"The Sunshine State"
Why visit Florida?
- Amateur & Professional Photographers
- Conventions, Meetings & Reunions
- Ocean Cruises Embarkation/Disembarkation
- Groups: Family, Friends and Multigenerational
- LGBTQ Friendly
- Milestones: Anniversary, Bachelor Party, Bachelorette Party, Birthday, Honeymoon, Retirement and Vow Renewal
- State Bird: Northern Mockingbird
- State Dessert: Key Lime Pie
- State Flower: Orange Blossom
- State Gemstone: Moonstone
- State Mammal: Florida Panther
- State Rock: None
- In 1946, the first racially integrated professional Baseball Game was played at City Island Ballpark (Daytona Beach).
- Lakeland is home to Frank Lloyd Wright (Architect) largest collection of work.
- Jimmy Buffet (Musician) launched his career in Key West. What song comes to mind?
- Manatees are endangered species.
- There are 15 major-league baseball teams which hold Spring Training in Florida.
- A leading producer of our nation's oranges.
- Consists of 516 bird species.
- Contains more than 30,000 lakes and rivers.
- More than 58 million visitors annually, Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited vacation resort in the world.
- Leading state of powerboat sales.
- The state has 4,510 Islands, the most popular being: Alligator Point, Amelia Island, Anna Maria Island, Big Talbot Island, Captiva Island, Cedar Key, Crab Island, Fisher Island, Gasparilla Island, Grove Isle, Hutchinson Island, Islamorada, Jupiter Island, Key Biscayne, Key Largo, Key West, Little Gasparilla Island, Little Palm Island, Longboat Key Island, Marco Island, Merritt Island, Palm Island, Pine Island, Sanibel Island, St George Island, St Vincent Island and Sunset Key.
- Spotlight Celebrities: Ariana Grande (Musician), Bob Ross (Artist), Enrique Murciano (Actor), Eva Mendes (Actress), Katy Mixon (Actress), Maggie Rodriguez (CoAnchor), Pat Boone (Musician), Roman Reigns (Athlete) and Wesley Snipes (Actor), just to mention a few.
- Movies to Inspire You: Armageddon (1998), Caddyshack (1979), Marley & Me (2008), Paper Towns (2015), Sisters (2015) and The Florida Project (2016), just to mention a few.
- Novels Set in Florida: Chomp (written by Carl Hiaasen) and The Whistler (written by John Grisham), just to mention a few.
- State Law, wipers on, headlights on!
- Captiva Island, Fort Myers and Sanibel Island offer the best beach shells to be found, "Seashell Capital of the World".
- Given their canal system in Ft Lauderdale is often referred to as "Venice of America".
- Lemon Eucalyptus Oil is a great natural bug repellent to take with you.
- Clearwater & St Petersburg claims to have 361 days of sunshine annually.
- Cocoa Beach is a popular surf spot.
- Best to allow the tide carry you and swim parallel to the shore in effort to avoid undertows.
- There are many ice rinks throughout the state.
- Keep an eye out during Stingray Mating Season (early June) in shallow waters.
- Sea Turtles Season is May - October.
- Never touch coral!
- Proudly holds 900 World Fishing Records.
- Has 26 official designated scenic highways.
- Features over 1,300 public and private golf courses.
- Best Time to Visit: January - May
- Coldest Month: January
- Hottest Month: July
- Peak Season: November - April
- Historical Sites: Bok Tower Gardens, British Fort, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Cathedral Of St Augustine, Crystal River Site, Dade Battlefield, De Soto National Memorial, El Centro Español de Tampa, Ernest Hemingway House, Ferdinand Magellan - U.S. Car No. 1, Florida Southern College Historic District, Fort Caroline National Memorial, Fort King Site, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Fort Mose Site, Fort San Carlos De Barrancas, Fort San Marcos De Apalache, Fort Walton Mound, Fort Zachary Taylor, Freedom Tower, González-Alvarez House, Governor House, Hialeah Park Race Track, Hotel Ponce de Leon, Ingham (USCGC), Llambias House, Maple Leaf (Shipwreck), Mar-a-Lago, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House and Farm Yard, Marjory Stoneman Douglas House, Mary McLeod Bethune Home, Miami Biltmore Hotel & Country Club, Mud Lake Canal, Norman Film Manufacturing Company, Okeechobee Battlefield, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Pensacola Naval Air Station Historic District, Plaza Ferdinand VII, Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station, Safety Harbor Site, San Luis De Talimali , St Augustine Town Plan Historic District, Tampa Bay Hotel, The Miami Circle at Brickell Point Site, The Research Studio, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Vizcaya, Whitehall, Windover Archeological Site, Ybor City Historic District and Zora Neale Hurston House.
- Museums: Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, American Police Hall of Fame & Museum, Appleton Museum of Art, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Fantasy of Flight, Florida Museum of Natural History, Glazer Children's Museum, Great Explorations Children's Museum, Harn Museum of Art, Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, HistoryMiami Museum, IMAG History & Science Center, Lightner Museum, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, MOSH, Museum of Arts & Sciences, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Discovery & Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Florida History, Museum of Science & Industry, National Naval Aviation Museum, Norton Museum of Art, Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando Science Center, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Polk Museum Of Art, SKELETONS: Museum Of Osteology, St Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, Tallahassee Museum, The Baker Museum, The Bass, The Bishop Museum of Science & Nature, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, The Dalí, The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The Mennello Museum of American Art, The Wolfsonian, Young At Art Museum, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and Warbird Museum.
