Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Florida Read online

  Table of Contents

  How to Use this Guide

  Introducing Florida The Best of Florida

  Florida through the Year

  Sports and Outdoor Activities

  Going Wild

  Getting to Florida

  Getting around Florida

  Useful Information

  Accommodations

  Where to Eat

  Shopping

  Entertainment

  The History of Florida

  Exploring Florida Miami Where to Stay in Miami

  The Gold and Treasure Coasts Where to Stay on The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  Orlando and the Parks Where to Stay in Orlando and the Parks

  The Space Coast Where to Stay on the Space Coast

  The Northeast Where to Stay in the Northeast

  The Panhandle Where to Stay in the Panhandle

  The Gulf Coast Where to Stay on the Gulf Coast

  The Lower Gulf Coast, Everglades, and Keys Where to Stay in the Lower Gulf Coast, Everglades, and Keys

  More Things to Do

  Eat and Drink

  Florida Maps

  Practical Information

  Kids’ Corner Answers

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  How to Use This Guide

  This DK Family Guide is one of a series of illustrated travel-guide eBooks that is designed to help you and your family get the most from your holiday. With dozens of expert recommendations for sightseeing with kids, as well as detailed practical information, this eBook is ideal both for planning your trip and exploring on the go.

  The best way to explore this eBook is to begin at the main table of contents. The first section (Introducing...) gives you all the essentials for planning a family holiday – including how to get there and around, health, insurance and communications – as well as a brief historical overview. Next is the main sightseeing section (Exploring…), which comprises “best of” features along with key sights and other attractions, accompanied by Kids’ Corners – quizzes, activities and fun facts designed to engage children in the story of each sight. Grey tabs* throughout this section take you to separate chapters at the end of the guide. These include: Eat and Drink; Where to Stay; sight-specific Practical Information; and More Things to Do, which suggests where to take your kids to run about (“Letting off Steam”) or shelter from the rain (“Take Cover”), sight-related downloads, apps, games and films (“Find out More”) and other places to visit (“Next Stop…”).

  Shorter contents lists appear at the start of every section in the guide, and throughout the sightseeing section, and are designed to make chapter navigation quick and easy. You can jump back to these by clicking on the chapter-heading links that sit with an arrow icon at the top of every article.

  A simple map at the start of the Exploring… section identifies each area in the guide, and there are more detailed maps at the end of the eBook. Select the “Sights and Restaurants Map” and “Hotels Map” tabs to access these, and double-tap to see larger versions.

  As you use this guide, you can create a personalized itinerary by bookmarking the sights, venues and activities that are of most interest, giving you the quickest possible access to everything you’ll need to make the most of your time away.

  Eat & Drink Price Guide

  Picnic: under $25; Snacks: $25–50; Real meal: $50–80; Family treat: over $80 (based on a family of four)

  Accommodation Price Guide

  The following price ranges are based on one night’s accommodation in high season for a family of four, inclusive of service charges and any additional taxes.

  $: Under $150; $$: $150–300; $$$: over $300

  *The first time the grey tabs are used, it may be several seconds before they take you through to the next page. However, when they have been used once, the function speeds up.

  Preferred application settings

  For the best reading experience, the following application settings are recommended:

  Colour theme: White background

  Font size: At the smallest point size

  Orientation: Landscape (for screen sizes over 9”), Portrait (for screen sizes below 9”)

  Scrolling view: [OFF]

  Text alignment: Auto-justification [OFF] (if the eBook reader has this feature)

  Auto-hyphenation: [OFF] (if the eBook reader has this feature)

  Font style: Publisher default setting [ON] (if the eBook reader has this feature)

  The Best of Florida >

  Florida through the Year >

  Sports and Outdoor Activities >

  Going Wild >

  Getting to Florida >

  Getting around Florida >

  Useful Information >

  Accommodations >

  Where to Eat >

  Shopping >

  Entertainment >

  The History of Florida >

  < Introducing Florida

  The Best of Florida

  The high-speed thrill ride Kumba at Busch Gardens, Tampa

  Famously known as the “Sunshine State,” Florida is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, drawing more than 100 million visitors a year, including many families. With over 600 miles (965 km) of world-class beaches, and numerous waterways, Florida offers dozens of activities, from yachting and kayaking, to fishing and snorkeling. Nature-lovers can discover exotic flora and fauna in a host of nature preserves, or explore glorious scenery on the many biking and hiking trails. In addition, there is an array of world-famous theme parks, plus excellent museums that hold a special appeal for kids.

