10 Funky Towns in Florida for Retirement
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 18, 2015 — When you think Florida, is your image one of a north-south string of strip malls, punctuated by boring developments full of old people? If so, you would not be alone. But we are about to show you that Florida has more than its fair share of interesting, offbeat, even funky towns – places that completely defy the stereotypes. While they might not be for everyone, they might be just the place for some boomers looking for a retirement location that matches their personality. This is Part 1 of a series; you can find even more funky FL towns in Part 2.
First of all let’s define what we mean by funky (and we realize you might have a different
Comments on "10 Funky Towns in Florida for Retirement"
SandyM says:
We've visited Cedar Key many times and love it! Friendly people, small mom & pop motels, artsy stores and several restaurants (Tony's has the best clam chowder). We actually have clam chowder shipped to us at home - yes, it's that good! We enjoy walking all through the town and enjoying water activities as well. We thought about moving there, but it's so far from the big cities and decided it wasn't for us. We will definitely continue to visit the area though. Admin, thanks for the list. Now we have more towns to visit while in Florida.
Jan Cullinane says:
Check out Flagler Beach, south of St. Augustine. It's "Old Florida" - on the ocean, easy to walk/bike on the sidewalks, a nice pier, no high-rises, and lots of restaurants - not upscale, and definitely funky.
Jan Cullinane, author, The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement
JudyS says:
One of my favorite towns is White Spring, north of Lake City. It is home of the Steven Foster State Park and host the Fl Folk Festival every Memorial Day weekend. The Swannee River runs through the town, homes are quaint and people friendly.
Lan Sluder says:
You overlooked Safety Harbor, on Tampa Bay in PInellas County. It's an unusual little town in that from the late 1950s or early 1960s until fairly recently few or no building permits were given inside the town, so it stayed pretty much the way it was 50 or 60 years ago -- brick streets, small houses, "cracker" cottages, little shops and restaurants, etc. (there was one big spa that always remained more or less separate from the town). Although development occurred all around the town Safety Harbor remained an island oasis in a sea of strip centers and condos.
When I was growing up, we used to spend winters in Safety Harbor. You could walk or ride your bike almost anywhere in complete safety, and to some extent that is still the case. Wish we hadn't sold our property there. I like it much better than nearby Clearwater or even Dunedin.
However, there are now some upscale shops on Safety Harbor's Main Street, a few places to eat and drink, and the marina and pier have been redone, with expensive condos and houses along the bayfront. You often can see manatees off the pier.
Phil R. says:
I lived in Florida from 1980 until 1997 and here are some small to medium towns and communities I recommend at least visiting.
1. Bunnell, Fl. is just due west of Flagler Beach on hwy 100.
2. Hawthorne, Fl. is just east of Gainesville and a stone's throw from Cross Creek and the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote the famous novel 'The Yearling' about this area and The Yearling restaurant in Cross creek first opened in 1952 and tries to capture the flavor & spirit of early 1900's Florida.
3.Tarpon Springs, Fl. on the west coast is a must visit destination in Florida. It's located a few miles north of Clearwater and is an old Greek influenced town and the sponge capital of the world. The docks are a perfect place to start with shops and restaurants and boat tours.
Also while in this area you should visit:
4. Clearwater Beach
5. Indian Rocks Beach
6. Sand Key.
7. Ybor City is a little Cuban area in Tampa but is a must see location with a Cuban heritage and restaurants that are just marvelous.
8. New Smyrna Beach, Fl. is on the east coast just south of the Daytona area.
You can Google any of these towns for more info on what they offer and specific directions to visit them.
I loved Florida and plan to return there to spend the rest of my retirement days!
Clyde says:
I didn't see any funky towns listed in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach Counties. But one town that could qualify might be Lake Worth. Its downtown is not exactly upscale (which makes it funky), but has good, comfortable restaurants that are generally affordable. There are also a number of "funky" stores and boutiques, as well as some galleries and a good live theatre venue.
The beach area has a long wooden fishing pier open to pedestrians. The city is working on downtown improvements, but whether it becomes another Asheville is not clear, though not out of the question.
Hatty says:
Decided to check Dunedin out to see what a funky town was about. We were lucky enough to visit while there was an arts festival happening, the town was very walkable and friendly and we were glad we stopped. Another town we visited just south of Dunedin was Gulfport which I think was pretty funky. It is small but had a beach and a small but walkable town. The Gulfport Casino is a large ballroom at the beach that is very popular for swing dancing from what I could gather but I was there during the day and it is probably a lot more lively at night.
Brooks says:
Thanks for the information. We just bought a second Home in Maitland ( our daughter lives there) and this gives me some places to explore nearby.