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Florida: a mixture of summer fun, rockets and alligators. The southernmost tip of the USA is one of America´s most popular holiday destinations.
People go here to enjoy sun, beach, and ocean or to enjoy the diversity of the region.
In addition, this is the place to relax! Using your rental car, you can combine the pleasures of a nice round trip and the subtropics. Take at least two weeks, to be able to really enjoy a wonderful vacation.
You´ll start your tour in Orlando, where the international airports are situated. Simply pick up your rental car and hit the road! Orlando is the place to be for fun-park lovers; it harbours seven Disney Theme Parks and many other amusement parks like Sea World or the Universal Studios Florida. Thus, thrilling roller coasters alternate with amazing animal shows.
An excellent first stop is Daytona Beach. This little town, about 80 kilometers North of Orlando, is situated on the coast is particularly known for the first beach auto race in America´s history. A bit further South along the coast you´ll find more lonely beaches, which are considered the finest in Florida: the Cape Canaveral National Seashore, which stretches for about 40 kilometers.
In the immediate vicinity rockets are launched by NASA. The Kennedy Space Center offers bus tours to view these space shuttles from closer by.
Highway 95 takes you further towards Palm Beach, the exclusive resort of the rich and famous, as well as Fort Lauderdale, close to Miami. Take a stroll along glamorous Ocean Drive or shop till you drop in lively Bayside Marketplace. About 90 km South of Miami you´ll find the 9000 km² Biscayne National Park, where you can dive or snorkel in clear blue waters. Exotic fishes and a giant coral reef are waiting for you!
Leaving Miami over the so-called Overseas Highway you’ll pass over 42 bridges which take you into the fascinating Florida Keys. From practically any of the many islands you can rent a snorkel- or glass-bottom boat to explore the captivating underwater-world. In Islamorada’s harbour relatively simple open-sea fishing tours are offered during which one can hunt for tuna or the famous malin.
At the end of the Highway one finds the lively Key West, where one can foremost enjoy the magic sunsets and the exciting night life. On the way back towards the West coast, one can discover the famous swamps of the Everglades. Here you’ll find giant mangrove forests, rare bird species and dangerous alligators. Especially dare devils should explore these dangers using the famous local hovercrafts.
The wonderful white beaches along the Gulf of Mexico form another highlight of this tour. In the aristocratic Naples, the young and old can visit a cute teddy bear museum. Historic Fort Myers is the place where the inventor Edison overwintered, and where one can visit his wonderful botanic garden. Tampa Bay hosts the homonymous tourist city Tampa, where one can enjoy the local folklore, authentic Cuban cigars, or roller-coaster rides in the Safari Park. The little peninsula in the bay hosts the American St. Petersburg, where art lovers cannot afford to pass without visiting the extraordinary Salvador-Dali-Museum.
A lovely long tour along Highway 75 takes you about 300 km North towards Tallahassee. During this tour you can taste the more authentic Florida, away from beach fun and celebrity gossip. Tallahassee is the capitol of this state and with its almost sleepy ambience invites you for a day of relaxation in between green hills and southern state charm. Don´t forget to make a small detour to Panama City, from where one can take the ferry to Shell Island to collect rare shells on its marvellous white beaches.
This large Florida exploration tour is concluded with some more leisure in Pensacola, which is thus far not plagued by mass tourism. Here you can really enjoy paradise with palm beaches, blue seas, finest sands and summer temperatures!
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