Destination Spotlight - Gulf Coast - Florida USA

What to eat

The Americans take their food seriously and portions can be large – don’t worry if you can’t eat it all in one sitting, your waiter will be happy to parcel it up for you to take home!

There are many restaurants along the Gulf Coast, offering a wide variety of culinary delights and whilst there are a number of fine dining establishments, many eateries are family friendly with children’s menus and crayons to hand.

• Seafood – there are many specialty restaurants but wherever you eat, there will often be shrimp, florida snapper, grouper, stone crab or tuna on the menu
• Key Lime Pie
• Florida Oranges
• Gator Jambalaya - if you’re feeling adventurous!
• Florida gumbo - seasoned oysters, shrimp and fish served with rice
• Smoked mullet
• Orange - Cranberry Pork Chops
• Chocolate orange brownies
• Cinnamon rolls
• Corn bread
• Blueberry French toast
• Cuban sandwich – invented in Tampa, this sandwich is made with a soft baguette-like white bread, usually made with lard. It is spread with mustard mixed with mayo and some hot sauce, and then layered with your chosen filling.

What to buy

• Fossilised sharks teeth from Naples
• Art & paintings from one of the many galleries in Naples or St Petersburg
• Clothing, luggage or accessories from one of the many malls or factory outlet villages such as Prime Outlet Mall, north of Bradenton
• Wine from one of the wineries around St Petersburg (Florida Orange Groves Winery), Clearwater (Murielle Winery), Alva (Eden Wineries) or Bradenton (Rosa Fiorelli Winery)
• Christmas Decorations from one of the many year-round Christmas stores

Travelling to the USA this year? Don't forget, Car Hire 3000 offer car hire from locations across America, including car hire Florida , car hire New York , car hire Las Vegas and car hire Orlando - as well as 4000 other locations across America and the world!