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The Gulf Coast of Florida contains hundreds of miles of magnificent, varied, award winning beaches. From vibrant commercialised fun places to quiet, conserved natural beauty.
Access to all the gulf coast resorts is very simple. All are connected by the Interstate 75 which runs down the coast.
 Almost all of the coast resorts have areas of natural beauty. Especially down the Southwest coast with areas such Ft. Myers and Naples. Just a little further is the start of the Everglades. The South of Florida is slightly more tropical than Central Florida. It has a more Caribbean feel to it.
The folks on the Coast are more laid back than their counterparts in the cities and the attraction areas and everything is at a little slower pace.
Also accomodation in the hotels is not always as modern and plush as in the inner cities and can be more expensive especially at weekends as a lot of Floridians tend to visit the beaches at weekends. When the “Tampa Bay Buccs” play at home Clearwater Beach hotels fill up too.
To get to the coast from Orlando you need to take the Interstate 4 west towards Tampa, before you get there you will come to the Interstate 75 intersection. Take the Naples ramp.
You could always drive the Scenic Route driving from Clearwater Beach along Gulf Boulevard. This will take you through all the coastal cities and towns, such as Treasure Island, Indian Shores and finally St Pete’s. You can then head for the “Sunshine Skyway”.
 The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the world's longest cable-stayed concrete bridge, with a length of 29,040 feet (exactly 5.5 miles or approximately 8.85 km). It is part of I-275 (SR 93) and US 19 (SR 55), connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida and Palmetto in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough County waters. Construction of the current bridge began in 1982 and was completed on February 7, 1987, at a cost of $245 million. Sarasota is not too far from here.
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