Connecting the main theme parks is Universal CityWalk, an entertainment district with unique dining, shopping, and nightlife. If you stay at an on-site Universal hotel, you can enjoy perks like early park admission, and premier hotel guests will get free Universal Express Unlimited access in the main parks. On the east coast of the state, mangroves have normally dominated the coast from Cocoa Beach southward; salt marshes from St. Augustine northward. From St. Augustine south to Cocoa Beach, the coast fluctuates between the two, depending on the annual weather conditions.112 All three mangrove species flower in the spring and early summer. Propagules are produced from late summer through early autumn.119 Florida mangrove plant communities covered an estimated 430,000 to 540,000 acres (1,700 to 2,200 km2) in Florida in 1981.
Everglades National Park
Spread across the state are a long list of must-see sights and things to do, from the Kennedy Space Center right through to the Daytona 500. This is a state that lends itself to return visits, and you can plan your next trip with our list of the top tourist attractions in Florida. The panhandle beaches are known for soft sand, gentle waves and elaborate vacation rentals. I love hanging out in Rosemary Beach, where the old-school charm of the neighborhoods blends seamlessly with the crashing waves. After you’re done at the beach, head to one of the many restaurants or bars that are known for fresh seafood and craft cocktails.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
Its economy, with a gross state product (GSP) of $1.647 trillion, is the fourth largest of any U.S. state and the fifteenth-largest in the world; the main sectors are tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation. Florida is world-renowned for its beach resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach draw tens of millions of visitors annually. Florida is a popular destination for retirees, seasonal vacationers, and both domestic and international migrants. The state’s close proximity to the ocean has shaped its culture, identity, and daily life; its colonial history and successive waves of migration are reflected in African, European, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian influences. Florida has attracted or inspired some of the most prominent American writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, especially in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.
Find Your Favorite Beach
The magic of Disney has not worn off over the decades, as millions of visitors come here each year to enjoy the Magic Kingdom and the many other attractions of this mega amusement park. The Marianna lowlands constitute a small region in the northwestern panhandle, bounded on the east by the Apalachicola River and on the west by the Choctawhatchee River. Florida is the most populous of the southeastern states and the second most populous Southern state after Texas. Central West Florida offers the big-city lures of Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg, but is also home to magnificent beaches, wildlife, clear springs, and scenic rivers. In the 2010 elections, Republicans solidified their dominance statewide, by winning the governor’s mansion, and maintaining firm majorities in both houses of the state legislature.
Central East Florida, with Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, is home to the space industry, top-notch birding, verdant parks, and the state’s top surfing. NASCAR (headquartered in Daytona Beach) begins all three of its major auto racing series in Florida at Daytona International Speedway in February, featuring the Daytona 500. NASCAR also has a race weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead in October. The 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the world’s most prestigious endurance auto races.
The Kissimmee lowlands are about the size of the Lake Okeechobee–Everglades basin and include the broad valley of the Kissimmee River, the major source for water flowing southward to Lake Okeechobee. As of 2010update, those of African ancestry accounted for 16.0% of Florida’s population, which includes African Americans. They moved for jobs, better education for their children and the chance to vote and participate in society. By 1960, the proportion of African Americans in the state had declined to 18%.189 Conversely, large numbers of northern whites moved to the state.190 Today, large concentrations of black residents can be found throughout Florida. It is the only state besides Hawaii to have a tropical climate, and the only continental state with a coral reef. Florida has several unique ecosystems, including Everglades National Park, the largest tropical wilderness in the U.S. and among the largest in the Americas.
English colonists and buccaneers launched several attacks on St. Augustine in the 17th and 18th centuries, razing the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Spain built the Castillo de San Marcos in 1672 and Fort Matanzas in 1742 to defend Florida’s capital city from attacks, and to maintain its strategic position in the defense of the Captaincy General of Cuba and the Spanish West Indies. In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida (land of flowers) (la floˈɾiða). Florida subsequently became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently settled by Europeans, with the settlement of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest continuously inhabited city.
South Beach
This museum is dedicated to preserving the arts and showing off the home of one of the famed Ringling Brothers. Today, the museum hosts a variety of exhibits and enrichment opportunities throughout the year. Those who are interested in a closer look at the museum and its pieces can book a guided gallery tour.
Unique wildlife include the American alligator, American crocodile, American flamingo, roseate spoonbill, Florida panther, bottlenose dolphin, and manatee. The Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States, and the third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef. Whether you’re visiting the Sunshine State or you live here, there seems to be a never-ending list of things to do in Florida. From epic theme parks and over 800 miles of beachfront to enjoy, to big city vibes and historic towns to stroll through, Florida really does have it all, warm weather included. Dry Tortugas National Park is home to the impressive Fort Jefferson, built by the US Government in the 1800s. Although this is the key attraction of the park, the beautiful reef islands, seven in total, that make up the Dry Tortugas are themselves worth the trip.
