# Florida Road Trip ### Fort Lauderdale → Orlando → Clearwater → St. Petersburg 📅 March 4–14, 2026 --- ## About this trip We spent **11 days in Florida**. Our route looked like this: Fort Lauderdale → Jensen Beach → Orlando → Clearwater → St. Petersburg → Madeira Beach → Fort Lauderdale. This trip had everything: Universal Studios, beautiful beaches, dolphins, and incredible sunsets. And most importantly — we celebrated our **15th wedding anniversary**.

--- ## March 4 — Arrival We landed at **Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport**. After landing we took the free shuttle to the rental car companies and picked up our car from **Sixt**. Our first hotel was **La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Ft. Lauderdale Plantation**. The hotel felt a bit tired and old. Old rooms and a pool that clearly needed cleaning. But after a long travel day we still jumped into the pool and relaxed. --- ## March 5 — Ocean stop We decided that this trip must include **Universal Studios in Orlando**. On the way we stopped at **Jensen Beach**.

It turned out to be a perfect stop between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando: - wide beach - free parking - beautiful Atlantic Ocean

And this was where I saw **a snake at the beach for the first time**.

Luckily, people nearby warned us. --- ## March 6 — Universal Studios After breakfast we took an Uber and in five minutes we were at **Universal**. We had chosen out of the three parks to go to **Islands Of Adventure**. We bought the tickets in advance and used the Universal app to track ride wait times. First ride of the day: **Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure**

We waited about **60 minutes**, the longest line of the day. Later we split into two groups — thrill rides and calmer attractions. With my youngest daughter, I did: - Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - The Cat in the Hat - Hight in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride

Meanwhile Ievgen and Aleksandra did: - Jurassic World VelociCoaster

- The Incredible Hulk Coaster

Together we also did: - Skull Island: Reign of Kong - The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man And of course a few water rides.

It was a **long but amazing day**.

--- ## March 7 — Clearwater Beach We drove to the Gulf Coast and stopped at **Clearwater Beach**. Our first hotel booking didn’t work out — the room smelled like smoke. So we immediately booked another hotel: **Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Clearwater**. Clean room, heated pool and **the best breakfast of the trip**. --- ## March 8 — Sand Key Park We spent the day at **Sand Key Park**. Parking — **$6 for the whole day**. Temperature: Water ~ 22°C Air ~ 29–30°C Perfect beach weather.

--- ## March 9 — Madeira Beach We moved to **Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. Petersburg – Madeira Beach** I emailed them in advance about our anniversary and they upgraded us to a **suite with a marina view**. A really nice surprise. We also visited **Florida Botanical Gardens**. There we saw two alligators — one small and one about **1.5–2 meters long**. The big one was trying to catch a blue heron and was hiding among the water lilies.

--- ## March 10 — Treasure Island Beach This quickly became **our favorite beach of the trip**. Wide beach, soft white sand, and an easy entry into the water.

All beaches we visited in Florida had: - free restrooms - drinking water stations - outdoor showers

In the evening we went to **Pier 60 in Clearwater** to watch the sunset. Street musicians, magicians, and performers created a great atmosphere.

Dinner at **Salt Cracker Fish Camp** with fresh **grouper from the Gulf**. --- ## March 11 — Anniversary & Dolphins We celebrated our **15th wedding anniversary** on the Gulf Coast. And the ocean gave us a very special moment — **dolphins swimming very close to the shore**. They were only about **10 meters away from us** and came back several times during the day. Sunset at **St. Pete Beach**.

Anniversary dinner at **Middle Grounds Grill**. The **Mango Nut-Crusted Grouper** was absolutely amazing.

--- ## March 12–13 — Unexpected extra days Our return flight with **Flair Airlines** was cancelled due to a technical aircraft inspection. Instead of flying home we suddenly had **two extra days in Florida**. We explored: - Las Olas Boulevard

- Anne Kolb Nature Center

- Hollywood North Beach Park

Mangrove forests, birds, crabs, and beautiful nature. --- ## March 14 — Back home We flew back to Toronto. And landed… **in snow** ❄️ After 11 sunny days in Florida. It was a wonderful trip and a perfect way to celebrate our **15th wedding anniversary**. Florida, we will see you again!

Written, Translated, and Revised by Aleksandra Tsygankova

All about Florida

Florida Road Trip — Universal, Beaches and Our Anniversary

Florida Road Trip