Florida is surrounded by magnificent coral-filled ocean and blessed with year-round balmy weather. In this popular holiday destination it’s all about award-winning beaches, permanent suntans and some of the best golf courses in the country. Miami itself has over 40, including a Greg Norman Signature Course. There’s still loads to do if golf is not your thing. The nightlife is legendary, and you must explore the Art Deco district, go rollerblading along Ocean Drive or watch horse racing (and pink flamingos) at Hialeah Park.
Gaze at Miami’s skyline and the sparkling bay on the drive toward Key Biscayne. Surf Haulover and South Pointe Beaches, canoe the Oleta or Loxahatchee Rivers, fish Florida Bay and go to Crandon Park for its long beach and nearby restaurants. Escape to Key Biscayne and Bill Baggs State Park coral reefs. Or, for truly spectacular diving, stay in the Florida Keys. Key Largo, closest to Miami, has the world-renowned John Pennekamp State Park and superb Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary.
If you’re not a diver, get into a glass-bottomed boat or canoe. Snorkel, fish, or take a walk. Spend time in the aquarium, and eat plenty of succulent, fresh seafood. At charming Tavernier’s Theater of the Sea you can interact with dolphins, sea lions and stingrays. The deep waters around Islamorada make it the place for sport fishing, and don’t miss the tropical nature trails at Long Key SP. Marathon has the best beach, with a protected cove for kids, fish Marathon West Hump or from the Seven Mile Bridge, hike idyllic Crane Point Hammock or Honda Bahia State Park’s Silver Palm Trail. Honda Bahia also has a great beach, while Big Pine Key has miniature deer, white herons and shells. Looe Key has a spectacular shallow coral reef. Celebrate the sunset from Mallory Square in Key West before bar-hopping Duval Street, visit Ernest Hemingway’s six-toed cats and discover pirate’s treasure at the Maritime Museum.
To the north of Miami, Hollywood has Florida’s largest collection of champion trees at the Wray Botanical garden and the state’s only oceanfront boardwalk. At Fort Lauderdale, swanky Las Olas Boulevard boutiques contrast a huge Swap Shop flea market, and there are over 4,000 restaurants and nightclubs. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park has tranquil beaches, freshwater lagoons and surfing spots.
Pompano is an excellent spot for fishing, or go snorkelling, diving and wildlife-watching at neighbouring Deerfield’s Island Park. You can play beach volleyball at Delray Beach, dive the SS Inchulva wreck just offshore and shop Main Street and ritzy Atlantic Avenue.
Luxurious Palm Beach is epitomised by the opulent Whitehall mansion. Shop Mediterranean-style Worth Avenue and dine in Clematis Street, or take the kids to the zoo and science museum at Norton Museum of Art. Climb the 1860 lighthouse at Jupiter, spot turtles in Hobe Sound and explore the Everglades – and other stunning natural areas - from upscale Naples and lovely Marco Island, the largest of the maze-like Ten Thousand Islands. Teeming with fish and wildlife, anglers and eco-adventurers will love it here.
The Dellnor-Wiggins Pass Park has a superb beach and Lovers Key Park is sensational for shelling and bird watching. Shop at the chic Naples boutiques, the glass at the Museum of Art will dazzle and get up close and personal with animals at Naples Zoo. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Bonita Springs, is a must-see, as is its top beach. At Fort Myers Beach try kid-safe Lynn Hall Park, the Sun Splash Waterpark and the Imaginarium Hands-On Museum.
In old-Florida Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor, churches very much outnumber nightclubs and the most popular sports are fishing and golf. Sail the harbour, laze on Englewood’s beautiful white beaches or float in the salty blue-green Gulf waters. Go ranching in Arcadia and canoe the Peace River.
And don’t forget the famous Orlando theme parks - Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios. The Science Center has the largest refracting telescope, the Morse Museum the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany artwork, and the World’s Largest McDonald’s PlayPlace is an eye-opener. Orlando’s shopping malls are as mammoth as its attractions, especially the Florida Mall, the upscale Mall at Millenia and the outdoor Premium Outlets, bursting with designer boutiques.
A little further east is the spectacular Kennedy Space Center. Watch a shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral while surfing Cocoa Beach. The north-east Pacific coast is centred around Daytona Beach, home to the LPGA International’s two premier 18-hole golf courses. You can even drive on the 23 mile beach! Surf or other water play is big at Ponce Inlet and you must enjoy the scenic drive to the ancient oak forest at Bulow Creek State Park from Ormond Beach.
New Smyrna Beach rates tops for sand, surf and the USA’s most biologically-diverse estuary and Palm Coast offers upscale golf and tennis resorts. Also visit the Princess Place Preserve and Flagler Beach turtle nesting sites. St Augustine, the nation’s oldest continuously settled city, has the oldest building, Castillo de San Marcos, as well as the oldest house, wooden school, store and jail, and they’ve turned their old indoor swimming pool into an antiques mall. Golf fanatics will find their mecca in Ponte Vedra Beach at the World Golf Village.
Off to the west, the Gulf has more powdery white beaches and a peaceful turquoise ocean. Sarasota and Bradenton overlook a veritable string of barrier islands, including Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.
Marvel at Ringling Art Museum’s Venetian-style architecture and miniature circus, see some of the whitest, finest sand in the world at Siesta Beach, don’t miss the fossils at Caspersen Beach or the Mote Aquarium and outstanding wildlife preserve at Myakka River.
Visit Tampa for the world-class zoo at Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo. Tierreverde has one of the world’s longest fishing piers and on your way up to the bird and wildlife refuge at Cedar Key, there’s another top beach at Caladesi Island and Tarpon Springs’ mini Greece is worth stopping for. You can swim or scuba dive amongst the manatees at Crystal River and the Panhandle’s soft sugar-like beaches squeak as you walk on them while the sea is clear and bright green and the sun is warm.
Henderson Beach State Park is a family favourite and so is Big Kahuna’s Waterpark. The drive to Ft Walton Beach has dramatic views of sand dunes and Chactowhatchee Bay and 100 Fathom Curve offers exceptional diving, snorkelling and shelling. Florida Caverns in Marianna are unique limestone caves and there are more golf courses here than you can poke a stick at.
Pensacola and Navarre Beach have miles of snow-like beaches and many military museums, including the must-see Museum of Naval Aviation. The Seville Square Historic District blends French and Spanish architecture beautifully, while Blackwater River State Forest has an incredibly pure river.
Oysters, blue crabs and prawns, gator tail or Cuban black beans, fresh citrus and Tupelo honey are all tastes of Florida. Have fun discovering your favourite one!
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