Florida in July?
 

I'll be attending a conference in New York second week of July and am thinking about heading somewhere for vacation afterwards. Having only been to Florida in December-March before, how is Florida in July? Where should I go for sun, good beaches and good food? Specific hotel recommendations would also be very welcome.

If not to Florida for some reason, any second options for me to consider?

Thanks!

Florida is in a Hurricane season from June 1st until November 15th. You really can't predict when it's gonna hit (as they do hit more and more every year) :(

As for hotel & food recommendations, why don't post where do you plan to go in Florida? Orlando area? Miami? Tampa?

Fort Lauderdale beach and South Beach are nice (especially for sightseeing :D )

Beside FL, you should consider Las Vegas if you haven't been.

Ok, so hurricane season starts that early. I actually haven't planned anything yet. I'm still in the research phase trying to find a good place to go to. If Florida is risky, I'll look for something else but I wanted to stay on the east coast if possible to avoid the long transcon flights. I've done too many of them already this year... :td: And I did Vegas in April so that's not an option either. :rolleyes:

I'm looking for something warm with sun, beaches, good food and some golf if possible. How hard can that be to find? ;)

If you just want to relax at the Beach, you have many options on the east coast, and I think better than florida in my openion.


- Cape cod, MA
- Newport, RI or (Block Island, RI)
- Long Island, NY
- Ocean City, MD

I personally like Block Island.

July has traditionally been ok for hurricanes in Florida. Mostly Gulf storms, so I would stick to the east coast of Florida.
It is hot, in the words of Neil Simon "Africa hot" in Florida in July. Golf is either an early morning endevour or late afternoon. You do not want to be on the course at high noon.
That being said, golf is dirt cheap in Florida in the summer. You can play courses, such as PGA National or Doral, that you couldn't touch in winter.
Laderdale has great beaches, as do South Beach. Hotel rooms are cheaper.

If you want a little cooler, there is great golf and beaches on the Gulf in the Destin area. San Destin has amazing courses. Grayton beach is always rated as one of the best in the US. Great food as well. I love the Destin Harbor restaurants. It is peak season there, so rooms and golf is expensive.

Some links for the area: http://www.sandestin.com/
http://www.destinfl.com/

Let me know if you have more questions about almost anywhere in Florida.

Florida is hot, humid and in hurricane season in July. But... the snowbirds have left, you can get a tee time whenever and the prices have dropped. Anyplace on an east coast beach is in the hurricane zone.

Come on over to Clearwater Beach area and you will have a golf partner on the weekends. I'll be happy to go to Busch gardens with you during the week or play host to wherever you would like to go. There are a couple of FlyerTalkers in the Tampa area and I'm sure we could get up a mini-do for you. :)


If you want to miss the heat and humidity of Florida you might look at going to Boston. It's a great city to visit. Also Washington, DC is an awsome place. Boston and Washington are walking cities so no car needed.


MoreMilesPlease

Or how about Nantucket? We loved it there in July.
Martha's Vineyard would be nice as well. Not sure about the golf. We had a great time biking on Nantucket.

The outer banks of NC is also an option.

That too.. but I havent been there. ^ Good recommendation.

pbiflyer is right, July is officially hurricane season, but early in the season.
You might want to check out visitflorida.com to get an idea of the state's different areas and things to do.

Mid to high nineties both for temperature (15 days above 90 in Miami; 20 days above 90 in West Palm Beach!) and humidity makes laying out less fun. Suggest looking at Carolina or Virgina beaches or even Maryland. As you head north, water gets colder but air temperature fine for sunning so even New Jersey and Massachusetts beaches should work.

Historical weather information can be found at http://www.weatherbase.com. Florida is at http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/c...US&s=FL&refer=. It shows, for example, that Atlantic city has an average high of 85 (vs 89 or so for Florida), but only 7 days over 90. Hyannis, Massachusetts has an average high in July of just 78.5.

So go to Florida to save big dollars if high heat and humidity doesn't bother you. Otherwise head north or even west (San Diego, California average high 77).

Florida in July:

Cons:
Hot and humid (90+F)
Hurricane...but they don't come overnight, you are warned days before.

Pros:
Not crowded like in Dec to April
Low prices, specials in hotels & restaurants

Where?
Sanibel/Captiva, Naples, Key West, Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale (Beach), Palm Beach area.

Regarding recommendations ... I need the area and the price range..

We have vacationed in Naples, FL every August for last 5 years. We were there when Katrina came across last August. Sure its hot and humid, but its also really CHEAP. I love to watch the late afternoon thunderstorms.

Thinking back a few years...we stayed in Ft. Myers so my daugher could go to her college orientation. Left my 12 year old alone at the hotel and later learned that a tornado had touched down not far away. No Mother-of-the-Year award for me...

Bumping this thread and asking for advice for a nice beach vacation. Requirements are good swimming, snorkeling would be a plus, close to a town - but away from crowds(husband needs to relax), also something for teens to do(but they are not the party type). Late July timeframe $200-300 night range.
Thanks! :)

Marco Island. Not too crowded. Good selection of water sports.

