Top Florida Vacation Tips You Should Know

florida vacation

When you hear the word ‘Florida’, the images that eventually come to your mind are the beautiful sunshine, fun theme parks, tangy orange juice and deadly alligators. But you’d be surprised to know that Florida has way more to offer than just that. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on another, it’s famous white sand coastline stretches across hundreds of miles. The climate is pretty moderate as well, making the state a highly-visited tourist destination all year round. I went with a business owner friend of mine who owns one of the largest painting companies in Mesa Arizona and we spent a few days at the beach and enjoying the beautiful scenery.  Here are a few places you shouldn’t miss for a wonderful Florida vacation.

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is 120-mile long chain of tropical islands curving around the base of the Florida peninsula, connected to the mainland by a series of bridges. The most spectacular bridge, the Seven Mile Bridge in the Lower Keys, has been frequently used as a location for films including True Lies and Fast 2 Furious. US Highway 1, the “Overseas Highway” runs from Key Largo, Islamadora, Marathon, Lower Keys and finally to Key West, the most distant and most famous of the Florida Keys. In addition to the beaches, diving and snorkeling, the Florida Keys offer botanical gardens, a variety of museums, family attractions like the Theater of the Sea, and several outstanding states and national parks where tourists can enjoy a wide variety of outdoor recreation and wildlife viewing.

Miami

One of the most sizzling cities in the world, Miami is famous around the world for its Latin culture and wild nightlife. Situated in southeastern parts of Florida off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, this city is home to a major port that manages more passenger cruise ships than any other port in the world. Millions of people from around the world visit Miami every year, looking to have unforgettable experiences in this city. What makes so many people visit this city? Well, it’s a good mix of ethnic cultures and modern lifestyle, and its sunny beaches that vary from family friendly to trippy party scenes. Right across the bay from this city, the Miami Beach, known for its Art Deco architecture and glamorous South Beach, lies on a barrier island.

Orlando

Orlando is the ultimate theme-park city, with more theme parks than any other place in the world. There’s a lot of good parks including Walt Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and Gator Park, to name a few. All these theme parks bring 51 million visitors a year to this central Florida city of a mere 2 million people. Unlike other cities in Florida, Orlando is much less vulnerable to hurricanes. It is one of USA’s most visited cities, and also the home of the top Ivy league University of Central Florida.

Tampa Bay Area

The Tampa Bay area, situated on the Gulf of Mexico, consists of Tampa Bay, a gigantic natural harbor and many popular cities like Tampa and St. Petersburg. Tampa is the hometown of NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other fun activities here include a visit to Busch Gardens, a theme park that had Florida’s best roller coaster rides and a zoo entirely dedicated to animals migrated from Africa’s Serengeti Plain. As for beach scenes, St. Pete Beach is unmatchable. It has been named the best beach in the USA and fifth in the world by TripAdvisor readers in 2012 because of its dreamy white sand beaches and crystal clear water.