While most tourists will focus on the expensive theme parks and the hot beaches in Florida, there are other tourists that are more interested in the historical legacy that the county has to offer. The Sunshine State has a lot to offer when referring to culture and history so you should take this into account when planning your next vacation. The historical sites you are going to find in Florida will be related to much more than just USA. Below we are going to take a look at some of the most popular historical attractions in Florida but you need to understand that there are many others that you might want to research and visit.
Key West
Key West is located off the Florida coast, connected by it through a bridge. This popular tourist destination has intrigued various celebrity figures in history. For instance, Hemingway ended up living in Key West. His home is now a museum that everyone can visit. To make everything even better, people that visit the area can even enjoy special sea activities like diving for sunken treasures or ship salvaging.
Fort Myers
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison both lived in Fort Myers during winter months. Edison’s house is now known as “Seminole Lodge” and it was renovated in such a way as to reflect the history that it bears. It actually includes one of the first ever modern swimming pools in the county of Florida and the laboratory has been left pretty much intact, just as the inventor left it. Right next to Edison’s home you are going to find Henry Ford’s refurbished winter home, called “The Mangoes.” Here you will find a huge garage that is filled with Ford automobiles that are restored and considered antique.
Palm Beach
Contrary to what many believe, Palm Beach is also a historical landmark of Florida. It was in the late 1880s that Henry Flagler tried to revitalize the area and built a very sophisticated transportation system in order to draw in tourists. All the accomplishments of the time are praised in the well known Henry Flagler Museum, which some call Whitehall, the name it had while Flagler lived. This building is actually his winter home.
Pensacola Military Origins
Pensacola is well known as the naval aviation home. There are over 150 aircrafts that have been restored from the Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Navy on display at the US National Museum of Naval Aviation. Tourists that visit this attraction can actually experience a real flight simulator and learn much about Florida naval aviation history. There is even an IMAX screen in the museum that you will love while combining with different tours that are going to leave you with your mouths opened.
You need to understand that Florida offers more historical sites but it is hard to talk about all of them. This is because there are so many that you can visit. Our recommendation is to do a good research if you are interested in historical locations. You can simply find details about the area that you are going to go to and then act accordingly.
The world renowned Kennedy Space Center stands located very close to Florida’s Cape Canaveral, which is a tremendous place to go to on a vacation. It is really close to different popular Florida tourist attractions like Universal Studios, Disney World, Sea World and many others. The Space Center is also very close to Orlando, which allows you to visit even more attractions. On the whole you can expect a wonderful vacation while in the area. You can have a glimpse of technology, history and also have enough time to relax at the beach. Kennedy Space Center stands out as a highly exciting tourist attraction for adults and youngsters. It is also highly educational when talking about space knowledge.
As soon as you visit the world renowned Kennedy Space Center you will be involved in an incredible experience that you can only have in Florida thanks to the only Space Shuttle launch site that is available for visits in the world. You should know that the hardware used by the International Space Station is created and checked at the Kennedy Space Center before it is eventually launched into space. This is one Florida tourist attraction that will give you a chance to see exactly how rockets are prepared and launched. Visitors can attend all launch missions. If this is what you are looking for you need to look at the official website of the Kennedy Space Center in order to check all the upcoming missions that you might be able to attend while in Florida.
While visiting the Florida Kennedy Space Center you might also want to visit the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. People can take tours here and learn different facts about the famous astronauts presented. You can also go through simulators, see moon capsules and have a great experience that is suitable for both adults and children. You will need to pay an extra admission fee if you also want to visit the Hall of Fame.
In the event that you want to learn different facts about space that you might have not known you should also take advantage of the visitor center. Here you can view launch pads, space paraphernalia, space center mechanisms and different IMAX movies. There are also museum items that will show you space travel history and many leaps that have been made by mankind in the past years.
Once in the area if would be a shame if you would not take advantage of other tourist attractions that are located around the Kennedy Space Center. Just like in the whole of Florida, you can expect to have different activities that you can go through. You will basically find a little something for everyone from adults to children. This is exactly why this tourist spot is perfect for all tourists and not just for those that are interested in the final frontier. On the other hand, if you do not have much time to spend in this area of Florida, think about visiting the Space Center as it is a really unique experience.
People that love aquatic wildlife are simply going to be amazed when they visit Florida Sea World. This park has been a pioneer that offers tremendous aquatic attractions from people from all around the world. You can quickly notice the amount of fun that you can have just by stepping in and visitors are also educated about how the animals presented live and how they can be protected. Proper care and aquatic wildlife preservation is highly important nowadays and education is great for children and adults that do not know much about the subject. Florida Sea World offers numerous attractions. Here you will be able to see fascinating sea creatures. Let us take a look at some of the most popular attractions offered by this Florida tourist destination spot.
Shark Encounters
Sharks have always been a fascination of aquatic wildlife lovers. They existed ever since man first walked the earth and they are highly impressive when you get a chance to be close to them. In Sea World you get a chance to be really close to these majestic creatures thanks to a special underwater viewing tunnel that has been built. Thanks to it you can get really close to the sharks while being 100% safe.
The Manta Aquarium
The Manta Aquarium is another underwater aquarium but this one offers you the chance to experience something completely different. You will be able to have a 360 degrees experience while viewing exotic sea dragons, many tropical fish and hundreds of manta rays. This is a great place to take kids as they can get really close to sea creatures that are beautiful and highly attractive. All that you need to do is make sure that you are always looking around as there are even octopuses and many other creatures that you will surely want to notice.
