Vacation opportunities abound from the southern Florida Keys through Fort Lauderdale and Miami, into central Florida's Orlando and to Pensacola in the panhandle. The Florida Keys offer fantastic vacation experiences for water sports including diving and snorkeling in beautiful turquoise waters.
Sport, deep-sea and flats fishing are very popular - either as a primary vacation adventure, or along with other activities on a Florida vacation. There are many marinas along the Keys for charters, and boat rentals. Fishing can also be as simple as dropping a line from one of the many bridges or along the coastal roads. One thing that the Florida Keys do not offer, surprisingly, are a lot of sandy beaches. There are only a few natural sandy beaches along the Florida Keys, although many hotels do offer their own small, private beaches for vacationers.
Kayaking is another excellent vacation experience where waters are usually so clear that abundant sea life can be viewed while paddling. Kayak rental facilities are plenty and some locations offer group outings. Fishing from a kayak is also great fun.
Moving up the coast to the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas, vacationers can find world-class nightclubbing. High energy nightclubs for the jet set crowd, famous celebrities, or for us mere mortals are very abundant. Miami also offers a strong Latin cultural experience with a rich Hispanic and Caribbean atmosphere and areas within the city.
Several cruise lines are served from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with many cruises into the Caribbean and beyond.
Miami Beach and up to Fort Lauderdale offer stunning beaches with broad expanses of sandy beaches, nice parks, and endless beach front hotels - a vacationer's paradise!
Opposite Miami and Fort Lauderdale on the west coast is the Florida Everglades. This natural wonder can be experienced through tours or by simply by driving across on one of the few roads that cut through the region. A vacation here is not as glamorous as in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, but it does offer a unique and more relaxing vacation experience. North of the Everglades are the cities of Naples and Fort Myers with numerous beaches, excellent fishing, golfing and various areas of interest.
Moving further north up to central Florida are three distinct vacation regions. The Orlando area is the world's undisputed place to go for theme parks and attraction vacations. Several Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World parks and many other attractions, large and small, could entertain one for weeks without seeing the same thing twice. Do not overlook the many smaller attractions and places of entertainment, especially if you've already visited some of the larger theme parks. This area offers family vacation entertainment for all ages - small children to teenagers and adults. Research the various theme parks to match your interests. Hotels and restaurants are endless and offer a broad array of accommodations and price ranges. Lose yourself in an Orlando Vacation!
On the west coast of central Florida are the cities of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. These cities offer a well-rounded vacation mix of nightlife, sandy beaches, attractions, boating, sailing, fishing and shopping. The Tampa Bay area is about an hour and a half drive to the Orlando area, so this is a good place for those who want to enjoy a mix of beach and theme park activities.
On the east coast of central Florida is Daytona Beach with its world-renowned, 23-mile beach and Daytona International Speedway. The speedway is host to the annual Daytona 500 NASCAR race. For "motorheads", this is the ideal vacation area. Motor racing, surfing, swimming, fishing and golfing are the primary interests in Daytona Beach. Daytona is also a popular place to vacation for motorcyclists during Bike Week in early March or "Biketoberfest®" in late October, during which Daytona Beach is teaming with motorcycles.
Moving up to northeast Florida is the city of Jacksonville. Like the Tampa Bay area, Jacksonville offers a good vacation mix of nightlife, sandy beaches, attractions, boating, sailing, fishing and shopping. And like Daytona Beach, surfing is also popular along the Jacksonville beaches.
Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, is located in north Florida between Jacksonville and Pensacola. Tallahassee is known for its southern charm and elegance. A tour of the restored, 1845 Old Capitol building is very interesting and free to the public.
West of Tallahassee in northern Florida, are Panama City Beach and Pensacola. Panama City Beach is a small beach vacation resort area with spectacular sugar-fine, white sand beaches and the most amazing, emerald-green water. A number of hotels are located on the broad beaches for those who want the convenience of walking right out to the beach from the hotel. Various water sports are available including boating, fishing, sailing, parasailing and jet skiing - or just plain sunbathing on the beach!
Pensacola and Pensacola Beach are located at the western end of the Florida panhandle. Pensacola offers a low-key place to vacation with historical significance, and a very nice historical district with shopping, restaurants and museums. Pensacola Beach is known for its many miles of unpopulated, and pristine snow-white beaches.
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