Posted by admin | Tampa Bay Beach Hotels | Posted on December 31st, 2009
Families ardor Florida vacations for either the theme parks or the wonderful beaches. Many families think they have to elect between the theme parks in Orlando leave post or the beaches in Florida shoreline vacations when visiting Florida. Actually, this is far from dutiful!
Orlando, Florida home to several theme parks, officially one of the most concentrated theme square localities in the United States. Most people don’t know that while Orlando is in the midpoint of the State of Florida, it only takes around an hour to campaign to several beaches.
Most Orlando rupture parcels embrace being away from the theme parks for some relaxation on the shore. Below, you’ll find details on some of the beaches near Orlando. If you forecast Florida vacations for your family, deem adding some fun on the shoreline to your Orlando crack parcels!
Beaches within 30 miles of Orlando
Only a 45-tiny thrust, Cocoa Beach is the bordering seashore to Orlando. This opened shoreline destination is clean to include in Orlando rest parcels because of conveniences like picnic tables, showers, and restrooms. The hire closet, west of Cocoa Beach Pier, rents skip boards, coast chairs, shoreline umbrellas, and coast accessories, making it relaxed to twist theme commons vacations into a Florida seashore vacations.
Cocoa Beach Pier offers an incredible fishing opportunity for anglers and surfers will dearest the intense surf and surfing commune. Playgrounds, shore volleyball courts, tennis courts, and horseshoe depths creates the chance of fun for each!
The first Ron Jon’s Surf Shop calls Cocoa Beach home. This mammoth art deco storehouse is an exciting place to shop for shoreline clothes, souvenirs, coast accessories, and more!
Families short an entertaining coastline break from the theme parks will affection Cocoa Beach.
Party and Tourism Beach
About 60 miles away, Daytona Beach is the next closest seashore to Orlando. Daytona Beach, one of Florida’s most well-known beaches, home to legendary Spring Break festivities and awesome NASCAR races, with the Daytona 500. Although famous as partaker seaside, Daytona Beach is a great destination for families.
Full of hotels, arcades, keepsake shops, t-shirt supplies, and restaurants, a stumble to Daytona Beach is never boring. With 20 miles of gorgeous russet smooth beaches and the picturesque Atlantic Ocean surf, Daytona Beach is one of the only beaches in the whole world allowing families to effort on the shoreline!
Families seeking to add an exciting seaside break to their Florida vacations will love Daytona Beach.
White Sandy Gulf Coast Beaches
Most people don’t even think to think the East Coast beaches when scheduling. However tendering, calm waters and ashen sandpaper beaches are copious on the gulf coast. Almost a two-hour steer, Clearwater Beach is about 100 miles away from Orlando and is the nearest gulf sand the families prefer with Orlando leave post.
In actuality, a barrier island close to Tampa and St. Petersburg, Clearwater Beach has won many seashore awards for its breathtaking pasty smooth beaches from Conde Nast Traveler, Florida Sports Magazine, Tampa Bay Magazine, USA TODAY, and more. Include a holiday to Clearwater Beach in your rest to have the ashen polish, friendly gulf water, and to take in the native atmosphere.
Make confident you schedule in sometime so you don’t lose seeing the spectacular twilight at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach. Thursdays through Mondays add a bonus to the charming sunset with entertaining Key West festivities, including magicians, road performers, jugglers, artists, and local peddlers. What a great way to end a day on the beach!
Families imperfect a break from taken theme park daytimes and the dinner drama evenings of Orlando holiday post will enjoy the composed and peaceful Clearwater Beach.
By pleasing the time to prepare Orlando vacation packages and Florida beach vacations, families can enjoy unforgettable Florida vacations.
Posted by admin | Tampa Bay Beach Hotels | Posted on December 28th, 2009
The Florida Aquarium is probably one of the finest aquariums in Florida. It has been ranked by Parents Magazine as one of the top five child friendly aquariums.
This very large aquarium consists of more than 200,000 square feet of exhibits and about 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from around the world, in particular Florida.
Recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, The Florida Aquarium sits in Tampa’s Channelside District. It opened in 1995 and last year welcomes around 675,000 visitors a year.
Galleries and Exhibits
The aquarium itself is divided into four “galleries” with many exhibits within each of those galleries. Each gallery has a different theme for your enjoyment.
Wetlands – this section of the aquarium is very much Florida orientated. Here visitors can explore fish, animals, and birds of the state’s marshes, streams, rivers, swamps, and mangrove forests. Children will love the adorable river otters and be awed by the alligators.
Bays and Beaches – visitors to this gallery get the opportunity to observe the sea life typical of nearby Tampa Bay. Exhibits show what is at the bottom of the bay as well as fish that typically attract recreational fishermen to the area, like snook. The beach display presents a cross section of the sea life found at a typical Florida beach.
The Coral Reef – this colourful gallery brings guests close to the waters of the Florida Keys with a look at the sea life that inhabits the coral formations of the Dry Tortugas, near the Keys. Guests can walk under a virtual tunnel to find out what’s inside a coral cave or peer through the Panoramic Window and watch one of several daily dive shows held at the site. Visitors will also want to check out the Coral Farm, where biologists experiment with techniques used in coral reproduction.
