Glorious year-round sunshine, miles of sandy beaches and plenty of activities to keep visitors of all ages happy, it's no wonder UK travellers book flights to Florida. Without a doubt the most popular destination for families is
Orlando - or more specifically Disney World. Each year nearly 49 million people from all over the world visit this gargantuan theme park. For some, the size of it can seem overwhelming so nearby Tampa's Busch Gardens is another alternative.
But there's more to Florida than just roller coasters and life-size cartoon characters. Fort Lauderdale has some impressive museums and historical sites while the waters of the Florida Keys are great for fishing and diving. In fact, North America's only living coral barrier reef can be found there. The Keys make up the southern tip of the state and consist of more than 400 islands along the Florida Straits including Key West and Key Largo which have become weekend hideaways for those living in Miami. The sultry, decadent city of Miami is another popular stop for travellers taking flights to Florida. Celebrities and jet-setters flock to its shores for more than just a tan; they come to party till dawn in South Beach.
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Florida has two climates: the southern end of the state is subtropical and the northern is warm and temperate. October through April is mild and humidity is low in Orlando and points south. Summer in central and southern Florida is hot and muggy with rain storms. Winter in northern Florida has generally mild days with temperatures in the mid-teens (Celsius). It can snow and occasionally there’s a hard frost, but the cold doesn't last.Summer in the north is hot and sticky, but temperatures rarely go into the 30s.For all of Florida, the hurricane season is June to November, and there’s a high probability that big storms will come through.
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Peak Season:
October through April is the peak tourist season for flights to southern Florida. Orlando’s theme parks are busy year-round, with the highest peaks coinciding with school holidays, including spring and summer breaks. Summer is the busy season in northern Florida. Florida remains a popular destination for spring-break vacations, and those weeks are busy as are long holiday weekends.
Off Season:
Winter is the off season in northern Florida. If you don’t mind the weather, southern Florida has great bargains in the summer.
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- The Orlando, Kissimee, and Lake Buena Vista area is in central Florida. Theme parks abound, making it a great place for family holidays. There’s Disney World, Sea World, Wet N’ Wild, Busch Gardens — to name a few — all within driving distance of each other.
- No longer the college students’ bacchanal haunt of the 60s and 70s, Fort Lauderdale is now an east-coast pleasure port, with upscale shopping, multimillion-dollar mansions, yacht owners, and major cruise lines. Visitors come to Fort Lauderdale for its broad, beautiful beaches and near perfect weather. The city is also America’s top gay holiday spot.
- Fort Myers, on the west coast, has miles of beaches, Thomas Edison’s and Henry Ford’s homes, and nearby Fort Myers Beach and the islands of Sanibel and Captiva. This is a perfect place for spending time outdoors, sunning on a beach, exploring wildlife preserves, playing golf, fishing, or gathering shells. For Red Sox or Twins fans, this is the place to catch spring training.
- Daytona Beach, on Florida’s east coast, was once a spring-break party town, but has returned to its racing roots and focuses on race cars, motorcycles, and just about anything with speed, even go-karts. The biggest and most popular events are the Daytona 500 stock-car race in February, Bike Week in March, and the Fall Cycle Scene in October, but it’s not just racing — there are plenty of parties, beautiful beaches, and the Ladies Professional Golf Association/LPGA International golf courses.
- Nearby NewSmyrna Beach is quieter than Daytona and its 21km (13 miles) of beach attract visitors from Central Florida’s theme parks. This is called the “world’s safest bathing beach” because of offshore rock ledges that counteract the East Coast undercurrents. New Smyrna Beach also has excellent fishing and lies directly north of Cape Canaveral and Canaveral National Seashore Park.
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