Must-see attractions in Southwest Gulf Coast

This 1381-acre state park has 15 miles of sandy off-road tracks, lake swimming and a handy campsite ($33 per tent) midway along the Legacy Trail.

Conceived by John Ringling in the 1920s, St Armands Circle is an upscale outdoor mall surrounded by posh residences on St Armands Key. More so even than…

Fort Myers Beach is long, long, long. The southern end is dominated by condos, with very little public access. The low-key middle has a large number of…

Built in 1927 the historic Venice Train Depot was the last stop on the line for the Seaboard Air Line Railway that extended south from Tampa to Sarasota…

Off Harbor Dr 1.5 miles south of W Venice Ave, this long, wide beach with a huge parking lot is the most popular, especially for sunset. The adjacent pier…

A tidy museum dedicated to how Florida's coast has defined its past and will shape the future, including a shell collection from the Gulf of Mexico, an…

North of Old Naples, this is a family-friendly beach park with picnic tables, vending machines, restrooms, and volleyball courts showcasing some of the…

Once a quiet fishing village, the 12 long miles of Longboat Key are now lined with upscale resorts and condos. A few teeny-tiny public parking lots don't…

The most photogenic of the beaches, Lighthouse Beach sports Sanibel's historic metal lighthouse (1884) on the eastern tip of the island. There's also a T…

This community-oriented nonprofit gallery has four exhibition spaces that mix local and out-of-town artists. Hosts frequent events, including a lecture…

A short stroll north along the Island Park waterfront is this towering statue of WWII's most famous kiss.

A 10-acre, dog-friendly park at the east end of Bay St in Osprey that serves as an end point to the 20-mile cycling route, the Legacy Trail. There are…

Home to charter boats and a sightseeing fleet, and also the jumping-off point for boat tours, a pirate cruise and fishing trips.

Pretty, picnic-friendly park in the main retail corridor.