Hey, I live in Ontario, Canada, and next month will be driving down the eastern seaboard and down to stay in Florida for a few days. Just gonna take a couple days to chill, and I think Im going to check out the gulf side rather than the eastern side.

My question is:

What is a good city / town to visit on the western coast of Florida which is fairly easily accessible, closer to the south, but not like, keys area...

Ive never really been down past Myrtle Beach in the States, but for whatever reason the people I'm with are determined to stay on the western side rather than Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area.

Any help / input is appreciated, thanks!

I know you very specifically said the gulf coast but I never hung around there so I can only tell you what I know. If you just want to chill/fish/party like I do when I go down, go to Vaca Key (Marathon) or close to there. It is an hour from Miami/Lauderdale, an hour from Key West, cheap to stay at, surrounded by amazing fishing and has like 7 beaches and a nature preserve within 15 minutes.

Regardless of where you stay take Route 41/Tamiami trail through the everglades. Usually "Alligator Alley" or the main highway is the one that is hyped (for no reason) but Rt 41 is the real deal southernmost swamp shit. If you want to see gators look out your window or stop at one of the 5 million indian reservations and take a fanboat, hopefully you get a nutcase like my favorite driver who like to slalom the boat at 50mph. Stock up on cheap gatorskins and cigarettes. Everything there is cheap if you know where to go.

EDIT: I DO suppose Ft. Myers/Cape coral is nice, great wildlife and beaches. Not a big fan of tampa/clearwater etc.

Hmm interesting. I was considering something in the Fort Myers area, as well as far north as Clearwater. You said you specifically dont really like Tampa or Clearwater, whats the deal? Person Im going with named Clearwater as a possible destination- id like to go further south Fort Myers or Naples area, but whats wrong with Clearwater and Tampa?

Sorry if these are obvious questions I havent travelled out of Canada in a long while.

Clearwater has a lot of retirees from Canada; it's a nice place. Nothing in Florida is too far if you've got a vehicle.

Tampa has a pretty massive science center.