Ocean Commotion – the Florida Aquarium’s newest gallery, Ocean Commotion invites visitors to explore the depths of the world’s oceans. Very much an interactive, hands-on gallery, children can pick up phones and learn about their favourite creature and even play with a virtual dolphin.
Several additional and noteworthy exhibits also keep guests entertained and educated as they make their way through this excellent facility. They include:
Aquariumania – this fun exhibit tells guests how to go about setting up their own home aquarium at home and educates them about Florida’s fish farms, which grow more than 95 percent of all aquarium fish grown in the U.S.
Dragons Down Under – part of the Coral Reef Gallery, this exhibit provides the opportunity to view real Southern Australian sea dragons and fascinating dwarf seahorses, which are native to Florida. Absolutely awesome!
No Bone Zone – geared towards younger children, this section of the aquarium focuses on invertebrates. The piece de resistance for little hands is the touch tank but there’s also an addition 400 gallon tank featuring more boneless sea creatures. Children also love crawling in and out of human sized hermit crab shells.
Year of the Frog – not one but four exhibits outline the plight of the frog in hopes of encouraging amphibian conservation. Visitors will view frogs native to Florida as well as their sisters and brothers from around the world.
Activities
No one is ever bored at The Florida Aquarium. Aside from galleries and exhibits, there are plenty of scheduled activities and additional attractions to keep visitors of all ages busy.
Explore a Shore – at two acres in size, this outdoor water zone provides plenty of room for the kids to run around and cool off. It features slides, geysers, water guns, and more, the Explore a Shore is a welcome break for little ones with short attention spans.
Penguin Promenade – a few times each day, guests can get up close and personal with resident penguins as they promenade across a red carpet lined with eager visitors. Guests are asked to sit calmly around the carpet as the penguins travel through, often stopping to greet their visitors.
Behind the Scenes Tour – these fascinating one hour tours take guests to parts of the aquarium that cannot otherwise be explored, like the quarantine areas and the kitchen that prepares the meals for all the Florida Aquarium residents.
Dive with the Sharks – certified SCUBA divers age 15 and up are invited to experience close encounters with the aquarium’s sharks in hopes of dispelling the myth that sharks are man eaters. Dive masters accompany each diver. An additional fee is charged and reservations are suggested.
Wild Dolphin Ecotours – climb aboard the Bay Spirit, a 49-foot catamaran, for a 90-minute journey to view Tampa
Bay’s bottlenose dolphins. Ecotours run daily, with extra tours available during the weekends. Prices are very reasonable and reservations are recommended.
Posted by admin | Tampa Bay Beach Resorts | Posted on December 25th, 2009
Florida is one of the most popular states for people to visit year round. With its gorgeous warm weather, people can enjoy the white sandy beaches, theme parks and so much more. In this article we will highlight a few of the top areas to visit.
Orlando is one of the top cities for Florida vacationers because it has something for everyone. It has many large theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. There is a large assortment of hotels here catering the thrifty vacationers to those who want to indulge and getaway from it all. You will also find many retail and outlet stores, dinner shows and entertainment as well as the Orlando Magic Basketball team. Another popular attraction is the Cirque de Soleil show. Located at Downtown Disney, this theatrical show will thrill and mesmerize audiences.
Tampa, FL has also become a popular destination due to its growing city and attractions. Busch Gardens and Adventure Island are two large Anheiser Busch theme parks that thrill visitors of all ages. The Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium both have a focus on animals, but also offer fun family activities so you can play while you are learning about your natural surroundings. Tampa is also surrounded by great water such as the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay. Both are great for watersports, sight seeing
adventures and fishing. Charter a boat and collect snook, grouper and many other great fish in these waters. Or you can just relax on one of the beautiful beaches. There are many hotels to choose from with two of the most historic being The Vinoy Resort and Don Cesar on St. Petersburg Beach. Both are world renown and have tantalizing restaurants and all inclusive spa services.
Miami Beach has taken an extremely popular turn in the last few years. This city has grown in popularity with updated renovations that make it more attractive. Celebrities vacation here and enjoy sunning on the white sandy beaches and partying the night away at some of the hottest clubs in South Beach Florida. Salsa music is popular here and you will definitely feel the island vibe while relaxing near this shore.
When some people think of Florida their first thoughts are of the Florida Keys. The water is crystal blue and the fish and lobster are abundant here. Fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving are some of the most popular past times. You can charter a boat or hop on a sight seeing adventure and see some of the most gorgeous fish and coral in all of Florida. For land lovers, the shops, restaurants and night life are enough to keep anyone busy. Each has an island feel and offers great seafood choices that are both fresh and tasty.
There are so many great locations to visit in Florida. As well as enjoying the attractions, beaches and gorgeous weather, many people come here to hunt, fish or just enjoy the great outdoors. No matter which city you choose, you’re sure to find wonderful ways to enjoy the gorgeous Florida sunshine!
