Location
Florida is a Southern state in the United States. It is known as the Sunshine State. “Florida” is a Spanish adjective which means “flowery.”
It is near the countries of the Caribbean, particularly the Bahamas and Cuba.
Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate.
However, Florida averages 300 days of full sunshine a year. Warm weather most of the year and hundreds of miles of beach provide a thriving holiday spot for travelers from around the world.
The famous attractions such as The large Walt Disney World Resort with four theme parks and over twenty hotels plus countless water parks, shopping centers and other facilities, located in Lake Buena Vista along the Universal Orlando Resort, keep the visitors coming every year.
West Central Florida is famous for its beaches, with good reason. Some of the best in the state, and in the world for that matter. One quick trip to any one of our beautiful beaches, and it’s easy to understand why the area is such a popular destination for beach lovers from all over the world.
With sands of shimmering quartz, and water as green as emeralds, this is truly a beach-lover’s paradise.
Attractions
The Sunshine State is world renowned for its attractions! In fact a trip to Florida is not complete without visiting at least one of them.
SeaWorld Orlando Adventure Park
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Walt Disney World
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Universal Studios
Kennedy Space Center
Honeymoon Island – Is a Florida state park, and like most coastal parks, offers swimming, picnic facilities, shelling, and fishing. Honeymoon Island is also the departure point for the Caladesi Island Ferry, which cannot be accessed by land. Both Islands are examples of the very few remaining Florida barrier Islands that remain undisturbed by development.
Clearwater Beach – Is just a short 2 mile drive from downtown Clearwater across the beautifully landscaped Clearwater Memorial Causeway. Known for it’s broad, white beaches, Clearwater Beach is a very popular destination for visitors and locals alike.
Indian Shores – Is a tiny town, consisting of only 15 city blocks, and a population of only 1,400 people. It is however, home to some fantastic restaurants. You will also not want to miss the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary which is internationally famous for their work with Pelicans and other aquatic birds and wildlife.
Treasure Island – One of the crown jewels of the Florida West Coast, Treasure Island is packed with beach and water sport activities. As are most of the Pinellas beaches, Treasure Island is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and the intra-coastal waterway and Boca Ciega Bay to the east. Rich in both Indian and prate history, Treasure Island is one of the Bay Area’s most popular beaches.
How to get there
BY AIR;
All major cities in Florida have airports, such as Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport. There are many other smaller regional and international airports, including one in Key West.
BY ROAD;
Florida is surprisingly compact, and easy to get around by car: crossing between the east and west coasts takes a couple of hours, and one of the longest trips – between the western extremity of the Panhandle and Miami – can be done in a day.
BY RAIL;
Amtrak runs west from Jacksonville via New Orleans all the way to LA, while connections with New York are good. However, in some areas Amtrak buses have replaced the trains; these can be very expensive, so check in advance. Passengers with cars can use the daily Auto Train from Lorton, Virginia (just south of Washington, DC), to Sanford, north of Orlando. The southeast coast boasts an elevated TriRail system that ferries commuters between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Palm Beach.
BY SEA;
Miami Beach is the most popular cruise port of call in the World and Florida.
BY BUS/COACH;
Greyhound provides bus service between different cities in Florida.
Festivals
Florida is full of festivals and special events going on all year round.
Eating Dining Shopping
Choose from the many shopping malls and centres all around Florida, with an abundance of international foods.
History
Several tribes of Native Americans were living in Florida when Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León arrived in 1513, reportedly searching for the Fountain of Youth. He sighted Florida for the first time, mistaking it for an island, on March 27, and subsequently landed on the east coast of the newly discovered land on April 2. He named the land La Pascua Florida, or “the flowery easter” due to the abundant plant life in the area and to the fact that he arrived during the Spanish Easter feast, Pascua Florida.
In 1763, Spain traded Florida (which, at the time, extended south only to around the area of present day Gainesville) to Great Britain for control of Havana, Cuba, which had been captured by the British during the Seven Years’ War. Almost the entire Spanish population left along with almost all of the remaining indigenous population.
The British divided the territory into East Florida and West Florida. Britain retained control over Florida during the American Revolutionary War, but the Spanish, by that time allied with the French who were actively at war with Britain, took advantage of the distraction and recaptured portions of West Florida.
Useful telephone numbers
Emergency Number Tel; 911
Airport Information (Orlando airport) Tel: 407 825 2001
Train station:
Tourist Office: Tel: 1-800-482-GULF toll-free in USA.
Holiday rents online:
National Transport Line
24 hour medical service