Heading towards Tampa, any ideas?

[Cat]

My husband has work in Tampa. We are all going down including my 4 year old son. We are thinking about either stopping at Disney for a day or Ocala National Forrest and going to some of the springs. Any recommendations? We can stop for a day anywhere in Florida all the way down to Tampa. After that its me and the kiddo in Tampa for a few days. Any beach recommendations?

[Darth Biscuit]

Take him to Cape Canaveral... it's not that far out of the way.

[Doyle]

I wish I had this dilemma.

[bleys]

if I were going with y'all, I could get my cousin to hook us up with free Universal passes in Orlando.. :)

[Zod]

Fort Desoto is the best beach you can take him to while in Tampa. Not very touristy, lots of shells, playgrounds, etc, and is kept very clean.

[Zod]

Also, Lowry Park Zoo is awesome and not very expensive. We like it better than animal kingdom (more animals).

http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/

[SCP]

Charlie's Steakhouse in Orlando

Delish. I'll be at the one on I Drive tonight and will buy you and the family a cocktail.

[Panthro]

I always liked Homosassa Springs.

http://www.homosassasprings.org/Homosassa.cfm

Where in Tampa are you staying?

If you want one of the best meals of your life. Berns Steakhouse.

http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/

Best deli's with wine and cheese sommeliers. Datz...that place might be my favorite place in the world.

http://www.datzdeli.com/

[Cat]

Awesome, thanks for the tips guys.

Has anyone been to the springs in Ocala National Forrest? I can't find a lot of reviews on the springs. The pics look great but I wonder if it is really as nice as it looks.

[Panthro]

Sounds similar to Homosassa without the Manatees.

I've been to Silver Springs before. I try to stay out of the middle of FLorida as much as possible.

[Cat]

whys that?

[Panthro]

I lived in Florida for 10 years. I still have family in Ocala....I've found that the closer you stay to the coast the better. COPS and Unsolved Mysteries made their ratings on inland Florida.

[Cat]

ah gotcha, so be careful if/when in central florida

[Panthro]

And there's this creepy guy on billboards