West Coast of Florida Suggestions?

Does anyone know of any more good spots for images on the west coast of Florida? So far I have shot at Sanibel (both the beach and the wildlife preserve area), downtown Fort Myers, Pine Island, Arcadia, Ybor City, just about every theme park, aquarium, and zoo in the Tampa and Orlando area, lighthouses on nearby beaches, Spanish Point in Sarasota, and Bok Tower in Lake Wales.

I am looking for shots of fishing villages, old towns with old structures, and gardens. I am tired of the usual nature shots here in Florida (I lost interest in the usual swampy, flat-land, grassy, orange light light images with birds or aligators).

I live in the southwest area of Florida, so traveling on this side of the coast is easier for me, especially to get to places on time to capture the "magic 5 minutes of light" time in the early evening. Any suggestions?

Try some of the towns up the middle of our overdeveloped state on/off Route 27, and the less accesable coastal towns like Cedal Key and Apalachacola, north of Clearwater on/off Highway 19.

I'll 2nd Cedar Key, especially in the off season like now. They do have an Arts Festival in April.

Route 441, which runs thru center of State on into Georgia, has much of old Florida atmosphere along its highway (Ocala, Micanopy, Lake City).

Perry is suppose to be quite photogenic as an old milling town.

Aw Geez,

Lousy timing on this query, Snegron!

Today, January 6th) was Epiphany in Tarpon Springs! Here's what you missed:

11:00AM (?) the diving for the cross in the lagoon after the Archbishop's blessing. Carnival type atmosphere along the old sponge docks including a central party fair and all the restaurants done up. Oh, and add the belly dancing at the night clubs!

The poor town's now getting overrun by Baptists - but it retains much of its Greek-American heritage!

The old streets of Tarpon have wonderful areas that look like a sleepy Meditteranean village - and January 6th is a great time to wander around there.

copake_ham said:

Aw Geez,

Lousy timing on this query, Snegron!

Today, January 6th) was Epiphany in Tarpon Springs! Here's what you missed:

11:00AM (?) the diving for the cross in the lagoon after the Archbishop's blessing. Carnival type atmosphere along the old sponge docks including a central party fair and all the restaurants done up. Oh, and add the belly dancing at the night clubs!

The poor town's now getting overrun by Baptists - but it retains much of its Greek-American heritage!

The old streets of Tarpon have wonderful areas that look like a sleepy Meditteranean village - and January 6th is a great time to wander around there.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I have heard many nice things about Tarpon Springs. I will definitely be checking it out soon!

Bill Mitchell said:

Try some of the towns up the middle of our overdeveloped state on/off Route 27, and the less accesable coastal towns like Cedal Key and Apalachacola, north of Clearwater on/off Highway 19.

Click to expand...

Overdevelopment seems to be the biggest problem here in terms of photography. On one side it is great for business (more people = more clients), on the other it makes it almost impossible to get good images unless you travel inland. In about two weeks I will probably drive out to Tarpon Springs and on my return to Southwest Florida I will make a detour onto Route 27. Any particular town you might recommend?

doughowk said:

I'll 2nd Cedar Key, especially in the off season like now. They do have an Arts Festival in April.

Route 441, which runs thru center of State on into Georgia, has much of old Florida atmosphere along its highway (Ocala, Micanopy, Lake City).

Perry is suppose to be quite photogenic as an old milling town.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Where is Perry located? If it still has some of its old structures, then it is exactly what I am looking for.

Perry, Florida, at intersection of Route 27 & 19, is located West of Lake City & NW of Cedar Key. Its in the heart of Florida's old timber industry (see Forest Capital Museum ). Bluegrass Festival in April.

Hi Doug, I'm in Tallahassee...do you have a link for the Perry Bluegrass festival? This is our last year in North Florida and we're big bluegrass people. Perry is only about an hour from us and I'd love to go.

I can second Apalachicola and there are quite a few quaint towns along Hwy 98 as well. The St. Mark's Lighthouse is good for photographs. Other towns along 98 that might work are Sopchoppy, Carrabelle, St. Teresa, Eastman, and St. George on St. George Island. That's all I can think of at the moment. The Redneck Rivera, as it is fondly called, is still underdeveloped compared to the rest of Florida but it won't be long before the high rises are here too. Panama City is already overdone and the St. Joe Timber Company has begun a development on the coastal marshes on Hwy 98 between Panacea and Carabelle.

Good timing on that, it's not too far from now. I'm trying to talk my wife into going this year. When we lived in Kentucky we used to hit 8 or 10 festivals a year (various types).

Dead Link Removed

- Randy

A couple of weeks later (April 21-22), the Old Florida Celebration of Arts at Cedar Key is another incentive to visit the area.

Thanks for the link, Randy!