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Look no further than Florida’s Gulf Coast for a warm, winter welcome

PAID POST BY VISIT ST. PETE CLEARWATER

The Perfect Winter Escape

As the dark and dreary days of winter take their toll, it’s natural to seek out the warmth of the sunshine. Nestled on the emerald waters of Florida’s Gulf Coast, St. Pete/Clearwater boasts more than 35 miles of sugary white-sand beaches. Whether you’re seeking pure relaxation, a bit of adventure, or a mix of both, these vibrant communities have something to offer everyone. Soak up the sun during the day and enjoy al fresco dining all year long. With St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach named in the top 25 U.S. beaches by Tripadvisor, St. Pete/Clearwater is the kind of place that brings people back year after year.

Trust the Locals

With so many amazing beach destinations, what makes St. Pete/Clearwater so special? The answer is best given by longtime locals, who welcome visitors to their hometown year after year. Lisa Chandler, founder of the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, believes that the natural beauty combined with a welcoming atmosphere is what sets this area apart. “Our sunsets are like no other. It’s a very family-friendly, wholesome atmosphere. That’s what continues to bring people back,” she says. This community celebrates its beauty on a regular basis. Chandler is passionate about the nightly sunset celebration that has taken place in Pier 60 Park for the last 28 years: “Each night we celebrate the sunset two hours before until two hours after sunset, and the festival features artisans, crafters and street performers.”

As a tribute to this unique community, Chandler founded The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. “We decided to create a 21,000 square foot art museum made out of sand and water,” she says. “The whole idea was to celebrate what we consider to be Mother Nature’s two best assets, which are our sugar sand and our sunsets.” The 17-day festival features not only the sand exhibits but concerts, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences. It’s a family-friendly environment that takes place every April. No matter what time of year you choose to visit, you’ll find a community that is ready and welcoming. “We have year-round lifeguards, our beaches are groomed 365 days of the year, and there’s a plethora of nightlife and restaurants for people to choose from. We’re surrounded by water, so there’s a host of water activities that all ages and demographics can enjoy,” says Chandler.

Something for Everyone

St. Pete/Clearwater truly has something for everyone. Whether large families traveling together, couples, or groups, there is no shortage of things to do and see. Misty Wells, local business owner and host of ‘Let’s Take it Outside’, agrees: “The cool thing about Clearwater is that it’s for everyone. Anyone that wants to have fun in their own way on the beach or in the outdoors is drawn to Clearwater because we just have so much to do here.” Wells, who is an avid outdoor enthusiast, also thinks that this part of Florida has a unique offering. “We have the best beaches in Florida, we truly do,” she says. “We have the sugary sand beach with clear, calm waters. We also have the intracoastal as well, so we have those nice safe areas for paddle boarding and boating.” Beyond that, Wells says that the people and atmosphere are truly welcoming: “We love our visitors. We want people here. We get to see some of the same people once or twice a year and we love that.”

Easy Access

Whether it’s a short drive or a quick flight, this gem on the Gulf Coast is an easy trip. AC Hotel Clearwater Beach Senior Sales Manager Garvey Johnson emphasizes, “Clearwater Beach is such a tranquil, tropical destination. But also, it’s an easy destination to get to both for the fly and drive market. Flying in, travelers can choose from both PIE and TPA, which has hundreds of affordable non-stop flights a day from across the country. For the second year in a row this year, TPA was named the best large airport in the country by USA Today.”

Once you arrive it’s easy to explore the surrounding communities and destinations. “A lot of visitors that stay in Clearwater Beach will discover that there are a ton of great destinations close by for day tripping. There are little hidden gems all around us. Honeymoon Island, St. Pete, Downtown Clearwater, Tampa… there are endless places to explore in this gorgeous Gulf Coast region of Florida.”

When the winter weather has you seeking warmer climes, look no further than St. Pete/Clearwater Beach. It’s a unique destination with local charm and hospitality. Brimming with beautiful beaches and calm waters, St. Pete/Clearwater will welcome you time and again.

