Accommodations

Florida offers a wide range of getaways with a variety of rental homes, vacation homes, hotels, and beach resorts. Choose an accommodation near any of Florida's local attractions that offers comfort while making the most of the beautiful beaches and attractions at affordably priced rates.

Activities

The Walt Disney World resort is Florida's largest attraction with the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize winning author, lived in Key West for 10 years and his home has been converted to a museum dedicated to his life and works. South Beach and Miami are known throughout the world for their nightlife and the huge number of nightclubs that are open until 5:00am each morning. While you are visiting Clearwater Beach, make sure to take in Sunsets at Pier 60, a festival on the promenade portion of Clearwater Beach's fishing pier, celebrating the setting of the sun, which features artists, craftsmen and performers with musical entertainment on weekends. Laid-back Siesta Key has the feel of a tropical island, with sugar white sand officially designated "the whitest, finest beach sand in the world."

Events

Drake’s Raid is held in early June and relives the attack in 1586 of the English corsair, Sir Francis Drake on the city of St. Augustine  Featuring displays of the periods arms and armor, crafts, and lifestyle, the raiders camp will be at the Fountain of Youth Park and a mock battle will be held in the early evening. For sports fans, several college Bowl Games are held in Florida each New Years, as well as Baseball Spring Training in many areas of Florida. VolleyPalooza is a unique South Beach event, a two-day charity event held each February with swimsuit-clad models, both men and women, from international agencies competing in a fun-for-all volleyball tournament. Coachman Park in Clearwater hosts the largest free-admission jazz festival in the Southeast every October; the Clearwater Jazz Holiday is a world-class gathering of the some of the greatest talents and attracting tens of thousands of the greatest fans of jazz.

Water Sports

The Florida Atlantic Coast is perfect for a wide variety of water activities, including jet skiing, ocean kayaking, diving, parasailing, windsurfing, sailing, fishing, and of course swimming. You can also find powerboat and sailboat rentals, as well as jetski rentals. The warm waters are inviting for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Golfing

Year round, Florida offers a great golf vacation and you can enjoy a game of competitive golf on one of the many fine golf courses located in Florida. You can find both private and public golf courses for both 9 and 18 holes of play, with professionals available for lessons. Great courses, beautiful greens and spectacular views are just a couple of reasons why visitors can enjoy their golf vacation getaway.

History

According to popular legend, Juan Ponce de León discovered Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth on March 27, 1513. He named the land La Pascua Florida, or "Flowery Easter." St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in any U.S. state. It was little more than a fortress for many years, and was frequently attacked and burned. Roman Catholic missionaries used St. Augustine as a base of operations, and established missions throughout the southeastern United States. The British and their colonies attacked repeatedly, especially in 1702, and captured St Augustine in 1740. In 1763, Spain traded Florida to Great Britain for control of Havana, Cuba. During this time, there was a migration of Creek Indians into Florida, who would form the Seminole tribe.