Adventure Guide Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast (Adventure Guide to Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast) (Adventure Guide to Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast)

A fully updated and expanded edition of this ever-popular guidebook. Visit vibrant cities, charming hometowns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and the famous white-sand beaches of Florida's Gulf shore. The book covers all of Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg and north to Withlacoochee State Forest, and south to Sanibel Island, Naples and Everglades National Park. Canoeing the Everglades, fishing on Marco Island, biking in Boca Grande, diving with manatees in Crystal River, sailing along St. Pete Beach, theater-going in Sarasota, shopping the sponge markets of Greek-flavored Tarpon Springs, exploring the history of Tampa's Latin Ybor City - it's all here! Town and regional maps. Fully indexed. Color photos throughout.

This easy-to-use book is packed with practical information and enticing facts that make it fun to read: "Sarasota owes its development and artistic reputation to, ironically, the circus, which wintered there beginning in the late 1800s. In contrast to circus raucousness, however, John Ringling was a man swayed by esthetics. The art he loved had a bit of three-ring showiness to it, nonetheless, as shown by the baroque Italianate palace he built himself in Sarasota." A clean, attractive layout makes it easy to find what you're looking for within each of the book's six sections, whether it be suggestions for finding the best food, lodging, kayaking, fishing, or shopping; even driving directions are included.