OT - FL driving route and fishing

[bayboy]

Hi there

baygirl and I are driving to Indian Shores Florida the last week of December. Any ideas regarding driving route; where to stop and where not to stop would be greatly appreciated.

 

Of course any fishing tips would be greatly appreciated as well. We will be staying on the Intracoastal waterways.

 

Thanks.

 

bayboy

[OhioFisherman]

Have you ever been there before? My first trip that far south was in late July until Labor day weekend of 2009. Indian Shores is right outside of Largo ( a nice suburb with plenty to do ), about the only difference is Indian Shores is shore line and Largo ends a mile from the beach. LOL it seemed to me that every few miles of beach was a different community, to keep control of tourists dollars?

 

I drove, no small task for me being disabled, it`s a long ride for a person that isn`t, and I would suggest breaking it up into at least 2 days, I didn`t, a couple of attempts at naps, but almost a 24 hour drive for me.

 

Interstate 75 was the best route for me once I took interstate 71 out of Ohio, it puts you right in the area, a decent road, and no serious issues. Use the bypass to avoid Atlanta GA, especially during week day rush hours times.

 

Just guessing that any north south interstate that will connect to interstate 75 is the best way to go. My van only gets about 13 miles to the gallon, so I stopped fairly often for fuel along I-75, all hours of the day and night, and no issues. The people seemed friendly and polite. There are some fairly long stretches with out much around, so don`t wait until the last minute to fuel.

 

Interesting scenery, especially for folks that don`t venture south often. If you are coming through Buffalo, Ft. Erie? BillyBob might know of a route that will connect to I-75 easily? I didn`t even need a map, south on I-71 to I -75 it was easy. Georgia seemed like the drive through hell, it seemed to take forever to clear that state!

 

There are plenty of sea food restaurants, gift shops, a place to see the Manatees in the area. I didn`t attempt to fish, no interest at all in salt water, and any fresh water may have gators, and I can`t outrun a turtle. LOL

[OhioFisherman]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Indian+Shores+Florida&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x88c2f93fa7ba3e11:0x6415b57b311cb470,Indian+Shores,+FL&gl=us&ei=FcxgTrCZMcqutweNh5n_Dw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ8gEwAA

 

A couple of choices listed on the left, it seems pointless to head to Ohio to pick up I-71 to I -75, never been on I-79 but it should be a good road also. LOL of course driving anywhere in December might pose issues?

[OhioFisherman]

Ulmerton road is sort of the main road through Largo, a connection to the highway I-275 north and south and to Gulf BLVD along the gulf. Largo mall is on Ulmerton along with a lot of other shopping and dining. Gulf BLVD is sort of the vacation district? Hotels and lodging in both directions, also restaurants and gift shops.

 

Watch your speed on Gulf BLVD, cops sit on it frequently.

[bayboy]

Ulmerton road is sort of the main road through Largo, a connection to the highway I-275 north and south and to Gulf BLVD along the gulf. Largo mall is on Ulmerton along with a lot of other shopping and dining. Gulf BLVD is sort of the vacation district? Hotels and lodging in both directions, also restaurants and gift shops.

 

Watch your speed on Gulf BLVD, cops sit on it frequently.

[bayboy]

This is all great info thanks very much for all your effort. I will get my map out and try to follow your directions. We plan to take 4 days. Right now, it looks like we will start out on 81 heading south. Home is Hay Bay (BOQ), Canada. We were there a number of times 15-20 years ago. Kinda rusty on some things. We have never driven before or taken this much time. bayboy P.S. sorry we could not write sooner. Internet problems....

[OhioFisherman]

It looks like a piece of cake drive for you also except for the distance, but if you are spreading it out over 4 days it should be no problem. I-81 appears to end at I-40, take that west into Knoxville Tennessee and I-75 branches off and heads south.

 

No idea what the area was like before so I can`t really tell you if it is built up more.