Ready to spring? Break to offbeat Florida towns

If you're looking for a spring break escape that's more about sun and less about suds, check out these off-the-beaten-track Florida getaways. You can hike through a jungle of live oak and gumbo-limbo trees, paddle through a canopy of mangroves in search of manatees or go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. In these five spots, you'll discover the Florida that time — and spring breakers — forgot.

Anna Maria Island

Retro family fun is wrapped in a charming package on Anna Maria Island, where locally owned accommodations (think wicker and tropical prints) are located just a Frisbee toss away from the beach. And what a beach it is: miles of powdered-sugar sand dotted with tiny coquina shells, lapped by the bathtub-warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Local shops stock vacation necessities like inflatable alligator beach toys, flip-flops and paperback novels. An old-fashioned trolley rolls along the main drag, stopping at the beach and local hot spots. You could make plans to do activities — rent a motorboat or visit Snooty the manatee at the South Florida Museum in nearby Bradenton — but better to simply let the lazy beach days unfold.

Apalachicola

Tourism promoters call this area of Northwest Florida's panhandle the "Forgotten Coast." But it's worth discovering, especially if you're into oysters: Typically, 90 percent of Florida's oysters are sourced here.

Local fisherfolk use giant tongs to pluck oysters from the sandy beds of Apalachicola Bay. These briny beauties, sweetly redolent of the sea, are considered some of the best in the world. A dozen or so local restaurants feature oysters on their menus, along with locally harvested shrimp, fish and crabs.

You could eat yourself silly here, but you'd be missing some of the other things that the 2,000-plus residents brag about, like the Cape St. George Lighthouse (circa 1852), a 72-foot-tall light station with an intriguing history, and St. George Island State Park, home of the third-best beach in the U.S., according to Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman, professor and director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. Get out on the water on a nature cruise; you can even try your hand at oystering.

Boca Grande

The look is more Lilly Pulitzer than bikinis and board shorts in this picturesque village, located on the southern end of the Cape Haze Peninsula on Florida's southwest coast. The preferred mode of travel here is a golf cart, the perfect way to shift into island time.

The hub of the action is the century-old Gasparilla Inn & Club, a beyond-quaint grand hotel where jackets are required for gents in the dining room in the winter high season, and tea is served in the afternoon. Days are spent on the Pete Dye-designed golf course, the tennis courts and at the beach club, enjoying the genteel pleasures of this baby Nantucket.

Looking for some action? Head out to Boca Grande Pass with a fishing captain. Every spring, thousands of tarpon pass through this spot, known as the tarpon fishing capital of the world. "Tarpon fishing at Boca Grande Pass is like nowhere else," says Rob Modys, captain of Soul Mate Charters, whose prize catch was more than 200 pounds. "Landing and releasing the big one is on most anglers' bucket lists."

Matalacha Island

It may not have the cachet of island neighbors Sanibel and Captiva, but tiny Matlacha (pronounced matt lah SHAY) is hard to miss. It's a happy jumble of wildly colorful buildings, where bait shops sit next to galleries and the art practically spills onto the causeway.

The island is a mere 1 mile wide by 1 mile long, with no schools and no churches, but plenty of art — 30 galleries and gift shops within three-tenths of a mile. Among the local characters (and there are many) is artist Leoma Lovegrove, whose gallery is painted pink with green polka dots and has mannequins poking out of the roof. Many of her boldly painted canvases pay homage to the Beatles.

Take a break from gallery-hopping and cast a line off "the fishing-est bridge in the world," as the locals call it, or dig into some fresh catch at a local fish house, evidence that Matlacha still retains its old fishing village roots. "You want big-city excitement? Head to Fort Myers," Lovegrove says.

Micanopy

It may be a miniscule town (just 1 square mile), but Micanopy — pronounced MICK uh NO pee — makes a big impression: Singer Tom Petty, from nearby Gainesville, name-checks Micanopy in his song, A Mind with a Heart of its Own.

You'll feel like you've walked onto a movie set, not a concert stage, as you wander past the antique shops and vernacular cottages along historic Cholokka Boulevard, shaded by massive live oaks draped with Spanish moss."Micanopy offers the last vestiges of original Florida architecture," says Monica Beth Fowler, owner of Delectable Collectables. Browse among 1,500 or so cameos at Fowler's shop, check out the exhibits at the Micanopy Historical Society Museum, and stop for a bite and home-made pie at Pearl Country Store & Barbecue.

Founded in 1821, Micanopy is thought to be the oldest inland town in Florida. It's an oldie but goodie.