Access is via private boat or the public ferry that carries a maximum of 10 campers. The Kennedy Space Center is one of Florida’s most exciting, fascinating, and educational attractions. Located on Florida’s Space Coast, this huge complex is where space exploration has made history. Today, you can see rockets and the Space Shuttle Atlantis, meet an astronaut, and learn about missions to space.
Consider checking out the Bass Art Museum, florida tax rate strolling down Ocean Drive or hopping on a double-decker bus tour to see more of the city. After a day of exploring, there are dozens of restaurants to try and a vibrant nightlife scene to keep you dancing until morning. Sarasota may be known for its beaches, but when the rain comes through, or it’s just too hot, head to the Ringling.
- Another great spot for those with a bit more of a taste for adventure is Crystal River.
- Together, they form a beautiful undulating terrain that is the most important zone for the production of field crops in Florida.
- The 36,000-square-foot home was completed in 1926 and is an architectural masterpiece in southern Florida.
- Of course, visitors can soak up the sun on the sandy shore, but there’s so much more to the area than the beach.
- Florida has attracted or inspired some of the most prominent American writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, especially in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.
The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Grand Prix of Miami have held IndyCar races as well. Florida’s primary and secondary school systems are administered by the Florida Department of Education. Each school district has an elected Board of Education that sets policy, budget, goals, and approves expenditures. The state switched back to the GOP in the 2016 presidential election, and again in 2020, when Donald Trump headed the party’s ticket both times. 2020 marked the first time Florida sided with the eventual loser of the presidential election since 1992. In 2010, more than 63% of state voters approved the initiated Amendments 5 and 6 to the state constitution, to ensure more fairness in districting.
- Most people touring the Keys make Key West their main destination due to its location at the end of the chain of islands.
- Today, you can see rockets and the Space Shuttle Atlantis, meet an astronaut, and learn about missions to space.
- After a second section north through Orlando to Wildwood (near present-day The Villages), and a southward extension around Miami to Homestead, it was finished in 1974.
Some reference materials may show only 66 because Duval County is consolidated with the City of Jacksonville. There are 379 cities in Florida (out of 411) that report regularly to the Florida Department of Revenue, but there are other incorporated municipalities that do not. The primary revenue source for cities and counties is property tax; properties with unpaid taxes are subject to tax sales, which are held at the county level in May and are highly popular, due to the extensive use of online bidding sites. In the pre-automobile era, railroads played a key role in the state’s development, particularly in coastal areas. In 1883, the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad connected Pensacola and the rest of the Panhandle to the rest of the state. In 1884 the South Florida Railroad (later absorbed by Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) opened full service to Tampa.
Census Bureau’s 2019 Population Estimates Program.165 By the 2020 census, its population increased to 21,538,187. Naples’ beaches have a laid-back atmosphere and are rarely crowded outside of holidays. You can access the main stretches of beach from town, or for a more natural experience, visit one of the state or local parks up and down the coast. Just back from the beach area is the delightful city of Naples, with exceptional dining and high-end shopping. Southwest Florida, and the cities of Fort Myers and Naples, spreads a welcoming blanket of sugar-white beaches and tropical warmth for all visitors, a comfortable blend of the classic and cosmopolitan. The first post-Reconstruction era Republican elected to Congress from Florida was William C. Cramer in 1954 from Pinellas County on the Gulf Coast,210 where demographic changes were underway.
Ninety percent of the Florida mangroves are in southern Florida, in Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He charted the “Village of Miami” on the south bank of the Miami River and sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and six years later a census reported there were ninety-six residents in the area.51 The Third Seminole War was not as destructive as the second, but it slowed the settlement of southeast Florida. This African theme park is home to all kinds of exotic animals and proudly claims to be one of the largest zoos in North America. Although time spent lounging on the beach on a hot day is a must, Miami Beach is about much more than just the glorious, wide stretch of golden sand that lines the Atlantic.
EXPERIENCE FLORIDA
The Lake Okeechobee–Everglades basin and the Kissimmee lowlands are actually subdivisions of the coastal lowlands, but their uniqueness justifies separate designations. The former is 150 miles (240 km) long and 50 miles (80 km) wide and is technically a shallow, slow-moving river (the Everglades is often called a “river of grass”). The northern portion has been modified with canals, dikes, and pumping stations and is Florida’s principal zone of sugarcane production. The southern portion retains much of its pre-European flavour and is protected within the confines of Everglades National Park.
One of the liveliest areas is right near the historic Naples Pier, where you’ll find volleyball courts and the greatest concentration of sunseekers. The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg is located on the city’s impressive waterfront and housed in a unique modern building designed to match the creativity of the artist himself. Curving glass appears to envelope the otherwise box-like structure, giving the building a very striking appearance. Much like Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando is a mega amusement park that has long been an important part of family vacations to Florida. The complex features its classic dolphin and whale shows, as well as acts featuring a cast of unexpected characters, from cats and ducks to otters and sea lions. The entire area is a wide, shallow river that flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Bay of Florida.
