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Florida is probably the perfect vacation destination for the entire family – its beaches, theme parks, shopping, history and culture, outdoor parks and activities, hotels and resorts, (even the weather) and all the attractions that draw over 80-million visitors a year to The Sunshine State say so.
Whether it’s a beach holiday, a fun theme park vacation with the family, a shopping spree, a trip to the spa, a 4 or 5 Diamond Hotel city break, a golfing marathon, a wedding or just a quick weekend getaway in a secluded park …. Florida opens its arms to travelers and holidaymakers.
And there are plenty of other outdoors opportunities in Florida – canoeing, walking and hiking; opportunities too to observe the wildlife like alligators, manatees, dolphins and panthers. With more than 1,200 kinds of animals, Florida ranks third in the USA in wildlife diversity, and with a record number of parks, preserves, and refuges Florida is also a mecca for fishing enthusiasts from all over the world.
With more golf courses than any other state, Florida is the perfect destination for golfers. There are of course hundreds of theme parks across Florida.
Five of the top six most hospitable cities in the nation are in Florida, say the experts, and those cities are Miami (the world’s premier playground), Fort Lauderdale (the “Venice of America”), Orlando (perfect too for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios), Clearwater and St. Petersburg (best known for their magnificent Gulf beaches) . Among the other major cities welcoming vacationers are Fort Myers, Jacksonville, the capital Tallahassee, Tampa and Key West.
Florida has hotels, resorts, motels and spas for every taste or whim, from pet-friendly hotels and resorts that cater to animals to luxury 4 diamond accommodations.
Florida Travel – Florida Travel Guide
ATTRACTIONSAmelia Island There is a Walking Tour of Historic Fernandina Beach given by the Amelia Island Museum of History up Historic Centre Street and into the Silk Stocking District.
Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation This is a 2,000-acre ecological, historical and cultural tour site located in the heart of Florida’s Everglades. The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is nearby.
Charlotte Harbor & The Gulf Islands Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is one of Florida’s best-kept secrets. |
| Located halfway between Sarasota and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf coast, activities on the naturally beautiful and environmentally pristine area range from canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, sailing, fishing and boating to strolls on the beach, shelling, exploring historic communities, shopping and dining.In historic Punta Gorda, stroll the downtown streets brightened by period street lights, alfresco sculptures and colorful murals depicting the area’s history while shopping for specialty gifts and dining at trendy new restaurants. For a wilderness adventure on the outskirts of Punta Gorda, take a wildlife buggy tour and marvel at the silent beauty of ancient cypress swam.
The Fishermen’s Village is an interesting waterfront complex in Punta Gorda. Historic Park/Old Punta Gorda are historic buildings set in a park-like environment. The Babcock/Webb Wildlife Mgmt. Area is 65,000 acres managed to maximize wildlife.
Clearwater With its island beaches and large recreational fishing fleet this is one of Florida’s most popular vacation spots. Its proximity to St Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota and Orlando make it an ideal “base” for daily excursions. More than anything else, Clearwater is best known for its magnificent Gulf beaches. Indeed, some of the area’s beaches have been cited and recognized internationally for their overall “beach health,” including sand and water quality, as well as for safety and their vast array of recreational offerings.
Coral Gables Coral Gables features beautiful Mediterranean-style homes and winding waterways. Coral Gables recently welcomed the Village of Merrick Park, Miami’s newest upscale shopping mecca. The Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami presents 13 exhibits annually with a collection spanning 5,000 years of art. The Fairchild Tropical Garden is a living museum with collections of palms, cycads, and other tropical plants.
Dania Beach The IGFA headquarters here includes the Fishing Hall Of Fame and Museum.
Daytona Beach Millions of tourists from around the world flock to the Daytona Beach area every year to experience its sun-kissed beaches, family-style recreation, attractions and entertainment, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment.It is of course synonymous with speed, a place which became the proving ground for man and machine. Today, Daytona International Speedway’s DAYTONA USA, a custom-designed state-of-the art interactive motorsports attraction and museum, offers quality family entertainment for all ages. Daytona International Speedway also offers an informative fact-filled 30-minute tram tour of the speedway’s track, Victory Lane, and a pit stop for picture takers.
