Walking on sunshine and sand dollars in Florida - Scotland on Sunday Travel

From peerless seafood to water sports, theme parks and street art, there’s so much more to Florida than blue skies.

Sunset on Clearwater Beach. Picture: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.

The blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico sit under a tranquil azure sky dotted with the outline of brightly-painted buildings and terracotta roofs – a view we admire as we sip cocktails on a rooftop bar that is part of The Berkeley Beach Club in Florida.

It’s a scene that incorporates many of the colours we see on this trip – the rollercoasters’n’reptiles attractions of the Sunshine State and the widespread, laidback elegance that I’m happy to discover.

After flying in to Tampa, we make a beeline for the Postcard Inn on The Beach at St Pete Beach – which is decked out in blues and whites and has surfer-themed décor in my room.

That colour scheme continues in some of the exhibits the following morning at The Dali Museum, St Petersburg, which houses the largest collection of the surrealist artist’s works outside Spain, including paintings the size of my living room floor featuring creamy celestial scenes. I get to experience an immersive Dali landscape complete with vast blue sky via a virtual reality headset.

Lunch is at The Don CeSar, the “Legendary Pink Palace of St Pete Beach”. Famous for its coral pink exterior, it has an equally compelling history, being opened in 1928 by real estate scion Thomas Rowe in tribute to his lost love, welcoming honeymooners Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, and having Tom Petty play the roof.

Legendary

Like so many places we visit, it’s a great spot to watch the sun set – it even has a sign citing “an old Scottish legend” that anyone who sees a green flash at sunset “will never again make a misstep in matters of the heart”. I live in hope!

We take a cycling tour of the flourishing local mural scene with Florida CraftArt, stopping off at a couple of craft breweries en route. Each mural has its own backstory and many are created during the annual autumn SHINE festival.

That evening we visit the St Pete Shuffleboard Club, which dates back to 1924. With 80 olive green courts, the club is busy as the game enjoys a renaissance, and while my enthusiasm might outweigh my talent, it’s surprisingly addictive.

Next morning we take to greenish waters on a Shell Key clear kayak tour with Get Up and Go Kayaking. Heading off in transparent plastic vessels, we stop off on pristine caster sugar white sands, spotting “sand dollars” – flat, round sea urchins some say were used as a form of currency.

Lunch is at The Dewey, part of The Berkeley Beach Club, where my fried chicken sandwich is a classy, tasty take on the dish, as are the grits.

Sparkling waters

We move on to the Opal Sands Resort Clearwater Beach, a vast, glamorous seaside hotel where my room – another mix of blues and whites – looks out over the sparkling waters of the Gulf. We walk along the bustling beach, voted sixth best in the world, to dine in the relaxed surroundings of Palm Pavilion as the crystal clear sky darkens behind us (the restaurant boasts a “free sunset with dinner”). I can’t resist ordering ultra-fresh shrimp that I prise out of their shells.

The following morning it’s time to head to Go Ape-style TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park, Florida’s largest zipline ropes course. While I don’t have a head for heights it’s fun watching participants follow the course through the leafy trees, occasionally ziplining between platforms. My time comes with another attraction that forms part of Florida’s Sports Coast, the Lift Adventure Park, which is a Total Wipeout-style assault course in the water. It’s harder than it looks – but also a lot more fun.

A little calmer is a tour of Jay B Starkey Wilderness Park with park supervisor and former soap star Mark. It’s a photographer’s paradise, and we catch sight of creatures including an anhinga bird before lunch at Whiskey Joe’s, with a stunning view over the dark blue waters of the excellently named Pithlachascotee River.

We even spot a pod of dolphins, and head out on the water that evening on our sangria cruise, watching the amber sun disappear over the horizon.

The Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa is next day’s destination, housing some 9,000 animals including sharks and alligators which sit motionless and sinister, before we take a fascinating tour of Ybor City, the historic cigar-making powerhouse which produced 700 million a year in its heyday.

Best guide

Our guide Lonnie – “the best tour guide in the city,” shouts a passer-by – takes us through the area, including Jose Marti Park, which is owned by Cuba. In Ybor chickens roam the streets, protected by law – “I’ve seen a rooster stop traffic for ten minutes,” says Lonnie.

Our final accommodation is the high-end Hotel Alba, where rooms overlook the pool, and next day we have a shot at paddleboarding – I stay on my knees for fear of losing my balance.

Later that afternoon we arrive at Hyde Park Village, a collection of high-end shops – including The Candle Pour, where we make our own candle. My mix of coffee, brown sugar and bourbon is so rich it seems to give off calories.

Speaking of which, I continue my mission to eat as much delicious local seafood as possible at our final dinner at Oystercatchers, where I enjoy yellowfin tuna from Florida’s east coast.

Adrenaline rush

The last day sees us visit the renowned Busch Gardens, a theme park set in a staggering 300 acres, whose undulating rollercoaster tracks are visible long before we cross the threshold. There’s so much more to entertain all ages – a sizeable zoo with in-house hospital where you can watch animals being treated, a safari through the 65-acre Serengeti Plain past rhinos, ostriches and zebras, including a stop to feed a giraffe (a genuine life highlight), live musical performances and a train ride.

For rollercoaster fans, this year sees the launch of the Iron Gwazi – billed as the fastest, steepest hybrid coaster in the world, reaching a height of more than 200 feet, and described as “a ride with a bit of a bite”.

I have found my own kind of highs in Florida – culture, cool, cuisine and a dazzling colour scheme.

Legendary US comedian Rodney Dangerfield is credited with a joke about how one night he came home and decided to let his wife make the first move. “She went to Florida,” goes the punchline. After this trip I can’t think of many places better to go.

Before travel restrictions were imposed America As You Like It offered a seven-night package from £1,155 per person including return flights from Glasgow or Edinburgh (via London Gatwick) on British Airways, car hire, two-nights at the Postcard Inn On The Beach in St Petersburg, one night at the Opal Sands in Clearwater Beach, two-nights at the Springhill Suites Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County and two nights at Hotel Alba in Tampa. Price based on two people sharing. Call 020 8742 8299 or see here.

More details on the locations visited can be found at www.visitflorida.com, www.visitstpeteclearwater.com, www.flsportscoast.com and www.visittampabay.com.