Florida Destination Guide
Florida is know as the “Sunshine State” of America. A home of The Mouse, South Beach, Jimmy Buffet, and Nascar auto racing. Florida is located on a large peninsula at the southern extremity of the eastern coast of the United States. It is just over 1000 miles south of New York City.
Florida is the favorite winter vacation retreat for millions of Americans from the frigid northern states and Canadian provinces. It is also a popular vacation destination for many foreign visitors. In the summer months, many families with children on school holidays brave the tropical heat of Florida to visit the Disney World entertainment complex.
Florida, of course, is known for many things: the Everglades; the sun, sand, and surf that make up Florida’s 1500 kilometers of beaches; the Florida Keys; South Beach, the trendiest place in the world at the moment; and, oh yes, Disney World. But there is much more.
Florida’s western Panhandle is home to some of the finest beaches in the United States. The only elevation to speak of in the entire state is here, as are the state’s only caverns and some of the best canoeing around. The north central area of the state is home to the state’s capital, Tallahassee, with a number of fine museums, as well as to the famous Suwannee River. Opportunities for fishing, cave diving, and indoctrination in Southern small-town culture abound.
Northeast Florida is home to the state’s largest city, Jacksonville, to the oldest continuously inhabited city in America, St. Augustine, and boasts the headquarters of the Professional Golf Association. Golf, fishing, history, and the oldest marine park in the country, Marineland, make northeast Florida well worth a visit.
Further south you’ll come to world-famous Daytona Beach, as well as the site of the American space agency, NASA, in Brevard County--well worth seeing. Central Florida is dominated by Orlando and its well know coterie of theme parks, including Disney World, EPCOT Center, MGM Studios, Universal Studios, Sea World, and more tourist attractions than you can shake a stick at. But don’t miss the charming small citrus towns south of Orlando or the lake towns to the north. To the west lie Tampa and St Petersburg, beautiful cities with beaches to match. Tampa boasts a Busch Gardens theme park, but the real attraction here is the Gulf of Mexico, who’s calm green waters and white sandy beaches are suitable for sunning year-round.
South Florida has seen the best days go by as Orlando and other parts of the state beckon tourists, but visiting there is still an unparalleled experience. Although Fort Lauderdale is no longer a Spring Break haven, and Miami has seen its share of urban troubles, the beaches, the people, the Everglades, and the experience of it all is not to be missed. And of course no one has truly seen Florida who has not taken the long journey down U.S. 1 through the keys to Key West, the ultimate vacationer’s paradise, where it’s as easy to fill your day with activity as it is to do nothing at all.