This article has been supplied by Visit St. Pete Clearwater, a paid advertiser. The editorial staff of Chicago magazine had no role in this post’s preparation.

For as much as Florida can get maligned, those of us who live here know all the good that comes from living among people from all over the world, outstanding natural beauty, and the very best beaches in the country.

Florida is never static. It’s always reinventing itself with developments such as the September 2023 debut of the Brightline high-speed passenger train service that runs between Orlando International Airport and Miami (with stops in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura along the way)—making it easier to cover some serious ground in the state.

Whether you come to explore the buzzy new downtown district in Tampa, dig into an underrated food city, or kick back on a beautiful beach, here are the places with the biggest news as of late.

Which Florida city should I be most excited about right now?

The urban buzz in Florida has been all about Tampa, which has stepped into the spotlight after a long while of being overshadowed by Miami and Orlando. Recent growth has centered around a new downtown district, Water Street Tampa, with The Tampa Edition and JW Marriott Tampa Water Street (check out the city’s newest and highest rooftop bar, Beacon, on the 27th floor) as its cornerstone hotels. New restaurants there include French favorite Boulon Brasserie and gastropub and oyster room The Pearl. Local foodies are eyeing the opening of Ash in Water Street Tampa this spring—a new Italian concept by lauded chef Ferrell Alvarez of celebrated Seminole Heights restaurant Rooster & The Till.

Just south of downtown, the residential neighborhood of Hyde Park has seen some openings, too. Florida’s only Palisociety property, the Palihouse Hyde Park Village, and Japanese restaurant Ro opened in Fall 2023.

Where to Stay: Palihouse Hyde Park Village

Unique among boutique hotels in Tampa, the 36-room Palihouse Hyde Park Village has a residential feel, with an intimate second-floor setting that seems hidden away, a lounge and restaurant, and spacious rooms with crystal barware and Smeg mini fridges.

I’m looking for a beachside getaway.

There’s so much to love about this Gulf of Mexico beach town with powdery beaches and no chain establishments in sight. Less than an hour from Tampa along the Gulf of Mexico, Mello on the Beach opened in 2023 along a stretch of white sand in Holmes Beach, just south of Anna Maria Island. The decor is retro, bright, and cheerful, conjuring a bit of Palm Springs in Florida with neon pool floats, color-pop furnishings, and extras like umbrellas, coolers, and lounge chairs that make an off-grid beach day easy.

To the south in the tiny gulf-front town of Naples, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples reopened last summer after an extensive revamp that included a 14-floor expansion of the Vanderbilt Tower for Club guests (it has the brand’s largest Club Lounge in North America), a new dramatic lobby bar, and 10 new air-conditioned private poolside bungalows for when you need a break from the beach but aren’t quite ready to retreat to your room.

Just north of Jacksonville on Florida’s Atlantic coast, Amelia Island is ideal for exploring by bike, particularly around the historic town of Fernandina Beach and nearby Fort Clinch State Park, with miles of pristine beachfront. Fronting a 13-mile stretch of quiet beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island offers naturalist-guided ecology field trips to discover the surrounding barrier island environments, and it plans to unveil a revamped spa in late spring this year.

I travel to eat but have already been to Miami. Where should I go?

Miami restaurants claim most of Florida’s Michelin stars (it has 11 Michelin-starred restaurants), but Orlando is the Sunshine State’s biggest sleeper when it comes to food: It has a globally inspired dining scene that runs the gamut from high-end restaurants to holes-in-the-wall yet manages to stay largely unfussy. And if Asian food is your favorite, Orlando particularly delivers.

The city’s Mills 50 District is full of exciting Vietnamese (roughly 17,000 Vietnamese Americans live in Central Florida) and Southeast Asian options, from mainstays Pho 88 and Little Saigon to Laotian street food spot Sticky Rice and Filipino ice creamery Sampaguita, a newcomer in 2023.

