Tough Post for FL Board: Roadtrip stop from Miami to Tampa

[danieli10]

Fellow CHers, I am a Phx area CHer who will be in Miami for a few days and then driving up to Tampa for a few more. I am going to Bern's steakhouse one night and dining at a friend's house another, so I have a more difficult, but fun question:

Is there a great diner, drive-in or dive on the route from Miami to Tampa worth detouring for or stopping for?

Otherwise, I will eat a big lunch in Miami and just crank it all the way up to Tampa and eat when I get there. Thanks for the help!

[TrevorDavis]

actually, off river rd exit in northport is snook haven. on the myakka river. not sure if food will blow anyone away, but a classic FL dive. Cold beers , great atmosphere, dont expect anything fancy here

[TrevorDavis]

the best route from miami to Tampa is 1-75. if you have an extra hour detour to everglades city south of naples for incredible seafood in a very unique town. if you dont have that much time then its mostly chains

[Veggo]

You will of course drive 95 to 75 in FTL to Tampa. You can have a lunch feast of stone crabs at McCormick & Schmicks in Naples, or at the Columbia at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota. Very few of Naples' good restos are open for lunch.
Stone crabs and Berns will make a nice daily double.

[TampaAurora]

There is a great BBQ shack in Mulberry with a kicker mustard based sauce. It's on SR 60. There is an honey house that pays on the honor system nearby. Whatever you do, do not eat in Yeehaw Junction! I do that drive twice a year to visit family near Miami and I live across the bridge from Tampa. I look forward to seeing other posts to get ideas for our trip in 3 weeks!

[danieli10]

What is your favorite route to take from Miami to Tampa? Also, I'm really asking for the quickest.

[TampaAurora]

I 75 to I 95 I think, but I'm the passenger on those drives.

[srsone]

u have a few choices as for routes...
u can come across us 41 ..but across from miami to naples theres not much but the everglades...u can stop and see the smallest post office in the usa in ochopee
same with i 75 nothing really from miami until naples..

u could also take route 27 but then would have to cut back across either all the way up to i4 near orlando...or cut across 17 or something like that...

any way u go for the first hour or 2 theres not much..
unless u detour down to goodland from 41...but thats kinda far out of the way..
75 theres a few good places to eat in naples,ft myers area...
27 i dont know alot about way down near miami (only been that way once)
but from hendry county to almost lake county its not much but orange groves..

if it was me...i would eat a decent breakfast in miami then stop at yoders in sarasota

[redfish62]

I drive back and forth from Tampa to WPB every week. The shortest route imo is turnpike to Yeehaw Junction, then SR 60 to Bartow where you go north on 98 to the Polk County Parkway (toll is $1) which dumps you out on I-4 just east of County Line Road, which is 25 miles out of downtown Tampa.

The less stressful way is Turnpike to I-4 to Tampa because you don't have to make a single stop along the way, but it's 35 miles further than the SR 60 route. The SR 60 route is 15-20 minutes quicker in addition to being 35 miles shorter.