Florida is located in the southeastern United States. It is bordered to the north by Georgia and surrounded by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean. Few states offer as many vacation possibilities as Florida. Each year approximately 40 million people visit the state, bringing roughly $40 billion to the Florida economy. Florida provides a vast array of activities for family vacations, whether you simply want to lie on the beach or learn about space travel.
Types
Florida provides a wealth of family-friendly vacation venues. These include theme parks in Orlando such as Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola and Busch Gardens in Tampa. Florida also has beaches where you can take the family swimming, enjoy water sports or take part in boating adventures. If you are searching for a Florida family vacation that has an educational element, as well as fun, you should explore Space Coast. Space Coast is actually three towns--Melbourne, Cocoa Beach and Titusville--that are laid out on 72 miles of Florida's coast. At Space Coast you will find numerous sites to explore, including Cape Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center, the Brevard Zoo, The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Dolphins
Florida also offers opportunities for you and your family to have personal encounters with dolphins. These encounters are programs and/or workshops offered in Key Largo and Miami through Dolphin World. Choose between three types of programs that allow a swimmer to work with an instructor to feed and train a dolphin, work with a group to learn about dolphins in their habitat or learn about dolphins on an ocean boat excursion.
Coasts
While planning your Florida vacation, take into consideration the different areas of Florida that are often referred to by travel agents and tour guides. Along the Atlantic Ocean is the First Coast, which includes St. Augustine; the Space Coast; the Treasure Coast, which includes Port St. Lucie and Ft. Pierce; the Gold Coast, which includes Palm Beach and Miami; and the Florida Keys. The Florida Gulf Coast includes the Sun Coast, with the Everglades and Tampa; the Nature Coast, with parks and rivers; the Forgotten Coast, with wetlands; and the Emerald Coast, with beaches and parks.
Transportation
Florida cities offer access to public bus transportation, rental cars, shuttles from most major airports and theme park locations, ferries for water travel and, at some locations such as St. Augustine, horse-drawn buggies. Bus transportation is provided by mass transit systems in many large Florida cities, with public bus stops and route maps available through each system. Shuttles are available from theme parks, such as Disney World, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. You can find ferry service in cities such as Key West, where you can explore the Florida Keys, and in St. Johns, where you can tour the St. Johns River.
Considerations
Thousands of college students descend on Florida every year for spring break. You might want to consider this fact when you are planning your family vacation. Spring break begins at the Florida resorts and hotels in mid-February each year and continues through mid-March. Some of the most popular spring break locales include Daytona, Key West, Miami, Orlando and South Beach.
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