Everglades City The city is nestled between Everglades National Park , Big Cypress National Preserve and the 10,000 Islands. The Museum of the Everglades is a showcase for Florida’s history.
Florida’s Space Coast A 72-mile stretch of sun-bronzed Atlantic shore, space age attractions and protected wildlife refuges flourishing along the surf — all at down-to-earth prices. Featured among Money magazine’s “Best Places to Vacation,” the Space Coast is comprised primarily of area cities Titusville, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne and Palm Bay. Only 35 miles east of the arena of Orlando attractions, this spectacular East Coast getaway is the perfect Florida destination for the vacationer with beach dreams for just a few bucks.
Ft. Lauderdale The “Venice of America” is a city of islands held together by an intricate web of canals, rivers, bays and waterways hundreds of miles long. Among its attractions are the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Stranahan House, a restored Victorian-style home. that has been the city’s trading post, town hall, and post office, Bonnet House, a 35-acre subtropical, historical museum, and the Museum of Discovery & Science. The airboats of Grass River Adventures take visitors deep into the heart of the Everglades.Cruising to Fort Lauderdale?
Ft. Myers Called the “City of Palms” because of its palm-lined avenues, attractions include The Fort Myers Historical Museum and the Imaginarium Hands-On Museum & Aquarium. The Edison/Ford Winter Estates is a combination of the historic winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
Gainesville Attractions at the university town of Gainesville include the Northeast Historic District, a 63-square-block area of 290 historic buildings, and Morningside Nature Center exploring the lifestyle of a Florida family farmer of 100 years ago. Nearby, Paynes Prairie State Preserve is the site of a wildlife sanctuary where a rare herd of buffalo roams.
Gulf Islands Located halfway between Sarasota and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf coast, activities on the naturally beautiful and environmentally pristine area range from canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, sailing, fishing and boating to strolls on the beach, shelling, exploring historic communities, shopping and dining. The islands of Anna Maria and Longboat Key and the Bradenton Area are easily accessible by automobile as well as two major international airports.
Gulf Islands National Seashore Stretching from Mississippi to Florida, this is a paradise for beach lovers.
Islamorada Known as the “Sportfishing Capital of the World,” Islamorada in the Florida Keys is heralded for its angling diversity and features the Keys’ largest fleet of offshore charter boats and shallow-water “backcountry” boats.Numerous celebrities and even former President George Bush visit Islamorada annually to compete in a number of celebrity fund-raising fishing tournamentsThe “Sportfishing Capital of the World” has a vast collection of shipwreck artifacts at the Somewhere In Time Treasure Museum.
Jacksonville A world away from the neon glare and commercial flair associated with many of the Floridian hotspots, Jacksonville captures the authentic essence of a lifestyle and landscape reflecting the real Florida. Florida’s River City by the Sea has a riverfront festive marketplace and miles of uncrowded beaches. Attractions include a Budweiser Brewery Tour, The Museum of Science and History, and the Jacksonville Zoological Gardens.Cruising to Jacksonville?
Jacksonville Beach There is family entertainment at Adventure Landing/Shipwreck Island Waterpark.
Jensen Beach There are miles of unspoiled sandy beaches on Hutchinson Island.
Key Largo Driving from mainland Florida, visitors to the Florida Keys enter the 125-mile-long subtropical island chain at Key Largo, the longest island in the Keys.Visitors can enjoy Key Largo’s ties to the sea including scuba diving, snorkeling, an underwater hotel, sportfishing, eco-tours, beaches and dolphin encounter program This is known as the diving capital of the world and is home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, a spectacular underwater park.
Key West Located closer to Cuba than to Miami, Key West is Florida’s independent and irreverent southwestern subtropical paradise. The island’s balmy climate, historic structures and anything-goes ambiance have long provided a tropical refuge for writers, artists and free-spirited folks yearning for a place to unravel the mind, body and soul.Visitors can relive more than 450 years of history aboard one of Key West’s most popular attractions, the Conch Tour Train , or visit the Key West Shipwreck Historeum, the home and gardens of the Ernest Hemingway Home.
Almost 70 miles west off Key West lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park, accesible on the Dry Tortugas National Park Adventure Ferry.
