Travel Smart: Florida Gulf Coast

Rating:
Summary: Florida Gulf Coast: A Different Kind of Guidebook
Review: I searched far and wide for a travel guidebook that deals specifically with the Gulf Coast of Florida, and I found exactly what I was looking for in "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" by Carol J. Perry (John Muir Publications, 2000). Now that I've returned from ten interesting days of putting this book to use, I want to share my experience of applying it to my travels. While covering a geographic area from Pensacola to Naples, "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" starts off with a great introduction to the Gulf Coast including nature and history. Then it offers good background information about each destination and suggests sightseeing highlights. The sights are prioritized in order, which helps separate the "must sees" from the "if you have time" attractions. Perry suggests activities that make a "perfect day" at a given location, then gives information on food and lodging choices. Overall, this book was helpful because it told enough about a destination(I particularly enjoyed the write-ups on Apalachicola and Cedar Key) to give a general feel for it so the reader could decide if a certain place was their style or not.If so, proceed to visit and use the food and lodging selections. If not, then one can spend time elsewhere. Perry also includes Special Interest Tour sample itineraries (ex. Family Fun Tour, Nature Lovers Tour) at the back of the book. The only draw back to "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" is that pricing information is very general, at best, though ranges are presented that cover B&Bs to camping. Phone numbers are included so it is possible to call ahead for lodging. Overall, I strongly recommend this book and believe that it truly is "a different kind of guidebook". It does take the guesswork out of your travels and does an excellent job of pin pointing the most interesting attractions.

Rating:
Summary: Florida Gulf Coast: A Different Kind of Guidebook
Review: I searched far and wide for a travel guidebook that deals specifically with the Gulf Coast of Florida, and I found exactly what I was looking for in "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" by Carol J. Perry (John Muir Publications, 2000). Now that I've returned from ten interesting days of putting this book to use, I want to share my experience of applying it to my travels. While covering a geographic area from Pensacola to Naples, "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" starts off with a great introduction to the Gulf Coast including nature and history. Then it offers good background information about each destination and suggests sightseeing highlights. The sights are prioritized in order, which helps separate the "must sees" from the "if you have time" attractions. Perry suggests activities that make a "perfect day" at a given location, then gives information on food and lodging choices. Overall, this book was helpful because it told enough about a destination(I particularly enjoyed the write-ups on Apalachicola and Cedar Key) to give a general feel for it so the reader could decide if a certain place was their style or not.If so, proceed to visit and use the food and lodging selections. If not, then one can spend time elsewhere. Perry also includes Special Interest Tour sample itineraries (ex. Family Fun Tour, Nature Lovers Tour) at the back of the book. The only draw back to "Florida Gulf Coast: Travel Smart" is that pricing information is very general, at best, though ranges are presented that cover B&Bs to camping. Phone numbers are included so it is possible to call ahead for lodging. Overall, I strongly recommend this book and believe that it truly is "a different kind of guidebook". It does take the guesswork out of your travels and does an excellent job of pin pointing the most interesting attractions.