Q: My husband and I live in Miami. We would like to take a camping trip somewhere in central or northern Florida (preferably on the west coast) in late March or in April. We'd love to camp someplace beautiful where we can do some water activities like kayaking. We'd like to stay in a cabin or maybe in a nearby bed & breakfast. I would really appreciate receiving your help in locating a place that meets this description.

A: Wow, your trip sounds great already. But you know that staying in a B&B isn't camping, right?

So, let's see: central or northern Florida on the west coast. Beautiful scenery. Kayaking. A cabin or a B&B. Here are some thoughts:

Cedar Key is Old Florida, an island about an hour's drive southwest of Gainesville. It's an old fishing village with quaint shops and lots of seafood restaurants, all surrounded by nature.

You can rent kayaks from Cedar Key Kayak, Inc. (352-543-9437). There are two B&Bs that I know of on Cedar Key: Cedar Key Bed & Breakfast (800-453-5051), which is a Victorian-style place with 5 rooms, and Island Hotel (352-543-5111), which was built before the Civil War and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Farther south, visit Honeymoon Island State Park near Dunedin to ferry a boat to Caladesi Island State Park. Or take your own/rented boat to Caladesi yourself to camp at the boat docks on this pristine island with a beach that's been rated second best in the United States. (Staying on a boat at the dock is the only way to stay overnight on the island.)

In Clearwater, you can rent kayaks from Aqua Azul Kayaks (813-530-7555), which offers classes and day trips. And if the boating overnight doesn't do it for you on Caladesi, then you can stay at Lanning's Green Gables B&B (813-443-3675).

If you can take your cabin a bit primitive and don't mind traveling even farther south, then definitely go to Cayo Costa State Park off the coast of Ft. Myers. This is another island in the Gulf accessible only by boat (which you can ferry), but there are 12 cabins ($20 per night) on the island that you can stay in -- very primitive cabins that are more like wooden tents. Here is an unspoiled barrier island with great Gulf sunsets, mangroves, flatwoods and a hardwood hammock away from the crowds.

Have a great time out there!

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