Backyard Travel

by Adele Woodyard
Whether far or near, alone or with a group, travel writers “travel”. While I write this, Steve is in the Florida Panhandle, but my last FAM trip was right down the street! Never overlook small town attractions. I may have already written about places like Caladesi Island, 2008’s #1 beach, and the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, but there’s always ones I miss.

For instance, the pricey, 900 acre Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in North Palm Harbor is well-known among 18-hole aficionados. I’d driven by its entrance on U.S. 19 hundreds of times but it took a bus-load of hospitality people and (two writers) to inspire me to drive through its shaded streets. Along the way we glimpsed some of the six heated swimming pools, 11 tennis courts, and miles of hiking and biking trails, besides the vast, manicured greens. Families welcome, recreation centers geared to kids keep them amused while mom and dad are on the links. Click on
www.innisbrookgolfresort.com
for a peek at some of the 620 guest rooms and suites.

The Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History is within easy walking distance of the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, home of the Espiritu Santo Springs. Located on a Tocobagan Indian shell mound, it overlooks Old Tampa Bay.
The museum’s displays and dioramas feature fossils, beads and pottery from prehistoric times, Spanish explorers, and turn-of-the-century settlers.
www.safetyharbormuseum.org.
The opposite direction leads you to complex and colorful artistic exhibits at the Syd Entel Art and Glass Gallery. I was so fascinated with their blown glass displays, I almost missed the bus.

The stop at Dunedin’s Fine Art Center was way too short for a building that houses exhibition galleries, a café, studios and a children’s art museum. The Center also offers classes and workshops in a wide variety of mediums for skill levels from beginner to professional artist.
www.dfc.org.
Named by two Scottish merchants in 1882, Dunedin has a particularly attractive Main Street. A short walk past interesting boutiques brought us to the Best Western Hotel on the waterfront and dinner at the Bon Appetit Restaurant. We sipped champagne while trying to identify islands that dotted the gray-blue water of St. Joseph Sound. Finishing touch: a scrumptious dinner of filet mignon, salmon, an intriguing vegetable mix and rich chocolate dessert

More on a trip that began and ended at Honeymoon Island State Park will be found in our upcoming Ebook. Watch for 100 FLORIDA “FREEBIES” and “CHEAPIES” Vacation fun for $5 or less.