Tampa Bay by the Mile

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The Tampa Bay area takes center stage this week, as the Florida region's beloved Rays battle for baseball supremacy in this year's World Series. But while the action inside Tropicana Field may be what's hot at the moment, Tampa's white sandy beaches and seaside highways and byways offer a perfect destination to get out and drive any time of the year.

And if you're wondering if it's convertible weather, high temperatures over the weekend are forecast to be in the 80s. So get yourself down to Florida and check out this drive to the sea. If you're quick enough, and the World Series makes it back down to "The Big Guava" next week, you can couple a gorgeous day out with a raucous evening inside watching the sporting event of the fall.

If you do want to try to catch the Series, cross your fingers that the Philadelphia Phillies and the Rays battle their way to a Game 6, which would take place Wednesday, Oct. 29, if necessary. Game 7 would be Oct. 30. You can still get last-minute tickets from Web sites like stubhub.com, which is advertising Game 6 tickets starting at $200 and going all the way up to $12,000. Tickco.com has Game 7 seats starting at $299 each.

Whether you go to the Series or not, you'll want to devote a whole day to checking out the scenery of Central Florida. Here's a route recommended by Tampa Bay and Co., along with some hot spots to hit along the way.