Or maybe...
 

...Anna Maria Island, west of Bradenton. Check this site.

BIG BIG CON (I'm guessing) as the OP is from Stockholm.

There are so many GLORIOUS spots to visit w/in a quick plane or longer car ride from New York, some have been mentioned, skip Florida during the summer months IMO.

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Hope I am not too late for the OP. I think the east coast of Florida in the summer is great. Yes - it is hot (west coast of Florida is hotter - and interior Florida is the worst). But you can wind up with 90 degree weather anywhere on the east coast of the US in the summer - and we have more air conditioning than anyone else :) . I live in extreme northeast Florida - but - curiously enough - we are a summer beach resort area. As far as golf is concerned - rates are more or less shoulder season or lower - depending on where you play.

To be honest with you - for the best deals (and the same weather) - I'd head to southeast Florida - where it is definitely low season. I in fact try to get to a south Florida resort at least once a summer just for a change of scenery. For golf - I would recommend a few places - but my favorite is The Breakers in Palm Beach. It's a big resort. Very historic. There's an old Donald Ross course there on the ocean. Very short - very tight fairways - challenging greens. If you hit "long and wrong" - this course will encourage you to correct your bad habits ;) . The resort also has another more contemporary course off premises.

There are dozens and dozens of golf choices here though - and if you tell me a bit more perhaps I can narrow things down for you. One word of caution. The most famous course where I live - the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass - the one with the island green - is closed for renovations until November (also - the old clubhouse has been torn down and the new one won't be ready until next year). Its sister course is open - but I don't think it's worth coming here from Sweden to play it (I play it every week - but I can't recommend the TPC now for long distance travelers). Robyn

For the past 10 years or so each summer my family would spend two weeks doing the Disney thing (we are DVC members) and we generally went in mid-late July.

Its very hot and humid during that time and personally I enjoy the fall or winter better, but summer does have its high points since there are lots of things going on (not to mention lots of other visiting families!)


I would highly recommend any of Disney’s on-site properties if you are looking to do Disney at all. They are IMHO, far better than most of the other generic hotels (Marriott, Hilton, etc) outside the park, though you do pay a premium for the magic.

Being the Disney fan (and freak) I am, I also enjoy Disneys beach resort at Vero Beach. IT is also a Disney Vacation Club property and is a very nice place to spend 4-6 days. Its about 1.5-2.0 hours to the South-Southeast of Orlando.

As much as I like Florida and hot weather, I have to agree with Sweet Willie. It's not for everyone, and it helps to be heat-tolerant and already live in a hot humid climate. Getting a sunburn in the first 15 minutes of a vacation sucks bigtime. The sun is a little weaker up north and the temps lower. I'd opt for Cape Cod, Maine coast, Rhode Island, any of the islands (Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Block). What's least crowded? Personal favorites would include the outer Cape, Misquamicut, Edgartown and Ogunquit.

I was hoping for things to be quite and calm in July but instead work has been very hectic so I haven't had time to spend at FT unfortunately. :(

Anyway, I've read all your input (thanks everybody) and evaluated all options. I've finally decided to go to Hilton Head and have booked at the Hilton Garden Inn on the way out to the island. All resorts were sold out or at sky-high prices and the HGI location seems fair enough with a rental car.

What attracted me with Hilton Head was all the golf courses (of course :cool: ) and that there seems to be quite a few very nice beaches around.

During the research of all recommendations I've recieved, a couple of locations have also been added to the list of locations that I no doubt will visit in the future. Included is beautiful Sandestin in Florida and the fantastic Hilton Golf and Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico; spots I had probably not found without all the nice people here! ^

Btw, Florida's time will come. :p But it will probably be in March as a couple of times before instead of during the hot-n-humid summer.

Enjoy Hilton Head, wonderful golf there. Hope you have great weather.
Not to put a damper on Florida in March, but that is the height of spring break for our college kids. Many of the Florida resort cities are packed with partying 21 year olds. Hotel prices are often at their peak as well. Just something to check into before you book

I hope you have a great time at Hilton Head, Paby. It certainly is beautiful there. However, the primary negative noted by many posters about summer in Florida (the heat) also afflicts that part of the South Carolina coast. The temperatures there will be just as high, if not higher than, those at coastal locations on Florida's west coast. One advantage HH has is that it will probably have fewer thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Have a great trip!

While you're there, if you have time, cross the border into Georgia and visit Savannah (actually, Savannah and HH share an airport but don't let the airport be all you see of Savannah). It's a charming older city with beautiful buildings and parks and the setting for some movies and books you may have seen and read (Forest Gump & Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil).

Have a good time, but watch out for the alligators on the golf course.

That is an excellent suggestion. Savannah is one of my favorite cities. Take any of the walking tours, they are a great way to see the city.
We liked the haunted pub tour. :D

Just to get it out there, Washington DC is NOT the best place to be in July. Its all pavement and buildings which makes it HOT HOT HOT. I do suggest visiting DC in the spring or Fall when it is much cooler and not as busy with the festivals and sightseers.