  Beach bonanzas

  The first decision is: which coast? Families can choose between the exciting Atlantic Ocean waves on the east coast or the soft sand and calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and in the northern Panhandle. Miami Beach, St. Pete Beach, or Fort Lauderdale, with miles of accommodations on the sand, are very convenient for families. For a beach with plenty of room to toss a beach ball or build a sand castle without competing for space, head to Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast, or the secluded Virginia Key Beach Park on Key Biscayne in Miami. Bradenton Beach, on the Gulf Coast, offers several restaurants and shops, and mini-golf a short stroll away, but those who prefer beaches that are quiet, undeveloped, and ringed with scenic dunes or sea pines will be happy on the Gulf Islands National Seashore or the Canaveral National Seashore on the east coast. Sanibel Island is a good place for kids to hunt for cockles, conchs, clams, and other prize shells, but even better beachcombing may be found at Venice Beach, or by taking a boat to Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater, or Shell Island off the Panhandle.

  Scream machines

  “Roller Coasters ’R’ Us” could be the motto of central Florida, and for many families, theme parks are Florida’s biggest lure. If you have only a day for a park, consider Busch Gardens in Tampa, which has a choice of half a dozen world-class thrill rides such as Kumba.

  Most kids would love to spend days in Orlando’s theme parks. Harry Potter™ fans will not want to miss the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, split between Universal’s Islands of Adventure® and Universal Studios Florida®; the two parks are connected by the Hogwarts™ Express. The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit® in Universal Studios Florida® is billed as the most high-tech coaster in the world.

  The biggest theme park, Walt Disney World® Resort, excites with attractions such as the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, and Space Mountain® in Magic Kingdom®, which does its swoops and swings in the dark. Disney’s Animal Kingdom® provides rides, an animal safari, and exploration trails. Don’t forget Orlando’s SeaWor
ld®, where the Kraken® coaster dives underground three times, and Manta®, the flying roller coaster, lets riders spin, glide, skim, and fly like a giant ray. At LEGOLAND® Florida Resort, Coastersaurus is a wooden coaster that curves and dips through a prehistoric jungle of animated and life-size dinosaurs made of LEGO® blocks.

  Be warned, however, that the lines for major rides at all the theme parks can be long. See individual entries for tips on cutting the line.

  The great indoors

  Family fun is weatherproof in Florida, even for children who do not usually enjoy museums. The Ringling Museum, in Sarasota, is the place to see the world’s largest miniature circus. Children of all ages will enjoy the collection of wacky art by Salvador Dalí in The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, which is devoted to the Surrealist. The Morse Museum in Orlando’s Winter Park features one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of amazing glass creations by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including a chapel of glimmering glass tiles. At the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Art Connections introduces kids to art by inviting them to “walk” through a painting, “listen” to a sculpture, or “paint” with a virtual paintbrush.

  Miami, St. Petersburg, and Tampa are among several cities with terrific museums designed specifically for younger kids. Others, including the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach and the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville have separate museum wings filled with a variety of hands-on science activities geared to kids.

  Visitors viewing sharks and other sea life at Shark Encounter®, SeaWorld®

  Butterfly, bird, and flora gardens

  Florida’s tropical climate fosters fabulous exotic plants, and the state’s exceptional gardens allow kids to work off energy while their parents savor the scenery. Children will enjoy Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Garden, which is the largest of its kind, with rare plants and 11 lakes, as well as a colorful butterfly garden. At the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, home to over 6,000 orchids, kids can run on the lawn and feed fish in the koi pond. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in Delray Beach, is a Japanese cultural center, with six gardens inspired by the most famous gardens of Japan. Visitors can stroll the zigzag bridges and picnic at the Lake Biwa and Saki Pavilion. The Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando are known for their camellias and the best rose gardens in Florida. The Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee is also famous for its camellias, which begin blooming as early as January, while early spring is peak time for the prize azaleas here. The lush grounds of Bok Tower Gardens, south of Orlando, are beautiful year-round.

  Something fishy

  Florida’s waters are filled with fantastic and colorful sea life. At Tampa’s The Florida Aquarium, the showstopping Coral Reef Gallery is a colossal coral grotto in which more than 2,000 fish can be seen. Other favorite exhibits are the sea horses and the Penguin Promenade, where black-footed African penguins waddle their way through the lobby in daily parades. If kids get restless, The Splash Pad, a rainforest-themed outdoor water play area, lets them have fun with dump buckets and in spray zones while parents relax in the shade. The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory, in Sarasota, is the place to see sharks, manatees, and tropical fish, and to peep into the labs to see scientists doing research on sea life. Kids can swim with dolphins at Marineland Dolphin Adventure in St. Augustine, Miami Seaquarium®, or the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon. Snorkeling opportunities are plentiful, but the best place to see colorful fish in the wild is at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, the country’s first underwater preserve. You can also go underwater without getting wet at the floating underwater observatory at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, where visitors can look at the resident manatees and hundreds of fish.