Omakase is also having a big moment in Orlando. Visit restaurants like 10-seater Soseki, Kadence, newcomer Natsu Omakase, and the more casual Susuru Juju, which rolls out sashimi and nigiri delights (many made from fish freshly flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu market).

Where to Stay: Conrad Orlando

Orlando’s most newsworthy resort opening of late is Evermore Orlando Resort, where the Conrad Orlando has nearly 500 rooms and suites, a kids club, a rooftop Mexican restaurant, and private beach access to the complex’s enormous eight-acre man-made lagoon. Houses, flats, and villas for rent at Evermore Orlando range from four to eleven (!) bedrooms, offering everything required for a multigenerational gathering.

Surprise me with a place I’d never think to vacation in Florida.

Florida’s crystal-clear freshwater springs in places like Crystal River—where manatees gather by the hundreds to warm up from the chilly Gulf of Mexico waters during the winter months—are fairly well known. But the state’s sandy-bottom lakes (read: less likely to harbor alligators than mucky ones, although the creatures can be found in any freshwater environment in Florida) in and around towns like Lake Placid, about two hours south of Orlando in the center of the state, often surprise visitors. Here, the Lake Placid farmers’ market takes over Journal Plaza every Saturday, Morty & Edna’s Craft Kitchen does a mean shrimp-and-grits weekend special, and you can spend the day pontooning and tubing on pretty little Lake June with Lake June Pontoons.

About 20 minutes north of Lake Placid, Sebring is home to a burgeoning restaurant scene spearheaded by spots such as Faded Bistro & Beer Garden. But it also has one of Florida’s most spectacular state parks, Highlands Hammock State Park, which boasts a three-mile bike loop, tunneling oak trees, and an elevated boardwalk through an old-growth cypress swamp. For serious airboat thrills on Lake Istokpoga in Sebring (one that is loaded with alligators and is decidedly not for swimming), head out with Airboat Wildlife Adventures from Neibert’s Fishing Resort, and make sure Captain John knows you want to the “roller-coaster version” for the biggest adrenaline rush.

Where to stay: Inn on the Lakes

Inn on the Lakes hugs the shoreline of Lake Jackson in Sebring, and its rooms with balconies as well as its outdoor pool overlook the water. On-site waterfront restaurant Chicanes serves huge plates of baby back ribs and pork schnitzel.

CLEARWATER, Fla. (CBS) — A South Philadelphia family visiting Clearwater, Florida, to watch spring training baseball got an unexpected souvenir Sunday from one of their favorite Phillies players.

Eleven-year-old Chase Severino and his family took in Sunday's spring training game, complete with autographs from Phillies players including Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto and Brandon Marsh, in Clearwater. But then their day got even better.

The family was out to dinner when the team walked into the same restaurant. Chase was still wearing his Kyle Schwarber jersey and waved to the team. Chase says that's when Schwarber himself stopped and turned back to say hello.

"We didn't want to bother them so when they walked by we just waved, and he was saying nice jersey," Chase said. "Then he just turned around and was like, 'Do you guys want a picture?'"

Schwarber, Chase, and little brother Nolan snapped a picture together. It's a moment Chase said he'll never forget.

"It was like the craziest moment because he is my favorite player," Chase said. "It was just amazing."

Chase's mom, Stephanie Severino, posted the photo on X and said she's already received messages from baseball fans across the country.

"They both play sports and I always tell them the most important thing being a good person being a good sport and you see the players they look up to take the time it means a lot as a mom," Stephanie Severino told CBS News Philadelphia.

Dad Greg Severino agrees and said is grateful this trip even happened.

"The funny thing was the first day our flights were canceled so we were this close to canceling the entire trip, and yesterday just made it all worth it," he said.

As for Chase, he's also thankful – for Schwarber's kindness, creating a picture-perfect moment.

"Every time he hits a home run it's already my favorite part of every game," Chase said. "But every time he hits it, we're going to be like we met him."

Alicia Roberts

Emmy-award winning Reporter and Anchor Alicia Roberts joined the CBS News Philadelphia team in December 2020.

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