Tampa to disney drive...... (Orlando, Clearwater: crime, chapel, hotel)

[llrain73]

for tampa locals:
How far is it REALLY from Tampa to Disney, say on a Saturday or Sunday. Or after work at 6pm if we decided to go after work one night. We are dying to move to Orlando but there arent any jobs
and there might be one in Tampa.
One of our reasons to relocate to Orlando (maybe Tampa now) is for Disney but also for the warmer weather, ability to spend alot of outdoors time rather than be cooped up indoors during out New England Winters and a fresh start from where we are. We goto Orlando 3 times a year so we are pretty familiar with the lifestyles of floridians and just plain love it.

Also what would be the in between towns so we could possibly live half way between tampa and Lake Buena Vista. Perhaps this plant city town? I see lakeland could be a half way point.
Not sure that we would want to live in tampa itself as it seems too city like Boston that we have up here....We Kinda want to be in a smaller town feel but still somewhere that has a home depot or Panera Bread and some local flavor food without chain restaurants.

[ilikepizza]

It never takes me more than an 1 hr 15 min. The only place I ever really hit slow traffic is on 275 by Ybor.

[algia]

local flavor food without chain restaurants

No such thing left in FL...sorry to say. You might find a small Main Street in Sarasota, Dunedin, but not really like you're envisioning.

It takes about an hour and 15/20 minutes as mentioned above. We do the drive every weekend! LOL and lived in Orlando for 4 years and would NOT recommend it. It sucks. Its is far inland, no breeze, and so many tourists that locals act like tourists too+crime is out of control.

Plant City and Lakeland are BOTH very rural...as in farms rural...and there is nothing to do there...

In Tampa is really depends where you live...like if you live in Palm Harbor/Pinellas county then add another 45 minutes, if you live in Wesley Chapel take a few minutes out since you go from 75 straight to I-4...it really depends on where you end up working, because that will dictate where you'll be living, therefore how far you'd REALLY be from Disney.

[Spring Hillian]

Beyond incomprehensible. Google ANY Florida city or town for the word 'restaurant' and you will come up with more non-chain restaurants then you will ever need.

Originally Posted by algia

No such thing left in FL...sorry to say. You might find a small Main Street in Sarasota, Dunedin, but not really like you're envisioning.

[tinytrump]

Clearwater to Kissemme 2 hrs- city feel,,, haha-not in Tampa but it has the traffic- looks like Lakeland might be your town. I say get the JOB 1st- then move, the drive beween the 2 is not that long but grueling..

[punkfan39126]

Be careful about commuting into Tampa. Just to get from one side to the other during rush hour can be a nightmare.

[Spring Hillian]

A trip from downtown Tampa to WDW via I-4 should run you about 2 hours actually. Its 90 miles, but once you get somebody with a flat tire in the right shoulder, you've got a traffic slowdown. An accident along I-4 could make the trip very time consuming. It all depends on what is happening on I-4.

Between Tampa and LBV Lakeland may be a place to look at as it meets your needs at the end of your post pretty well.

Originally Posted by llrain73

for tampa locals:
How far is it REALLY from Tampa to Disney, say on a Saturday or Sunday. Or after work at 6pm if we decided to go after work one night. We are dying to move to Orlando but there arent any jobs
and there might be one in Tampa.
One of our reasons to relocate to Orlando (maybe Tampa now) is for Disney but also for the warmer weather, ability to spend alot of outdoors time rather than be cooped up indoors during out New England Winters and a fresh start from where we are. We goto Orlando 3 times a year so we are pretty familiar with the lifestyles of floridians and just plain love it.

Also what would be the in between towns so we could possibly live half way between tampa and Lake Buena Vista. Perhaps this plant city town? I see lakeland could be a half way point.
Not sure that we would want to live in tampa itself as it seems too city like Boston that we have up here....We Kinda want to be in a smaller town feel but still somewhere that has a home depot or Panera Bread and some local flavor food without chain restaurants.

[Spring Hillian]

Do you have a specific choice of locale between the two?


Let's do Lakeland since its in between. Lakeland Restaurants: See 197 restaurants with 1,547 reviews - TripAdvisor

I guess that there are some local food critics, perhaps in the local newspaper in Lakeland that would have better insight, but there are THOUSANDS of restaurants throughout Florida that are not chain operations. Thousands!

Originally Posted by algia

Name some then! with good reviews from service to food and beyond.

Between Tampa & Orlando.

[FloridaKash]

Are you really deciding to move to Orlando because DisneyWorld is there? That's almost silly.

I had some friends come visit Florida. They rented a huge hotel room. I work near I-4 and I-75 interchange. While they were here I stayed at their hotel and drove back and forth from work. Sadly, my commute from Orlando (near I-4 and Seaworld) to my job was faster than from my house in Carrollwood to my job. It was a further distance but a better commute.

If you are going to work in Tampa... live in Tampa. You go to work everyday... you will not go to Disney everyday and once you figure out when the busy days are at DisneyWorld you will only go when there are no crowds.

[Spring Hillian]

Yes, pretty rural around Lakeland and Plant City. However, Things to do in Lakeland: Check out 20 Lakeland Attractions - TripAdvisor will show that there sure are things to do there. Lakeland itself has a population of nearly 100,000. I wouldnt call that rural.

Please try to provide some accurate information instead of old tired out assumptions.

Originally Posted by algia

No such thing left in FL...sorry to say. You might find a small Main Street in Sarasota, Dunedin, but not really like you're envisioning.

It takes about an hour and 15/20 minutes as mentioned above. We do the drive every weekend! LOL and lived in Orlando for 4 years and would NOT recommend it. It sucks. Its is far inland, no breeze, and so many tourists that locals act like tourists too+crime is out of control.

Plant City and Lakeland are BOTH very rural...as in farms rural...and there is nothing to do there...

In Tampa is really depends where you live...like if you live in Palm Harbor/Pinellas county then add another 45 minutes, if you live in Wesley Chapel take a few minutes out since you go from 75 straight to I-4...it really depends on where you end up working, because that will dictate where you'll be living, therefore how far you'd REALLY be from Disney.