Florida holidays are particularly popular with families who have children of all ages. From family-friendly inns and hotels to luxury penthouses, Florida has top-class accommodation to suit everyone. When it comes to dining out visitors will be spoilt for choice with restaurants to suit all budgets and palettes, from seafood diners to romantic al fresco dining and much more. Shoppers will not be disappointed as Florida is a shopper’s haven with amazing shopping malls, designer boutiques and quaint little local stores.
For culture vultures there is an array of attractions including state-of-the-art museums, art galleries, world-class ballet and opera. Entertainment ranges from stylish nightclubs to live music.
Sports fans are also looked after, with golf and fishing especially well catered for. With over a thousand golf courses, golf enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice. The warm climate here is ideal for all year round golfing although the peak golfing season runs from January to April. Keen fishermen can choose from the fresh-water inland lakes, line fishing from the shore or sport fishing where they may be lucky enough to catch barracuda, marlin, tuna, tarpon and grouper. Florida’s sunny climate and warm waters are perfect for water sports which include scuba diving, snorkelling, windsurfing, kite-surfing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, parasailing, kayaking and more.
Orlando offers an unforgettable fantasy world with the Disney and Universal theme parks, however many people forget that there is so much more to the ‘Sunshine State’.
Florida also has some amazing green regions with lakes and rivers, the Atlantic Space Coast and the beautiful sandy beaches of the western Gulf Coast and the Atlantic coast. Florida has 1200 miles of coastline with wide white sandy beaches which are very popular with children and swimmers as they gently shelve down to beautiful calm waters, making them very safe for families with younger children. Nature parks are plentiful in the state, including the famous Everglades National Park, the Rookery Bay Nature Preserve and the Big Cypress Swamp.
Children will love alligator spotting in the Everglades, an unforgettable experience of swimming with the dolphins down in the Keys and of course, exploring the Kennedy Space Centre.
Then there are the resorts of Naples, Marco Island, Sarasota, Clearwater and St Petes Beach which make perfect bases from which to visit places like the Orlando theme parks and Tampa’s Busch Gardens African them park.
Florida’s Space Coast has 70 miles of wide sandy beaches, family resorts like Cocoa Beach, the world famous NASA complex at Cape Canaveral and great wildlife parks.
The vibrant city of Miami is famous for its fashionable at deco South Beach, lively nightlife and a great selection of trendy restaurants, cafes and bars.
When you need a relaxing break a boat ride along the coast for a spot of dolphin watching or a riverboat cruise inland past mangroves and manatees or a peaceful catamaran cruise taking in the beautiful Florida sunsets is just the ticket.
Florida has two distinct weather seasons: the dry season during the autumn and winter, and the wet season during the spring and summer. The winter months are considered to be the best time to visit as temperatures average around 23C and most days are dry. Summer months are hot, wet and humid with temperatures often reaching 32C. The sea breezes from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean keep the coastal areas of Florida much cooler than the inland areas.