- National/Regional/State & Forest/Parks: Just too many to list boasting 3 National Forests, 13 National Parks, 31 State Forests and 158 State Parks.
- Popular Attractions: Anne Kolb Nature Center, Aquatica, Buccaneer Bay, Busch Gardens, Cape Canaveral, Castaway Island, Cirque Du Soleil, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Daytona 500, Discovery Cove, Dolphin Research Center, Everglades, Florida Keys, Giraffe Ranch Farm, Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Gulf World Marine Park, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, John D MacArthur Beach State Park, Jungle Island, Kennedy Space Center, Key West Aquarium, Lake Okeechobee, Legoland, Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee River Center, Mai Kai Polynesian, Manatee Lagoo, Mote Marine Laboratory, Naples Zoo, NASA, NASCAR, Old Town, Paradise Cove, Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Race City, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, RumFish Grill, Sam’s Fun City, Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall, SeaWorld Orlando, South Beach, South Florida Science Center & Aquarium, South Florida Science Center & Aquarium, Splash Adventure, St Lucie County Aquarium, Tank America, Tarpon Springs, Tarpon Springs Aquarium, The Miami Seaquarium, The Society of the Four Arts, Tropical Splash Water Park, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World, Wakulla Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Wild Florida Adventure Park and Zoo Tampa just to name a few.
- Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Cape Coral, Clearwater, Coral Springs, Daytona Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Hialeah, Hollywood, Jacksonville, Miami, Miami Gardens, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Bay, Pembroke Pines, Pensacola, Pompano Beach, Port St. Lucie, St Petersburg, Sunrise, Tampa, Tallahassee, Tampa Bay, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach.
- Special Events: (January) A Festival of the Arts, Cape Coral Arts & Music Festival, Florida Keys Uncorked Festival, Hoggetowne Medieval Faire, Kumquat Festival, Naples Winter Wine Festival, Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, Rock the Universe, Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts & Humanities, (February) Artfest Fort Myers, Florida Azalea Festival, Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Greek Fest Fort Myers, Rock the Universe, Winefest, (March) Calle Ocho Festival, Chalo Nitka, Daytona Beach Bike Week, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, MegaCon, Springtime Tallahassee, TurtleFest, Ultra Music Festival, Winter Music Conference, (April) La Musica, Springing the Blues, (May) Best of the Best Music Fest, Florida Folk Festival, Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, Glory at the Gardens, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Miami Fashion Week, Orlando Boat Show, Orlando Carnival Downtown, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Sizzle Miami, St Armands Seafood & Music Festival, Sunset Music Festival, Tampa Bay Margarita Festival, The Fest, (June) American Black Film Festival, Battle of Bloody Mose, Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, Chiefland Watermelon Festival, Cocoa Beach Pirate Fest, Downtown Venice Craft Festival, Key West Pride, Ocala Comic Con, Panhandle Watermelon Festival, Redland Summer Fruit Festival, Saint George Island Mullet Toss, Silver Spurs Rodeo, St Armands Circle Craft Festival, St Pete Pride Festival & Parade, The Hukilau, Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival, Wellborn Blueberry Festival, Wynwood Pride, (July) African Diaspora Dance & Drum Festival of Florida, Caladium Festival, International Ballet Festival of Miami, Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, Mel Fisher Days, Metrocon, Orlando Truck & Jeep Fest, Red Hot & Boom, Pensacola Beach Air Show, SharkCon, The International Mango & Tropical Fruit Festival, The Key Lime Festival, The New Horizon's Navarre Annual Psychic & Healing Arts Fair, (August) Anime Festival Orlando, Arts in August, Fishermen's Village Tikifest, Harvest Grape Stomp, Jacksonville Caribbean Carnival, Key West Lobsterfest, Miami Spice, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Tampa Bay Comic Con, (September) Downtown Venice Craft Festival, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, Gulf Coast Jam, I Like It Hot Festival, Island Hopper Songwriter Fest, Key West BrewFest, New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival, Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival, Quiltfest, Sing Out Loud Festival, Space Coast Pride & Parade, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, Womenfest Key West, (October) Amelia Island Jazz Festival, Biketoberfest, Camping with the Blues, Central Florida Harvest and Peanut Festival, Central Florida Veg Fest, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Destin Seafood Festival, Fantasy Fest, Fort Myers Oktoberfest Festival, John's Pass Seafood & Music Festival, Lobster Festival & Tournament, Micanopy Fall Festival, Mount Dora Craft Fair, Orange Park Fall Festival, Orlando Film Festival, Pirates of the Seas Fest, REEF Fest, Sarasota Oktoberfest, South Florida Seafood Festival & Nautical Market, Tampa Bay Oktoberfest, The Fest, Thunder Beach Autumn Rally, (November) Boca Raton Tree Lighting, Boca Raton Wine & Food Festival, Christmas Spectacular!, Deland Fall Festival of the Arts, Downtown Festival & Art Show, Florida Seafood Festival, Holiday Fantasy of Lights, Jamaican Jerk Festival, Magic of Lights at the Daytona International Speedway, Miami Harvest Festival, Native Rhythms Festival, Nights of Lights, Ocean Adventure Expo, Suncoast Jazz Classic, St Augustine Art and Craft Festival, Thanksgiving Bluegrass Festival, The Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, Ybor Tree Lighting Ceremony, (December)Boca Raton Holiday Boat Parade, Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade, Holiday on the Harbor & Boat Parade of Lights, Holidays at Flamingo Gardens, Islamorada Holiday Festival, Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, Santa Fest and Downtown Christmas Parade, Siesta Beach Seafood & Music Festival, just to name a few!
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Everglades National Park.
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