Frommer's Florida's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Paperback)

by Paul Murphy (Author) "The high-rise canyons of downtown Miami may be just a mere bridge away from South Beach, but they are a world removed from the tropical..." (more)
Key Phrases: alligator farm, state recreation area, Palm Beach, Chamber of Commerce, Key West (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Driving is an ideal way to experience the varied scenery and attractions of Florida, and Frommer's Florida's Best-Loved Driving Tours is the only guide you'll need to take along. Author Paul Murphy has put together a spectacular collection of 1-to-5 day driving tours that hit the highlights of Florida.

In the Southeast section, Tour 2 gives you an insider's view of Miami beach with a tour through the pastel buildings of the Art Deco district and a stop at the famous Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant, where the meal that has passed into Florida folklore is stone crabs with mustard sauce, garlic spinach and hash browns. Tour 6 is an in-depth look at Florida's Coral Keys. This tour includes a visit to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Murphy's favorite underwater destination in all of Florida, where you can explore the wrecks and the reef by snorkeling, diving or cruising on a glass-bottomed boat. Tour 6 also includes a stop on Islamorada, which boasts a performing dolphin show as well as the title "Sport Fishing Capital of theWorld".

If you're searching for water and sunshine, the four tours of the Central Gulf Coast are sure to satisfy, with numerous beach stops, a drive along the suspended Sunshine Skyway in the Pinellas and a visit to the warm mineral springs outside of Sarasota. Farther up in Central Florida, Murphy has designed driving tours that hit all the top attractions, both commercial and natural, in the area. All tours are packed with insider tips from the best rides at the Wet N' Wild water park to the dates of the November Light-Up Orlando festival.

You'll enjoy all the top sights and then have the flexibility to enjoy the hidden pleasures of each destination. Our suggested routes include scenic detours and stops for spectacular views, easy walks, shopping, dining, and fun breaks for travelers with children. With dozens of driving tour options, detailed and color-coded maps, and exact, directions, distances and driving times, Frommer's Florida's Best-Loved Driving Tours is the only guide you'll need to see the best of Florida by car.

From the Back Cover
Everything You Need to See the Best of Florida by Car! Let Frommer's Take You To:

• Miami's fabulous Art Deco District and Miami Beach
• Key West and the southernmost point in the continental U.S.
• Fun-filled Walt Disney World, Epcot center, and SeaWorld
• St. Petersburg and the renowned Salvador Dali museum
• The awesome wilderness of the Everglades and Ocala National Forest
• The sun-drenched Gold and Treasure Coasts
• And much, much more!

Inside You'll Find:

• 25 distinctive, easy-to-use itineraries—all fully illustrated with beautiful full-color photos
• Tips on the best hotels
• Exact directions, distances, and driving times for each route
• All the sights along the way—with highlights for history buffs, nature lovers, and families traveling with kids
• Scenic side trips, special moments, and recommended walks
• Detailed, accurate full-color route-planning maps

Your Guide to a World of Travel Experience Great trips start at frommers.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 4 edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764564560
• ISBN-13: 978-0764564567
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,400,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference for the Florida Visitor and Resident., April 1, 2000

By	Gregory Allen "gregall" (Gainesville, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frommer's Florida's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Paperback)

I've lived in the beautiful state of Florida for 36 years and this book is one of the best tour guides I've seen for people who love to drive as much as I do. While perusing this publication, I have found several places that even I haven't visited yet. There are 25 separate driving tours (recommended driving times of one to three days) mapped out for you to enjoy. Each trip/map is accompanied by descriptions and color photographs of the best attractions to visit along the suggested routes. So, grab a copy, jump in your car, and have a great time whether you are with family, with friends, or going solo. And remember, please drive safely and enjoy this great state.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Do you need this book? Maybe, but..., January 3, 2004

By	Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

With a decent guide State guide you won't need this book. Frommer's has two very good Florida Guides that for a few dollars more gives you so much more.

What this guide will give you is 25 Driving tours. You will find the guide useful if you are going to Florida (or live in Florida) have a car, you love to drive, and have free days to follow out the itineraries.

For example the `Dayton Beach' Tour is 3 days and 191 miles. The small map starts out each tour and gives a numbered, stop by stop, clue of what you will see along the route. Each place of interest has a very short description, very short, that provides a very basic insight. Most of the tours found in this guides go in loops, you finish where you started. This is probably not what you wanted to do.

After 4 weeks in Florida, I found myself using the State guides "Frommers" & "Fodors" over and over (see my reviews) and seldom used this guide. In short, the guide is well thought out, colorful, and the very short informational pieces are well written, BUT the usefulness of the guide is not there for me and I doubt if it will be for you. Conditionally recommend.