Kissimmee On the doorstep of Central Florida’s major attractions, Kissimmee has a few of its own including the World of Orchids, the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, and Old Town, a shopping, dining and entertainment attraction.
Melbourne Attractions includes the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum, Brevard Museum of Art and Science, and BrevardZoo for jaguars, llamas, kangaroos, wallabies, exotic birds and red wolves.Historic Downtown Melbourne provides a picturesque but busy setting reminiscent of Florida’s past. The Henegar Center for the Arts and the Phoenix Theater offer live theatre.
Miami The world’s premier playground, Greater Miami offers visitors the best of all worlds – a rare destination where the cutting edge of urban chic co-exists with the beauty and splendor of a tropical paradise. Great year-round weather, top-ranked beaches and the sparkling waters of Biscayne Bay are the backdrops for a cosmopolitan metropolis, pulsing with the rhythms of its diverse population.From the chic and cultured to the diverse and outrageous, attractions include the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, the Miami Museum of Science & Space Transit Planetarium and the Miami Seaquarium. The Parrot Jungle and Gardens is a tropical bird sanctuary, wildlife habitat and botanical garden.
At the South Beach is a revitalized Art Deco District and Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is an Italian Renaissance-style villa with antique furnishings and decorative arts.
Cruising to Miami?
Naples The city has a long history as a winter retreat for the rich and famous. The nature center of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida provides ways to explore Southwest Florida’s natural environment. The Caribbean Gardens offers mature foliage surrounding animal exhibits; the Teddy Bear Museum of Naples is a whimsical “dream home for teddy bears” which has nearly 4,000 bears.
Ocala “The Horse Capital of the World” where some of Ocala’s finest horse farms can be seen by horse drawn carriage or trolley wagon.
Okeechobee, the Gateway to South Florida, offers outdoor recreation and wildlife viewing. Lake Okeechobee, the second largest inland lake in the US, is the #1 big bass lake in the south.
Orlando With more than 90 attractions to choose from, Orlando is one good time after another. The world’s major theme parks call Orlando home.Walt Disney World is at Lake Buena Vista with four theme parks. Visitors can live a storybook fantasy at the Magic Kingdom, step into the bright lights at Disney MGM Studio, explore the unpredictable world of animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and touch the future and travel the world at Epcot. Downtown Disney is an entertainment, dining and shopping complex, and The Disney Institute is a resort where guests take classes in activities like cooking, golf, rock climbing and animation.
Universal Orlando has two theme parks, Islands of Adventure with five “islands” of rides and attractions, and Universal Studios, the largest working movie studio outside of Hollywood with more than 40 rides, shows and attractions. Universal Orlando’s CityWalk is a 30-acre dining, shopping and entertainment mecca.
Another major theme park is the SeaWorld Adventure Park Orlando.
Other attractions include Gatorland with live educational and entertaining shows, Pointe*Orlando, another shopping, dining and entertainment complex, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, Skull Kingdom, a haunted castle with live actors, and Wet ‘n Wild waterpark. At the hands-on WordSpring Discovery Center guests explore the world of languages, cultures and Bible translation.
You can see Orlando and the Central Florida countryside with Magic Sunrise Ballooning.
At Lake Buena Vista visitors can drive a stockcar at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
North of Orlando at Sanford, visitors can explore the world of nature at Lake Monroe’s Central Florida Zoological Park.
Palm Beach County With over 150 courses, the county claims the title of “Florida’s Golf Capital”.
Panama City At the heart of the city is its historic downtown with its boutiques, galleries, antique shops and eateries. From its indoor science and adventure exhibits to the nature walk through swampland and pioneer homestead outdoors, Junior Museum of Bay County is a big draw for the family. One of the “100 Best Small Art Towns in America” is host to a variety of local treasures like the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida.
Panama City Beach Panama City Beach, “The Beach Lovers Beach”, is known for its 27 miles of sugar white sand, the warm emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and its family allure. It’s always showtime at Gulf World Marine Park and for the kids there is Coconut Creek Family Entertainment .
