The Kilimanjaro Safari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom®
The Kilimanjaro Safari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom®
Famously known as the “Sunshine State,” Florida is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, drawing more than 100 million visitors a year, including many families. With over 600 miles (965 km) of world-class beaches, and numerous waterways, Florida offers dozens of activities, from yachting and kayaking, to fishing and snorkeling. Nature-lovers can discover exotic flora and fauna in a host of nature preserves, or explore glorious scenery on the many biking and hiking trails. In addition, there is an array of world-famous theme parks, plus excellent museums that hold a special appeal for kids.
The first decision is: which coast? Families can choose between the exciting Atlantic Ocean waves on the east coast or the soft sand and calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and in the northern Panhandle. Miami Beach, St. Pete Beach, or Fort Lauderdale, with miles of accommodations on the sand, are very convenient for families. For a beach with plenty of room to toss a beach ball or build a sand castle without competing for space, head to Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast, or the secluded Virginia Key Beach Park on Key Biscayne in Miami. Bradenton Beach, on the Gulf Coast, offers several restaurants and shops, and mini-golf a short stroll away, but those who prefer beaches that are quiet, undeveloped, and ringed with scenic dunes or sea pines will be happy on the Gulf Islands National Seashore or the Canaveral National Seashore on the east coast. Sanibel Island is a good place for kids to hunt for cockles, conchs, clams, and other prize shells, but even better beachcombing may be found at Venice Beach, or by taking a boat to Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater, or Shell Island off the Panhandle.
Kids playing on Venice Beach, on the Gulf Coast
“Roller Coasters ‘R’ Us” could be the motto of central Florida, and for many families, theme parks are Florida’s biggest lure. If you have only a day for a park, consider Busch Gardens in Tampa, which has a choice of half a dozen world-class thrill rides such as Kumba.
Most kids would love to spend days in Orlando’s theme parks. Harry Potter™ fans will not want to miss the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, split between Universal’s Islands of Adventure® and Universal Studios Florida®; the two parks are connected by the Hogwarts™ Express. The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit® in Universal Studios Florida® is billed as one of the most high-tech coasters in the world.
The biggest theme park, Walt Disney World® Resort, excites with attractions such as the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, and Space Mountain® in Magic Kingdom®, which does its swoops and swings in the dark. Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® offers a breathtaking 3D adventure. Don’t forget Orlando’s SeaWorld®, where the Kraken® coaster dives underground three times, and Manta®, the flying roller coaster, lets riders spin, glide, skim, and fly like a giant ray. At LEGOLAND® Florida Resort, Coastersaurus is a wooden coaster that curves and dips through a prehistoric jungle of animated and life-size dinosaurs made of LEGO® blocks.
Be warned, however, that the lines for major rides at all the theme parks can be long. See individual entries for tips on cutting the line.
The high-speed thrill ride Kumba at Busch Gardens, Tampa
Family fun is weatherproof in Florida, even for children who do not usually enjoy museums. The Ringling, in Sarasota, is the place to see the world’s largest miniature circus. Children of all ages will enjoy the collection of wacky art by Salvador Dalí in The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, which is devoted to the Surrealist. The Morse Museum in Orlando’s Winter Park features one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of amazing glass creations by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including a chapel of glimmering glass tiles. At the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Art Connections introduces kids to art by inviting them to “walk” through a painting, “listen” to a sculpture, or “paint” with a virtual paintbrush.
Miami, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Tampa are among several cities with terrific museums designed specifically for younger kids. Others, including the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach and the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville have separate museum wings filled with a variety of hands-on science activities geared to kids.
Visitors viewing sharks and other sea life at Shark Encounter®, SeaWorld®
Florida’s tropical climate fosters fabulous exotic plants, and the state’s exceptional gardens allow kids to work off energy while their parents savor the scenery. Children will enjoy Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Garden, which is the largest of its kind, with rare plants and 11 lakes, as well as a colorful butterfly garden. At the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, home to over 6,000 orchids, kids can run on the lawn and feed fish in the koi pond. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in Delray Beach, is a Japanese cultural center, with six gardens inspired by the most famous gardens of Japan. Visitors can stroll the zigzag bridges and picnic at the Lake Biwa and Saki Pavilion. The Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando are known for their camellias and the best rose gardens in Florida. The Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee is also famous for its camellias, which begin blooming as early as January, while early spring is peak time for the prize azaleas here. The lush grounds of Bok Tower Gardens, south of Orlando, are beautiful year-round.
Visitors enjoying nature at Fairchild Tropical Garden
Florida’s waters are filled with fantastic and colorful sea life. At Tampa’s The Florida Aquarium, the showstopping Coral Reef Gallery is a colossal coral grotto in which more than 2,000 fish can be seen. Other favorite exhibits are the sea horses and the Penguin Promenade, where black-footed African penguins waddle their way through the lobby in daily parades. If kids get restless, The Splash Pad, a rainforest-themed outdoor water play area, lets them have fun with dump buckets and in spray zones while parents relax in the shade. The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory, in Sarasota, is the place to see sharks, manatees, and tropical fish, and to peep into the labs to see scientists doing research on sea life. Kids can see dolphins in their natural habitat near the Cumberland Island National Seashore, or at the Treasure Coast, off the shores of Fort Pierce. Snorkeling opportunities are plentiful, but the best place to see colorful fish in the wild is at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, the country’s first underwater preserve. You can also go underwater without getting wet at the floating underwater observatory at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, where visitors can look at the resident manatees and hundreds of fish.
Snorkelers at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Florida’s architecture can help bring to life different phases of the state’s history for kids. Tallahassee’s Mission San Luis has a reconstructed thatch-roofed council house, used by the Apalachee Indians, plus small thatched houses built by the early Spanish settlers in the 1600s. The Oldest House in St. Augustine is the state’s oldest surviving Spanish Colonial home, dating to the early 1700s. Florida’s vernacular style is exemplified by Cracker houses, built by the early pioneers. Although few survive, they have influenced local building styles for centuries (see Boca Raton).
The Gilded Age brought lavish mansions such as Henry Flagler’s 1902 Beaux Arts-style Whitehall, now the Flagler Museum, in Palm Beach, and James Deering’s Italian Renaissance Vizcaya in Miami, along with grand hotels such as the Loews® Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach. During this same period, Art Deco hotels were setting the style in Miami’s South Beach, while lavish Spanish Revival homes were being built in other parts of southern Florida. Find examples of these in Addison Mizner’s homes in Palm Beach and in George Merrick’s brilliant designs in Coral Gables.
Traditional buildings on the extensive, picturesque grounds of Mission San Luis, Tallahassee
Pleasant day trips from a base can be more fun for families than long drives that try the patience of young kids, and smaller roads may often offer more accessible pleasures than the super-highways. The Everglades Parkway (I-75), also called Alligator Alley, is the expressway through the Everglades, but the route following US 41 west from Miami to Naples allows for more interesting stops along the way, and offers stunning views.
Head west on Route 40 from Daytona Beach to Ocala, driving through the green Ocala National Forest and the mysterious, mossy oaks that inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ book The Yearling (1938).
To appreciate the variety of Florida’s beaches, spend a day following Highway 789 from Sarasota through posh Longboat Key to lively Bradenton Beach and the more secluded Anna Maria Island. On the east coast, Route A1A hugs the shoreline of the barrier beaches all the way from Miami Beach to Fernandina Beach, near the Georgia border. This allows for either a short outing or a multiday tour of the state taking in The Gold and Treasure Coasts, The Space Coast, and The Northeast.
The Flagler Kenan Pavilion with Henry Flagler’s personal Railcar No. 91 at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach