ever loving crap out of my friends. Good times.
I seriously cannot disagree with this more. I've driven through Atlanta at minimum a dozen times and almost EVERY time, it's sucks, is horrible, and/or something super weird happens. EVERY. TIME.
I will never drive through it again. I'll go through Birmingham every time now if I have to go that direction from Iowa to Florida.
I've done it probably 30 or more. All I can say is YMMV. I can only think of one time where it was more than 30 minutes lost. Something way out by the north edge.
One other thing. Always stay on 75 through downtown. Don't take the loop bypass.
I've probably cursed myself by saying all this. Will find out in a couple weeks.
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We actually love it down there in the summer. Temps are hot, ocean water is warm, and flights thru Allegiant are incredibly cheap. Anywhere in SW FL south of Tampa can’t miss. Somebody mentioned Sanibel, easily my wife’s favorite, Captiva right there also.
That is another great thing about Destin I forgot to mention!!!! I have video/pictures of manatee, MASSIVE stingray, sea turtles, dolphin, etc swimming up/down the beach!
I have nothing to contribute but a stupid story. I posted a similar type of question to a group specifically about vacationing in a region of WI. The whole point of the group is to give recs on vacationing in this specific part of WI. I posted and started getting some helpful responses. Then some lady came in and told me not to do it, that I should go to Florida for a week instead. Because it would be cheaper and her family loves it. Still befuddles me. I should just do an entirely different vacation. Swap my 3 hr car drive for a non direct flight/3 hr drive to get to a direct flight with a 2 and 5yr old. Or drive for 300 hours with them in a car. Sounds as fun as norovirus.
6 and 8 sound like way better and fun ages for this trip, hope you get good info and have a great time!
6 and 8 sound like way better and fun ages for this trip, hope you get good info and have a great time!
It's so crazy how many times you see wildlife there. You become numb to it lol. Dolphins are constantly around.
I wish I could upload the videos. Here a couple of stills taken from the videos.
Attachments
Well you’ve already mentioned Siesta Key, which is like white powder sand.
Further south is Nakomis, which has a more traditional sandy beach.
If you head down to Fort Myers, Fort Myers beach is back open. Sanibel Island is opening up too. There is the National Shell Museum and just general renowned shelling. I'll be there myself next Saturday
Continuing down the barrier Island (Estero Island), there are Lovers Key and Delnor-Wiggens state parks.
At about that point you start hitting the Naples beaches. The main Naples beach is quite nice. The pier is still destroyed from Hurricane Ian, but the beach and facilities are fine.
Lastly, there is Marco Island. Lots of good powder sand there. My favorite is Tigertail beach. It's a about a half a mile walk to the main beach, so it keeps the crowds down a bit. Lots of good shelling there as well.
I really like Siesta Key. I’m not a huge Florida guy but that is a great beach.
This dude is well known for hanging out at the nude beaches also. ^^^^^^
