Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tampa Bay & Southwest
Florida
Why Go?
To drive southwest Florida's Gulf Coast is to enter an impressionistic watercolor painting:
first, there is the dazzling white quartz sand of its barrier-island beaches, whose turquoise
waters darken to silver-mantled indigo as the fiery sun lowers to the horizon. Later, seen
from the causeways, those same islands become a phosphorescent smear beneath the inky
black night sky.
The Gulf Coast's beauty is its main attraction, but variety is a close second: from Tampa
to St Petersburg to Sarasota to Naples, there is urban sophistication and exquisite cuisine.
There are secluded islands, family-friendly resorts and Spring Break-style parties.
Here, Salvador Dalí's melting canvases, Ringling's Venetian Gothic palace and Chi-
huly's tentacled glass sculptures fit perfectly - all are bright, bold, surreal entertainments
to match wintering manatees, roseate spoonbills, open-mouthed alligators and the
peacock-colored, sequined costumes of twirling trapeze artists.