  Arresting architecture

  Florida’s architecture can help bring to life different phases of the state’s history for kids. Tallahassee’s Mission San Luis has a reconstructed thatch-roofed council house, used by the Apalachee Indians, plus small thatched houses built by the early Spanish settlers in the 1600s. The Oldest House in St. Augustine is the state’s oldest surviving Spanish Colonial home, dating to the early 1700s. Florida’s vernacular style is exemplified by Cracker houses, built by the early pioneers. Although few survive, they have influenced local building styles for centuries (see Butterfly World).

  The Gilded Age brought lavish mansions such as Henry Flagler’s 1902 Beaux Arts-style Whitehall, now the Flagler Museum, in Palm Beach, and James Deering’s Italian Renaissance Vizcaya in Miami, along with grand hotels such as the Loews® Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach. During this same period, Art Deco hotels were setting the style in Miami’s South Beach, while lavish Spanish Revival homes were being built in other parts of southern Florida. Find examples of these in Addison Mizner’s homes in Palm Beach and in George Merrick’s brilliant designs in Coral Gables.

  Traditional buildings on the extensive, picturesque grounds of Mission San Luis, Tallahassee

  On the road

  Pleasant day trips from a base can be more fun for families than long drives that try the patience of young kids, and smaller roads may often offer more accessible pleasures than the super-highways. The Everglades Parkway (I-75), also called Alligator Alley, is the expressway through the Everglades, but the route following US 41 west from Miami to Naples allows for more interesting stops along the way, and offers stunning views.

  Head west on Route 40 from Daytona Beach to Ocala, driving through the green Ocala National Forest and the mysterious, mossy oaks that inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ book The Yearling (1938).

  To appreciate the variety of Florida’s beaches, spend a day following Highway 789 from Sarasota through posh Longboat Key to lively Bradenton Beach and the more secluded Anna Maria Island. On the east coast, Route A1A hugs the shoreline of the barrier beaches all the way from Miami Beach to Fernandina Beach, near the Georgia border. This allows for either a short outing or a multiday tour of the state taking in The Gold and Treasure Coasts, The Space Coast, and The Northeast.

  < Introducing Florida

  Florida through the Year

  Costumed participants at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, Tampa

  With its subtropical temperatures, southern Florida is most popular in the winter high season, from mid-December to mid-April, while northern Florida’s beaches draw larger crowds in spring and summer. Avoid heading to the Panhandle or Daytona Beach in March, when colleges are on spring break and hordes of young people visit the beaches. Each season brings its own share of fun and festivals that add excitement to a visit anywhere in Florida.

  Spring

  Spring celebrations salute everything from shells and strawberries to tall ships and motorcycles, while sports go into high gear with baseball spring training and traditional Scottish Highland Games.

  March

  The Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa features armor-clad knights sword-fighting on horseback. Another era of history comes to life as the 1668 Sack of St. Augustine is re-enacted.

  Baseball brings cheering fans to spring training games all over the state, while motorcycle enthusiasts head for the annual Bike Week at Daytona Beach. The Carnaval & Calle Ocho is a lively series of Latin-infused events in Little Havana, with food, Cuban music, and colorful costumes.

  More March favorites include the treasures of the Sanibel Shell Festival, the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, near Tampa, and Springtime Tallahassee, a weekend festival that includes a parade of costumed floats.

  April

  Kids will love the Zoo Miami’s Great Egg Safari, where besides hunting for eggs, the fun includes face painting, rock climbing, bouncy castles, and visits from the Easter Bunny. The amazing underwater Easter Egg Hunt in Tavernier is open to divers and snorkelers of all ages.

  Military musters are part of the festivities at the annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration in Key West, while the Dunedin Highland Games on the Gulf Coast feature competitions between colorful
kilted bands, Highland dancers, and athletes having a go at throwing the hefty Dunedin Stone.

  May

  SunFest, in West Palm Beach, calls itself “Florida’s largest waterfront music and art festival,” with more than 100 artist booths, food stands, and three stages of entertainment on the tree-lined walkways along the Intracoastal Waterway. A Family Activities Tent offers games and fun for little ones. Folk songs, crafts, and the chance to feast on gumbo and barbecue have drawn families to the Florida Folk Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park, about an hour’s drive west of Jacksonville, for more than 60 years. Jacksonville is the place to be on Memorial Day weekend, when musicians perform downtown for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Kids will love watching ships and boats sail past at nearby Jacksonville Landing on the St. Johns River.

  Bay Area Renaissance Festival www.bayarearenfest.com

  Bike Week www.officialbikeweek.com

  Carnaval & Calle Ocho Festival www.carnavalmiami.com

  Dunedin Highland Games www.dunedinhighlandgames.com

  Easter Egg Hunt www.captainslate.com