Florida is a Tropical Peninsula
Florida, the "Sunshine State", is located on a large peninsula at the southern extreme of the eastern coast of the United States. It is just over 1000 miles (1.650 km) south of New York City. This flat sandy spit of land is approximately 100 miles (165 km) wide by 400 miles (660 km) long. It has nearly 400 miles (660 km) of eastern shoreline with sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and and over 600 miles (1.000 km) of sandy beaches bordering the Gulf of Mexico on its western side. It is blessed with a very hospitable semi-tropical climate that offers hot rainy summers, mild winters and near ideal spring and fall temperatures. It is, however, subject to the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes during the late summer and fall.
The regions of Florida
Florida can be divided into several distinct geographical regions with differing features. These are the Eastern Coast of Florida, the Western Coast, Central Florida, the Panhandle and the Southern Tip with the Keys. Each region offers some unique features to attract visitors.
The Eastern Coast of Florida has some very nice beaches with moderately good surf on the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the beaches, especially those near Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona and Jacksonville, tend do be commercialized for tourism. They offer plenty of high rise hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and entertainment venues that cater to the beach loving tourists. The beaches near Saint Augustine and Melborne are a bit less commercial and tend to attract more family vacationers and local tourists.
The Western Coast of Florida is very different than the Atlantic Coast. The beaches on the Gulf of Mexico tend to be shallower, with less surf and with warmer waters. They are great for families with small children. The soft sands of the wide beaches extend far out into the sea, and one can wade hundreds of meters from shore without the water becoming very deep. While Clearwater caters to tourism, most of the other areas along the Gulf coast are far less commercialized. They tend to feature condominiums and rental cottages rather than high-rise hotels. During the summer months, the coastline is notorious for its daily thunderstorm activity with intense lightning. It is also famous for its beautiful sunsets.
Central Florida draws the most tourists
Central Florida is the most popular destination for tourists from all over the USA and from many other parts of the world. This is the home of Disney World, the largest amusement park on earth. Located just south of Orlando in central Florida, Disney World is surrounded by many other family-oriented amusements such as Universal Studios, Sea World and other attractions too numerous to mention. Combined, they make up the largest family amusement area on our planet. Central Florida is also known for its agricultural lands that produce oranges, citrus fruits, sugar cane, vegetables and beef.
The southern tip of Florida mostly consists of tropical jungle and swamplands. Everglades National Park covers nearly the entire tip of the peninsula southward from Miami and Naples. It contains a vast ocean of wet grasslands punctuated by islands of tropical forest and stretches of open waters. This vast wetland is infested with hordes of insects, wild birds, alligators, snakes and other wildlife.
A one hundred mile long (160 km) archipeligo of islands known as the Florida Keys stretches southwestward from the tip of the penninsula into the Gulf of Mexico. A 90 mile (150 km) long series of bridges and causeways connects these islands down to the town of Key West on its southern most tip. The only North American tropical reef lies just a few miles off shore. It is a veritable paradise for scuba divers and fisherman.
The Florida Panhandle is the narrow strip of land that extends westward from the top of the penninsula. It is bounded on the north by the state of Alabama and on the south by its Gulf Coast beaches. This is the least commercialized and least tourist oriented part of Florida. It has beautiful shallow white sand beaches with warm waters but few tourist oriented features. This part of Florida draws many permanent or seasonal residents and offers more condominiums and rental cottages than hotels. Panama City is the lone tourist oriented city on the panhandle, and is famous for its "Spring Break" festivities every March.
A retirement home for many Americans
Florida is a favorite retirement location for many senior citizens of the US. Many older folks move to Florida to enjoy the warm climate and to take advantage of all of the year-round recreational opportunities. Some of them maintain summer homes in the northern states near their children and grandchildren, but annually migrate to Florida for the winter months. The Florida natives call them "the Snow Birds".
A favorite Winter Vacation spot
Florida is the favorite winter vacation retreat for millions of Americans from the frigid northern states and Canadian provinces. It is also a popular vacation destination for foreign visitors. In the summer months, many families with children on school holidays brave the tropical heat of Florida to visit the Disney World entertainment complex. Early Spring is a good time to visit this semi-tropical land as the temperatures are usually warm but not oppressively hot. Experienced visitors tend to avoid Florida during the late summer and fall when the possibility of tropical storms and hurricanes are more likely to dampen any vacation.
Florida attractions
The most popular attraction in Florida is the huge variety of family entertainment activities centered around Disney World near Orlando. This is the number one vacation destination in the USA for families. The beautiful sandy beaches and the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico are the second most popular attraction. Golf, tennis, sports fishing and other outdoor activities are also very popular especially during the winter months when they are not available in northern climates.
Miami is a vibrant city along the southern Atlantic Coast with a distinctly Latin American atmoshere. Its "Little Havana" neighborhood and its many Hispanic residents create an enclave of South American and Carribean culture in the USA. The Kennedy Space Center visitors complex and the Cape Canaveral Space Launch facility are located along the East Coast not far from Orlando. They are popular destinations for tourists. A bit further north, the Historic city of Saint Augustine is one of the oldest colonies in North America.
Daytona Beach on the north Atlantic Coast and Panama City on the coast along the panhandle are the most popular destinations for the "Spring Break" festivities every March. Hundreds of thousands of university students on break from their studies descend on these two cities for several weeks of round-the-clock, non-stop parties on the beaches. If you are looking for wild parties, these are the places to go. If you are on a quiet family vacation, these are places to avoid during March.
Written by: Mike Leco
