What are the best places to see on the Florida west coast?

This june i will be in Florida for the third time, this time i wanna visit the west coast. I think i will stay 2 or 3 nights there. What are the best places to see and the best beaches? Is better to stay in Marco Island or Naples? Where are the best beaches in the Tampa area?

Public Comments

1. Downtown St. Petersburg is a cool place. At night they have a lot of night life and a big municipal pier. St. Pete also has the Sunken Gardens which is a jungle right in the center of the city. Cool. Tampa is all business, not much to see there. The best beaches in the Tampa area are in Sarasota. Go to Lido Beach, Siesta Key Beach or Longboat Key beach. While in Sarasota, you should take a quick stroll through the Ringling Museum and the Ringling Circus Museum. It is free one day a week, call them and ask which day. it used to be Monday. Sarasota has a good aquatic museum and aquarium called Mote Marine. There you can see sharks and dolphins and turtles. Sarasota has a very nice botanical garden called the Selby Garden. The beaches on Sanibel Island, south of Ft. Myers are better than those in Naples or Marco. Then drive down into the everglades to Everglades City, the northernmost spot of the Ten Thousand Islands, which is part of the Everglades National Park. Everglades City is pretty historic. It was Florida's last frontier town with gun fights and drug smugglers. You can take a boat tour of the islands or rent a canoe and paddel through some mangrove islands yourself.
2. ok, me and my family live in florida, about 1/2 hour from orlando. we go to the keys alot and last time we went down there we decided to check out the west coast, by Flamingo. There was NOTHING to do there. the buildings were dirty and looked desserted. You cant swim at the beaqches in Flamingo cuz there are saltwater crocodiles everywhere. The other beaches are known for having alot of sharks. the keys is much better also, the everglades is a bunch of nothing. We didnt even see but like 5 small gators. check out bahia honda st park and pennekamp.
3. Ok, live on west coast, Tampa, hour ride west, Clearwater beach. where I live, but vacation in Naples. Head 1/2 south, Everglades, Marco Island, GoodLand, 10, 00 Islands....Close To Sanibel, Captiva, love this location...Close to Ft Myers, Ford/Edison homes, Pine Island..... See you there!