After trial and error, and a handful of scraped and bruised relatives, I have uncovered a painless, low-stress and economical way to plan a family reunion that everyone will love. Pack your sandals and leave the boxing gloves at home. Below, you will find the recipe for a glorious, fight-free family gathering.

Disclaimer to Users of this Guide: Author cannot be held responsible in the unlikely event of: a) death from pleasure overload while following the instructions herein; or b) job loss and/or foreclosure due to never returning home. That being said...


1. Make Plans to Host Your Reunion in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area

Offering an exciting variety of culture, family fun and lush tropical surroundings, St. Pete Beach has the perfect formula for the ultimate family reunion. This community provides just the right combination of sunshine, warm weather, art, history and entertainment for everyone.


2. Go Condo!

Ever the budget-conscious family, our search for accommodations led us to condo rentals. What we discovered was a little piece of heaven. Vistas on the Gulf is a family-friendly, beautiful little hideaway situated in St. Pete Beach, right on the Gulf of Mexico. This luxury condo hotel provides all the comforts of home - including washer/dryer, cable, full kitchen and gas grills - for rates surprisingly comparable to most hotels (three day minimum reservation required).


3. Let "The Don" Be Your Guide

The Don CeSar Beach Resort, affectionately referred to as "The Don" by locals, is the visitor's anchor point on St. Pete Beach. The grand hotel, which originally opened in 1928, was appropriated by the military during World War II and eventually abandoned, restored and reopened in 1973. Kennels were built to house displaced pets while their owners stayed here during the recent hurricane season, making this regal resort a favorite among pet owners. This historical monument made navigating around St. Pete Beach a breeze - and getting lost a virtual impossibility.


4. Savor the Incredible Beaches

If all your time is spent living it up on breathtaking St. Pete Beach, you've not wasted a moment. The Gulf provides a serene escape from the everyday. Let the kids burn off boundless energy building sand castles, collecting shells and riding boogie boards while the adults sip fruit-garnished drinks under a cabana and reminisce about the 'good ole' days.'
We dined on fresh grilled grouper, huge burgers, jerk chicken wings and arguably the best conch fritters in the United States.



5. Visit Downtown St. Petersburg

The Pier is a picturesque hotspot in the epicenter of downtown St. Petersburg. Here, families can ride surrey bikes, feed pelicans and go fishin'. Baywalk, just steps from the pier, offers upscale dining, shopping, special events and weekly entertainment. Check out the Salvador Dalí Museum and Great Explorations, a hands-on museum where kids can learn and have fun.

The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, near the city's Jordan Park community, opened in 2006 and highlights local and national Black history.


6. Don't Do All the Cooking

While you're at the pier, stop at Cha-Cha Coconuts for lunch. Overlooking an uninterrupted view of Tampa Bay, Cha-Cha's is wildly popular for its Caribbean cuisine. Visitors come from miles around for the sweet potato fries (with apple butter for dippin'). We dined on fresh grilled grouper, huge burgers, jerk chicken wings and arguably the best conch fritters in the United States.

Snappers, a favorite among the locals, offers all the trappings of five-star seafood dining in a casual environment with charming outdoor seating. Their seafood is delivered two to three times daily, fresh from the gulf. At dinner, we opted for the fisherman's platter, where we were served generous portions of fresh haddock, shrimp, scallops and clam strips too tender to believe, with their mouth-watering Orchard Lane Potato, wrapped in a flaky pastry.


7. When You DO Cook, Do it at Fort De Soto Park

 Fort De Soto Park is the perfect host for family reunion picnics. Rated the "#1 Beach in the U.S.A." for 2005 by Dr. Beach, visitors will enjoy campgrounds, grills and 35 miles of white-sand beaches - everything for a full day of family fun.


8. Let Them Eat Dessert

In a sea of Gulf Boulevard ice creameries, Larry's Famous Olde Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor stands out, modest presence and lack of sign notwithstanding. An institution for decades, it's commonplace to find co-owner Dore Herman on site chatting with the locals and sharing Larry's history with tourists.

In the mood for soft serve? Herman also owns the Twistee Treat just a half-mile away. Look for the giant ice cream cone on Gulf Boulevard.


9. Want to Escape? Steal Away to Egmont Key

On the hunt for the local grocery, we found Dolphin Landings by accident. Offering daily cruises in varied lengths, they have a warm, friendly staff to help you plan your activity.

Given the choice of their two-hour dolphin watch cruise and a longer snorkel and shelling trip, we chose the latter, a four-hour journey to Egmont Key. Armed with beach towels, snacks and waterproof sunscreen, we boarded the Island Hopper and headed out into scenic Boca Ciega Bay. We encountered scores of dolphins along the way and laughed out loud in delight as the majestic creatures gave us an impromptu dive show.

After 45 minutes of cruising, accompanied by a spectacular breeze and the stunning beauty of the Pass-A-Grille Inlet, we arrived at our own private island paradise. Near the mouth of Tampa Bay, framed by some of the most beautiful and lush views the eye could ever behold, was Egmont Key. Gilligan never had it so good.

This historic island was fortified during the Spanish-American War at the turn of last century, protecting the entrance to Tampa Bay from the Spanish. The end of the war eliminated the need for the location and thus brought about its abandonment and subsequent fall into disrepair. What stands today is a protected bird sanctuary among the rich historic ruins of a once-thriving outpost.

Surrounded by breathtaking beaches, the island is now inhabited largely by gopher turtles and a lone lighthouse keeper, who maintains the island. Visitors will still find many of the mortar structures and original brick and mortar roads, along with signposts that detail the Key's history.

On any given day, visitors can find Florida whelk shells measuring a foot long on the northern tip of the island along the western shore. Our tour guide, Steve (an investment banker from Chicago who was taking time off to do research for a book), gave us the VIP tour, naming every shell in existence, from clam and scallop to Florida fighting conch. On the other side of the island, the water is perfect for snorkeling; it's not uncommon for divers to spot huge live clams and other sea life.


10. What Kids? Make Time for Romance

Designate a sitter, order pizza for the kids and head to the Starlite Princess Dinner Cruise for a night of elegant dining, live music and dancing. Experience brilliant sunsets while enjoying a delicious four-course meal on board the nation's oldest continually running paddlewheel boat. They offer kid-friendly themed lunch cruises, but we found a variety of grown-up celebrations - marriage proposals, birthdays and anniversaries - on this romantic three-hour dinner cruise.

From the kids to Aunt Isabelle, the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area had a treat for each generation of our family. Who had time to fight?