Pensacola Located in the westernmost corner of Florida’s Panhandle, Pensacola offers 52 miles of sugar-white beaches, a 400-year history, year-round festivals, outdoor adventures, and a world class aviation museum, as well as outstanding accommodations, facilities, and professional service. Southern hospitality combined with an uncluttered coast provide you with an ideal setting.This historic and picturesque city is known as the “City of Five Flags” and reminders of its varied heritage can be seen in the Historic District and the Civil War Soldiers Museum.To the west of Pensacola is the Naval Air Station, which boasts the world-renowned National Museum of Naval Aviation.
Pensacola Beach The hub of Santa Rosa Island, first discovered centuries ago by Spanish conquistadores, Pensacola Beach is home to the protected Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Pensacola Village Near Pensacola Bay, the Village is a museum complex which brings the romantic heritage of Northwest Florida to life.
Plant City More than 100 life-sized model dinosaurs are displayed in a natural landscape at Dinosaur World.
Port Canaveral Port Canaveral on Florida’s Space Coast is the gateway to a 72-mile stretch of Atlantic shore with space age attractions like the Kennedy Space Center, and protected wildlife refuges like the 220-square-mile Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, as well as three of Florida’s Ten Best Beaches.Cruising to Port Canaveral?
Sanibel & Captiva Islands Connected to the mainland by a three-mile-long scenic drive across a causeway, Old Town Sanibel with its quaint village shops is just footsteps away from its world-famous shelling beaches. More than 200 varieties of shells litter the beaches.
Sarasota Nestled along Southwest Florida’s Gulf coast, Sarasota and Her Islands (Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Manasota Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Englewood, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey and Venice) is recognized as Florida’s Cultural Coast.There are more than 40 unique artistic venues including theatres, art galleries, operas, a professional symphony and ballet. The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is Florida’s State Museum, and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, known for its architecture and great acoustics, seats 1,700 people and features a dazzling season of music, shows and programs for all ages.
St. Augustine With its old-world charm, “The Nation’s Oldest City” is one of Florida’s top vacation destinations. Attractions include the residents and craftspeople of mid-18th century St. Augustine at the Spanish Quarter Village and at the Old Florida Museum. The IMAX Theater-World Golf Village includes the World Golf Hall of Fame. At the Oldest House (Gonzalez-Alvarez House) 400 years of history are waiting to be explored – the Oldest Store Museum is a turn-of-the-century general store-turned-museum.Other entertaining attractions are Potter’s Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum is an active aid to navigation as well as a maritime museum.
See St. Augusatine from the air with Old City Helicopters.
St. Cloud The 4,400-acre wilderness preserve Forever Florida includes a working cattle ranch.
St. Petersburg Part of St. Petersburg/Clearwater on the Gulf of Mexico – Florida’s Beach. Thirty-five miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches sparkle in a unique setting that also features the resort communities of St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs.Attractions include The Pier with food, shopping and entertainment, the Salvador Dali Museum which showcases the most comprehensive collection of Dali works in the world, the Museum of Fine Arts, and The Florida International Museum which provides major educational, cultural and historical exhibitions.
Sunrise Gameworks has been created as the quintessential entertainment destination.
Tampa Bay The kaleidoscope of activity in Tampa ranges from its port brimming with shrimp boats, banana barges and cruise ships, to its festive marketplaces, and its multi-ethnic restaurants and shops. Attractions include Adventure Island, a family waterpark, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a 335-acre African-themed family entertainment park, Florida Aquarium, and MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry).Visitors are beckoned to another era by historic Ybor City, once the “Cigar Capital of the World”. Today, Ybor City is a shopping, dining and entertainment district. The state museum offers a look into the area’s ethnic past with a glimpse into how the typical cigar worker lived.
Cruising to Tampa?
Titusville On the shore of the Indian River, Titusville is also known as the Intracoastal Waterway. Among its attractions are the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex which tells the story of NASA’s exploration of space.
Tropical Everglades Spanning the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and most of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. Miccosukee Indian Village is in the heart of The Everglades.
Winter Haven is in Central Florida’s region of freshwater lakes. The carillon tower at Bok Tower Gardens, surrounded by 157 acres of gardens, houses 57 bronze bells ranging in weight from 17 pounds to nearly 12 tons. Visitors can come nose-to-propeller with an array of vintage aircraft at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City and the American Water Ski Hall of Fame depicts the history of water skiing and champion skiers. |
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