Dunedin

A city of Florida, Dunedin is a beautiful medium-size community situated in the west of Tampa and in the north of Clearwater in Pinellas County near the Gulf of Mexico. To the north is Palm Harbor. The city with its subtropical setting offers four miles of waterfront which is quite picturesque. The atmosphere of this coastal town is very peaceful with a laid back life style.However, the down town is a thriving business district with a large number of shopping centers and retail shops, hotels and restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, art galleries, boutiques, etc. All in all, this quaint city with a population of thirty five thousand or so has the charm of a small town but with the amenities that can beat any of its larger city neighbors.

The city is also a popular place used by spring training teams of Major League. Since 1977, Toronto Blue Jays have been having their spring training here. Then the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League from class-A Minor League also have their training games in Dunedin.The city can be easily accessed by air. A number of airports are located in a close proximity. Just nine miles southeast of Dunedin is the St Petersburg Clearwater International airport in St. Petersburg / Clearwater, Florida. More or less fifteen miles east of Dunedin is situated the Tampa International airport in Tampa, Florida. To the south of Dunedin around forty five miles in Sarasota / Bradenton, Florida is the SRQ (Sarasota Bradenton International airport). In Lakeland, around forty six miles east of Dunedin is the Lakeland Linder Regional airport.

The city enjoys a moderate/ semi tropical climate due to warm Gulf breezes. In summers, there are plenty of sunshine and frequent thunderstorms which are short in duration. In July the average minimum temperature is 78.1. During the winter months of November and March, it is the most pleasant weather. In January the average minimum temperature is 58.6. The reason is that the Bay and the Gulf winds keep temperatures moderate. The area of the city of Dunedin was mostly populated by Scottish families in 1899. The name Dunedin was given by two Scotsmen, James Sumerville and J.O. Douglas who based it on their hometown in Scotland. Over time Dunedin became one of the Florida's chief seaports and trading centers. The main agriculture was of cotton and citrus which was mostly grew by the early Scottish settlers.

Being a coastal town with an ideal climate, Dunedin offers an abundance of outdoor recreational activities like fishing, sailing, boating, swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling, the thirty nine mile long trail called Pinellas Trail that traverses all of Pinellas County also cuts through downtown Dunedin - just perfect for a nice time outdoors for bicycle riders and pedestrians. Being an open waterfront community, Dunedin has some of the country's best beaches ? Caladesi Island State Park is ranked among the best beaches in the world. Other beaches of the note are Dunedin Causeway beach and the Honeymoon Island beach ? ideal for a romantic weekend. The City of Dunedin has always been very pro green and so a dozen or more parks are maintained with hiking and biking trails as well as lovely picnic facilities in them. These parks include Amberlea Park, Curlew Creek Park, Edgewater Park etc. some of these parks host a diverse ecosystem with opportunities of wildlife viewing. Then there is also a par 3 public Golf course called St. Andrews Links with the lighted driving range and putting green.

Golf lovers can also benefit from private and group lessons offered here. Designed by world famous golf course architect, Donald Ross, the Dunedin Country Club golf course is another great option with an 18-hole track. It used to host PGA of America between 1945 and 1962 where some of the top names made history including Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Tommy Armour, Gene Sarazen, Harold McSpaden, Louise Suggs, Jimmy Demaret, Walter Hagan and more. Although it is a semi privet club, it is open to public also.

Besides out door and water activities, other events like arts and crafts, parades, festivals, farmers markets, and music concerts are also organized in downtown city throughout the year. Located on the lakeside is the Community Center which hosts an interesting variety of band, chorus and theater productions as well as other special events. The centre also has a state of the art fitness center where exercise classes are offered. Scottish heritage is also well preserved and can be seen everywhere in Dunedin. In that spirit, Scottish clans hit the city for the Dunedin Highland Games once every year. It includes playing of drums and bagpipes which is typical of the Scotland tradition. Then there is the Dunedin's Mardi Gras celebration which also sees thousands of visitors every year. Other celebrations of the note include the Dunedin Celtic Festival and Military Tattoo.

There are also some of the top ranking establishments in the city which offer many night life options for the young and old both. These include finest gourmet and vegetarian cuisines at classy restaurants, traditional Irish drinks at pubs, and an array of many sweet delicacies at cafes and bakeries. For shop-a-holics, some great jewelry, perfumes, antiques, furniture, china, glass, home accessories, clothing variety is available. Besides all that, there is also some great merchandise from the Celtic heritage including Highland wear.