Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island are worth more than one day. In fact, season passes are good value if you live close enough to come here more than twice. Kids never tire of the water park, and adults love the ever-changing scene of birds, flowers, animals, and shows at Busch Gardens. Tampa itself is one of Florida’s most beguiling cities, from its Latin tempo to its fresh, youthful bustle.
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Go deep sea fishing in Charlotte Harbor.
Long known as one of Florida’s cultural capitals, little Sarasota shines. It has its own theaters, cabaret, dance companies, film festival, symphony, chamber music group, dinner theaters, chorale, jazz club, opera, ballet and much more.
Sanibel Island is known worldwide for its shelling and the associated position referred to as the “Sanibel Stoop”. Some fanatics attach flashlights to their heads in an effort to be first in the daily search for more than 200 varieties of shells. Sanibel Island also features the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to many exotic species of birds and plants.
Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and the Everglades, Naples combines breathtaking natural beauty with relaxed sophisticated living in one of the world’s most desirable tropical locations.
Brooksville was a hotbed of blockade-runner activity during the Civil War, when Confederate troops counted on it to supply them with beef, pork and salt. Each year in January, the Brooksville Raid Civil War reenactment is one of the city’s biggest toursim events.
Mount Dora still has an old-fashioned downtown and the quaint, quiet charms of the village it once was. Relive the past by booking a room at the Lakeside Inn and walking the shaded street to shop.
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Just barely past Orlando’s attractions area, you’ll find a cluster of small communities that offer a Mayberry-like atmosphere. Don’t blink as you go past it on the highway, or you’ll miss the Polk City exit. It’s the off ramp to another world – a world of small towns with village squares surrounded by storefronts, once hardware stores and tearooms.
Lakeland is abuzz with small planes as it hosts Sun ‘n Fun, one of general aviation’s most important annual events. Aircraft of all sizes and colors zero in on the airport here for contests, camping, and the kind of tale swapping known as “hangar flying”. Even if you’re not an aviation buff, you’ll love the color and verve of it all.
PGA National Resort & Spa offers the highest quality golf and is a mecca for players and fans alike.
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Drive yourself wild by experiencing the thrill of a real safari from the comfort of your own air-conditioned car. Encounter lions, African elephants, chimps, giraffe, and many more “wild things”. After you park your car, Safari World will bring out the kid in you with its adventures and more animals.
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To visitors and residents, Boca Raton is anything but miserly when it comes to history, tradition and modern elegance. But this special south Florida city is definitely “Miznerly” when it comes to its past and vibrant present. Dreamers, risk-takers, moguls, and millionaires all contributed (and contribute) to Florida’s Boca Raton, but none influenced the city more than Addison Mizner. With architecture often done in vibrant pink, the Mizner touch is everywhere, and it’s certainly not miserly.
Fort Lauderdale is like a much more modern Venice, thanks to the large number of waterways that interlace the city and make convenient exploration by water quite possible. Add to the mix the cosmopolitan dining and shopping of Las Olas Boulevard, a refurbished beachfront, and more shopping further afield, and you have a perfect South Florida gateway that’s a little bit of Venice and a lot of the Sunshine State.
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The Hard Rock Seminole Casino in Hollywood is a prime gambling and entertainment destination.
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South Florida’s number one botanical gardens and wildlife sanctuary: see a touch of history on 60 acres of lush gardens, showcasing rare, exotic and native plants. Tour the citrus groves and the Wray Botanical Collection. Explore the Free-Flight Aviary, Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary and historic 1930’s Wray Home.
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Everglades National Park has a unique tranquil beauty. It is the largest subtropical wilderness area in the nation. The very shallow freshwater moving much more slowly than a normal river, contributes to the development of the unusual Everglades landscape: marsh and mangrove.
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