Major Theme Parks

Universal Studios
Children of grade-school age will get the most out of Universal Studios, which excels at turning their favorite thrill movies into their favorite thrill rides.

Universal Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure beefed up the thrill aspect of the Universal parks, and therefore is popular with ‘tweens, teens and adults.

Life in the Fast Lane
When you rev the 600-horsepower engine of a NASCAR machine, you feel it in your bones.
Thrill Quest
Adventurers, thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies – those are just a few of the names for people like me, people with a penchant for thrill rides.

Weird Science
Some pretty strange stuff goes on in Tampa. For kids, it boggles the mind and tickles the imagination: Underwater cows, a shrunken city, sinkholes that eat Porsches.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay may be named after the suds-producing breweries, but adrenaline is the most potent intoxicant this thrill-heavy theme park produces.

SeaWorld Adventure Park
Something about dolphins, manatees, whales and even sharks brings out the emotions in all ages.

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort
Here’s where it all started in Orlando’s theme park world, and here’s where you should start your little ones.

Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort
With its geographical and futuristic focus, Epcot naturally fits ‘tweens, teens and adults best.

Disney-MGM Studios, Walt Disney World Resort
Here’s another good park for first-timers in Orlando because it offers a lot on the sweet, endearing and tame side of things.

Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort
Kids of all ages love animals – and Animal Kingdom arranges all sorts of ways to engage them.

Science (1949), in Miami; the Museum of Art (1924),
in Orlando; the National Museum of Naval Aviation (1963), in Pensacola; the Museum of Fine Arts (1961), in St. Petersburg; and the Norton Museum of Art (1940), in West Palm Beach. The Ah-Tha-Thi-Ki Museum (1997), devoted to the culture of the Seminole Indians, is on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, W of Fort Lauderdale.

The St. Augustine Free Public Library (1874) is the oldest in Florida. The state’s largest library, the University of Florida Library, contains an excellent collection of works on the Caribbean. Florida has about 97 public library systems, and nearly 500 library service outlets, including more than 30 bookmobiles, are scattered throughout the state. About ten cities support symphony orchestras, and five have opera companies; the state also has more than 100 dance companies. Theater has been traditionally very popular in Florida, and more than 100 theater groups, professional as well as amateur, are active. In the 1980s and ‘90s performing arts centers were built in Clearwater, Tampa, Naples, and West Palm Beach. The principal U.S. launching site for earth satellites and space flights—the John F. Kennedy Space Center—at Cape Canaveral is also a tourist and educational center.

Historical Sites.
Numerous historical sites recall Florida’s Spanish period. The oldest masonry fortress of the continental U.S., dating from the 1670s, is part of Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, at St. Augustine. Fort Matanzas National Monument, near St. Augustine; the historic district at Pensacola; and the De Soto National Memorial, near Bradenton, contain other Spanish landmarks. Fort Caroline National Memorial, at Jacksonville, overlooks the site of a short-lived (1564–65) French Huguenot colony. A large masonry fortification (1856) is part of Fort Jefferson National Monument, near Key West.

Although much of the cultural life in Florida is concentrated in several cities, notably Miami, Tampa and St. Petersburg, Orlando, Sarasota, and Jacksonville, important cultural institutions are found throughout the state. The Florida Museum of Natural History (1917), located in Gainesville, is a major museum with historical, archaeological, and biological exhibits. An important collection of European and American painting is housed in Sarasota’s John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (1928), which includes a circus museum. Other museums in Florida include the Lowe Art Museum (1950), in Coral Gables; the Pioneer Florida Museum (1961), in Dade City; the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (1977), in Delray Beach; the Museum of Art (1958), in Fort Lauderdale; the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens (1958), in Jacksonville; the Museum of

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
This 83-acre garden, established in 1938, is one of the world's preeminent botanic gardens, with extensive collections of rare tropical plants, including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines. Features a new 13,000-square-foot Visitor Center, a conservatory, a tropical fruit pavilion, vine pergola, sunken garden, winding paths, 11 lakes, lily ponds, overlooks, vistas and an outdoor tropical rainforest. Offers narrated tram tours, self-guided tours and programs in environmental education, conservation and horticulture.

Monkey Jungle
Escape on a jungle safari. Explore the wilds of South America, Asia and Africa. Witness crab-eating monkeys diving for treats. Delve into the lush, tropical Amazonian rain forest filled with hundreds of exotic monkeys. Also contains one of the richest fossil deposits in Southern Florida, with more than 5,000 specimens. New exhibit includes rare Amazon parrots, the Cameroon Jungle and the Mandrill Baboons.

Parrot Jungle Island
It’s Miami’s newest attraction. Take a walk through the wilds of the park while surrounded by lush tropical foliage. Encounter exotic animals, like a 20-foot-long, 2,000-pound crocosauras, a Liger – part lion, part tiger, and birds from all over the world. Plus, guests will enjoy three spectacular animal shows: Jungle Encounters, Reptile Giants, and Winged Wonders. The park also has a ballroom, amphitheaters, picnic grounds and spacious pavilions that can accommodate groups of almost any size.