The Wild Arctic Experience
As you are visiting Florida, it is very hard to think about being offered the chance to view anything that is close to a frozen habitat. Sea World manages to offer you this in a highly attractive setting. The Wild Arctic area of the park gives visitors a chance to look at different Arctic animals like walruses, 2 polar bears and even beluga whales.
Game Areas
Sometimes you can get bored by looking at animals, no matter how impressive they are. Sea World knows this and they created a special arcade and game area in order to deal with possible boredom. Here you can engage yourself in competition or just relax while you are playing an arcade game. Kids and adults will surely love this part of the park as it offers squirt gun races, skeet-ball, pinball machines and driving simulators. To make everything even more attractive, visitors are given a chance to win different Sea World stuffed animals while participating in the games. Also, when in this highly popular Florida tourist attraction spot, you can go on a relaxing boat ride or just relax while walking slowly and looking at all that Sea World has to offer.
Florida’s Daytona Beach stands out as a perfect spot for a vacation for your entire family. Here you will find beautiful sandy beaches that will stretch on a distance of over 20 miles. Around the world this location is regarded to as the “World’s Most Famous Beach” and once you visit the area it is easy to understand why. In Florida’s Daytona Beach you are to find a lot of activities that will help you escape from the stress that you need to deal with on a day to day basis. All the family can be entertained and this is really hard to achieve at times.
Florida’s Daytona Beach offers many possible attractions but everything starts from the beach. Here you can start going on different tours or go into activities like fishing, jogging or cycling. Vehicle traffic is always permitted on 11 miles of the entire length of the beach and the speed limit is set at 10 miles per hour. If you are in the area you might want to practice surfing or beach volleyball. For those that are interested in landscapes we recommend that you go on a ride of the famous Florida attraction named Sky Lift, which allows you to view the entire Daytona Beach area for a wonderful landscape. Also, if you are looking for an adrenaline rush you might want to try the Daytona Slingshot. It will launch you around 300 feet in the air while travelling at a speed of around 100 miles per hour. If you are looking for a more quiet experience, you can always try fishing in the Pier area.
When you will plan your trip to this part of Florida we recommend that you seriously think about when you are going to do this. In the event that you do not want to find a crowded area you will want to plan the trip in the time frame between April and May or September to November. Then you are also going to find cheaper accommodation. In the event that you want to live everything to the fullest and visit when the area is crowded you should opt for the peak periods which are between May and September. This also means that prices are going to be higher. You will find the lowest rates between December and April.
Popular Florida Daytona Beach Attractions
Daytona Beach offers many tourist attractions that you are simply going to love. We are only going to talk about some of them because there are many possibilities available. The two most popular ones are Daytona 500 Experience and the Daytona International Speedway. Here you can learn a lot about racing and have related experiences that will leave a lot of great memories.
For those that are more interested in relaxation there is always the Daytona Beach River Cruise. There are many available sightseeing tours that you can take advantage of.
Children should be taken to the Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory. Here you will be able to go on a free 30 minutes tour that will show you exactly how the chocolate is made and why everything that the factory makes is highly attractive to children and adults alike.
Whether you want to go to Florida for business or for pleasure you are always going to need to be prepared what to expect. There are many attractions that can be visited from historical sites to amusement parks. It would be a shame not to research the state and the specific are that you are going to visit as there is so much to offer you will surely want to come back and visit again.
Florida Outdoor Activities
Florida is well known for the many outdoor activities offered. There are dozens of attractions that a tourist can enjoy. Out of the many options available we need to mention Panhandle and Florida Keys for fishing and Palm Beach for diving in an incredible coral reef while being able to explore exotic and coral wildlife. Florida is renowned for its beaches and there are actually hundreds of such destinations that you can visit.
Florida Sports
Florida attractions that are perfect for sports lovers are everywhere. You might want to visit a Gators game if you like football or participate in baseball spring training in various locations around the state. In the event that you like racing you will want to visit the world renowned Daytona International Speedway. Tourists are even allowed to drive an actual race car around the track. This is an experience that is hard to forget. In the event that you want even more sports activities you can always focus on golf, sailing, fishing or tennis.
Aquariums and Theme Parks in Florida
As you surely expected, you will find a lot of fun activities in the city of Orlando, Florida. There are actually many theme parks that are well known around the country in the county and will offer tourists the possibility to be entertained for days. Family fun is at its best in these locations and the memories that you get are going to last a lifetime. It is hard not to recommend Sea World, a tourist attraction that offers some of the best killer whale shows in the country. You might also want to go for a special Disney behind the scenes tour in order to see exactly what happens beneath Magic Kingdom.
Tourists usually also visit Old Town Park while in Florida. This is a retro fun park that is perfect for a family trip. You will be able to go on go-kart track rides, view classic car shows and take part in Ferris wheels. These attractions are for people of all ages, therefore it is a perfect place to bring the entire family for a day of fun.
Keep in mind that the attractions mentioned above are only some of the more popular tourist destinations in Florida. The truth is that we are in front of a county that has so much to offer. You will basically find anything for any taste possible. Due to this fact we need to recommend that you properly research the area that you are going to visit in order to plan a great vacation that will be based on your personal needs.