Travel and leisure

Florida holidays are so hard to beat because of the sunny days filled with sand and sights and nights packed with food and fun.

Despite its size, the Sunshine State still manages to contain a remarkable number of theme parks, beaches and other spectacles.

With its well-deserved soubriquet of “The Sunshine State”, Florida is justly renowned for its internationally famous theme parks particularly Walt Disney World, the Universal Studios park and SeaWorld. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the globe are drawing every year because of these massive attractions, wanting to experience the magic of Florida holidays.

However, Sunshine State is not only the attractive site, Florida also have the three of America’s most vibrant and exciting cities. Miami, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale all bring their own unique qualities to Florida holidays.

Miami is the party capital of Florida. The city is a great place to visit for all ages because of the streets full of stylish art-deco buildings and the strong Latino influence in its music, culture and cuisine.

For many people, Florida holidays begin in Miami. The biggest city in the state, it also features the Port of Miami the world’s number one cruise passenger port, which plays host to the largest volume of cruise ships in the world and is headquarters to many major cruise lines.

The center of Floridian life is in Orlando, it is the home of the majority of the state’s theme parks. As a result, Orlando was the third most visited US city among travellers to America in 2007. This sprawling metropolis includes a plethora of mini-resorts, such as Kissimmee, International Drive and Lake Buena Vista. North of these resorts is the centre of the city itself, with a whole host of excellent restaurants and bars.

West of Orlando lay the golden-sand beaches of the Floridian coast, with these attractions to be found at the resorts of Clearwater, Tampa and St Petersburg. For visitors who want to immerse themselves in the flora and fauna of the region on their Florida holidays, a little way to the south sits the Everglades National Park, which is home to such wonders of the natural world as the alligator and the manatee.

Right on the southern tip of the state can be found the laidback Florida Keys, which have become a destination of choice for artists and bohemians over the past hundred years. If you want your Florida holidays to feature diving adventures and other water sports, this is the place visitors can spend weeks just travelling from spot to spot.

Finally, the state’s eastern coast is worth a visit, for its rugged scenery and wild Atlantic surf. The major city in the area is Fort Lauderdale nicknamed “Little Venice” which also boasts the scientific wonders of the NASA Kennedy Space Centre.