Dunedin town

Dunedin town is just what a town should be! It has an artsy flare, with sculptures everywhere and artists studios. Main Street has cute gift shops and cafes, and Douglas Avenue branches off from it, with coffee shops and a lovely health food market called Nature's Food Patch at the bottom of a chic apartment building. There are tons of tables with umbrellas where you can sit outside the market and enjoy the morning sun. There is a mystical shop called Enchanted Spirits, a Celtic gift shop, bike shops, a juice place called Good Vibes, breweries such as Caledonia Brewing, and an ice cream shop called Strachan's on Main or streets that branch out from Main Street. Bakeries abound as well- this is my kind of town! The Scone Age has a particularly cool name and is a bakery housed in a little yellow cottage. Here you can find Scottish scones with real cream and homemade modern and there are plenty of windows looking out on the bike path. Little Red House is an eatery with a sand pit for kids.

 A long bike path, Pinellas Bike Trail, following an old railroad track, cuts through Main Street. On weekends it is full of happy people walking and bike riding. Come early in the morning because there's no shade later in the day. 9th Bar Coffee is directly on the bike path.
A really magical playground, which is on the bike path and the intracoastal, is called Weaver Park, and has such lovely things for kids to explore. There is also a splash pad called Kiwanis Sprayground in the north part of Dunedin (see address below). If the weather is bad, head indoors to Dunedin Fine Art Center Kids Room, a cute place with lots to explore.
The Living Room on Main is a great live music venue and eatery- if you can catch Gloria West and the Gents playing there, you must go! They have a jazzy sound similar to Postmodern Jukebox.
It's lovely to stroll along Edgewater Drive, with tall palms above you and the intracoastal waterway looking beautiful at your side. From there you can walk to the Dunedin Marina where little boats cheer you with their cute names, and a colorful dolphin sculpture is fun for kids to see. Walk out on the pier and listen to the water splashing against the pilons and the birds making crazy noises. What a fresh seaside feeling it has here!
Along Edgewater Drive, check out the Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar at Fenway Autograph Hotel. It's gorgeous in the afternoon with the breeze off the water, and there is often live music. Sometimes the live music is downstairs at the bar in the lobby, and that's a fun venue too.
Check out the free Penny Lane Beatles Museum on Broadway Street, open in the afternoon on MWF and Saturday.
If you want the beach but don't want the crowds and dowdy arcades of Clearwater- which you probably don't if you like places like Dunedin- head to Sand Key Beach Park. It's a slightly longer drive but worth it for its unspoiled nature. It takes half an hour by car from Main Street.
If you're driving back to Orlando from Dunedin, stop at Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor. It only adds ten minutes to your drive and it's a glorious spot on a hill over the intracoastal.
To the north of Dunedin (24 minutes) check out the sponge docks of the Greek town called Tarpon Springs. Or to the south (27 minutes), check out Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo/Clearwater.

Directions

Nature's Food Patch Health Market, 966 Douglas Ave #106, Dunedin, FL 34698.
The Scone Age Bakery (Scottish scones), 332 Skinner Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698 (closed Monday and Tuesday).
The Living Room on Main (live music), 487 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698.
Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar, Fenway Autograph Hotel, 
Celtic Shop of Dunedin, 354 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698.
Penny Lane Beatles Museum, 730 Broadway, Dunedin, FL 34698. Open MWF 12-4, and Saturday 12-3. Free admission.
Weaver Park, 1258 Bayshore Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698.
Kiwanis Sprayground, 1940 Ed Eckert Drive, Dunedin FL 34698.

Click on map for interactive view