BOCA GRANDE
ENGLEWOOD
Welcome to Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, a small 50s-like town that requires a toll in order to gain access across the Causeway linking the Mainland to Gasparilla. One important distinction about Boca Grande is that Florida’s second priciest zip code is 33921. Katherine Hepburn often retreated here to escape the media frenzy of Hollywood, joining influential families such as the Astors, Rockefellers and du Ponts on the island. Other notable residents include George H. W. Bush’s family, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harrison Ford. A fishing hotspot, the island has some of the best tarp fishing in the world. Furthermore, in 2016 a local conservation group purchased 30 acres of waterfront property – the $20+ million holding will raze all existing structures and convert it into a nature sanctuary. Welcome to Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, a small 50s-like town that requires a toll in order to gain access across the Causeway linking the Mainland to Gasparilla. One important distinction about Boca Grande is that Florida’s second priciest zip code is 33921. Katherine Hepburn often retreated here to escape the media frenzy of Hollywood, joining influential families such as the Astors, Rockefellers and du Ponts on the island. Other notable residents include George H. W. Bush’s family, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harrison Ford. A fishing hotspot, the island has some of the best tarp fishing in the world. Among Boca Grande’s many charms is the Gasparilla Inn & Club. Built in 1911 but maintained through renovations and updates, this well-maintained historic resort preserves its old Florida charm.
BUSCH GARDENS
TAMPA
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines a world-class zoo with a thrill seeker’s theme park. From food festivals & live concerts to spectacular Halloween & Christmas events, you’ll always find something fun at Busch Gardens. This is one annual pass my family values especially Christmas Town where Busch Gardens transforms the park for the holidays.
CLEARWATER BEACH
CLEARWATER
Another winning beach area along the Gulf Coast, Clearwater Beach offers a cosmepolitan beach experience. More things to do. Visitors to Pier 60 look for the nightly fun once the sun sets. Once you cross the Causeway and exit the roundabout, you enter a more commercialized beach area. Clearwater has spared no expense in creating a livelier beach experience. Taller, more crowded beach condo buildings. Dance clubs that attract the 20-somethings. More retail shopping right off the sand. To Clearwater Beach’s credit or curse, Dr. Beach continues to rank Clearwater Beach a top-rated beach. Welcome to the club, CWB.
DISNEY RESORTS
ORLANDO
There are currently more than 25 Disney Resort hotel locations to pick from when staying at Walt Disney World Resort, from budget-conscious value Resort hotels to our luxurious deluxe Resort hotels. The “affordable” Walk Disney World resorts are Disney’s Pop Century, Sport, & Movies Resorts, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. From Disney World’s jaw-dropping Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Contemporary Resort that provides curbside shuttle service, your family is certain to remain kids at heart. As you’d expect, Disney World provides an A+ experience. For the quietest time of year at Walt Disney World, try mid-November to mid-December, excluding the week of Thanksgiving.
DISNEY SPRINGS
ORLANDO
It’s Official – ‘Downtown Disney’ is Now ‘Disney Springs’ at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney Springs is a rebranded experience for the entire family (instead of what used to be a dance club destination for 20-somethings). Visitors discover amazing outdoor shopping, dining, and amazing entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Disney Springs is divided into four areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side.
DISNEY WORLD – MAGIC KINGDOM
ORLANDO
Make dreams come true at Orlando’s Walt Disney World with timeless attractions, favorite Characters, and the Happily Ever After fireworks spectacular at the most well-known playground for kids and kids at heart. Disney’s shining star is and probably always will be Magic Kingdom Park and Cinderella’s renown castle. It’s even more amazing in person. Epcot invites you to travel around the world in the pleasure of one park. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, animals combine with Disney magic to enhance your experience, and finally Disney’s Hollywood Studios thrusts you into well-known Disney movies including Star Wars and Indiana Jones blockbusters.
FLORIDA AQUARIUM
TAMPA
Come see why Tampa’s The Florida Aquarium, a 250,000-square-foot aquarium, is one of the top aquariums in the country. You’ll experience sharks, alligators, penguins to name a few stars of the Aquarium! Immerse yourself in interactive programs like Dive with the Sharks, Shark Swim and Swim with the Exotic Fish. You might also enjoy a wild dolphin tour aboard the Bay Spirit II, a 72-foot powered catamaran. After exploring all the exhibits inside, cool down at The Splash Pad, the Aquarium’s new water play area.
FLORIDA EAST COAST
FLORIDA
The beaches, vibes, traffic, and density are different. From Amelia Island in North Florida to the Florida Keys, the beaches along the East Coast of Florida couldn’t be more different from our beaches along the Gulf (aka the ‘right’) Coast. Except for Daytona Beach, the sand is (mostly) dark, coarse, and hot to the touch with more commercialized retail and condos dotting the shoreline. When visiting or relocating to Florida, you must experience every beach. You owe it to yourself to take a staycation along the East Coast (of Florida).
ICE!
ORLANDO
ICE! is back at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando with an all-new theme featuring THE POLAR EXPRESS. Take a self-guided journey of imagination through this stunning ice-sculpture display while trying to keep warm in the frigid 9°F icebox. You’ll budget anywhere from from 30 minutes to 2 hours to take in the entire experience. Indeed, you’ll freeze your fanny off. No worries. This is Florida. The freeze is short-lived and a wonderful way to slide into the Christmas season. The stunning hand-carved sculptures, displays, and ice slides, made from more than 2 million pounds of ice, also include a majestic Nativity in crystal-clear ice, the Frostbite Factory with Chinese ice sculptors presenting live ice carving, and the breath-taking Cirque Dreams Unwrapped Stage Show. The entire Gaylord Palms Christmas experience will create life-long memories for the entire family, topped with a little gingerbread decorating. C’mon now, what could possibly top this magical night at the Gaylord?
ZOOTAMPA AT LOWRY PARK
TAMPA
It’s a zoo. It’s a thrill-seeker’s coaster capital. It’s Christmas Town. ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida, boasts more than 1300 animals in one of the most beautiful, tropical zoological settings in the world. In 2009, this 63-acre nonprofit Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 family-friendly zoo in the US by Parents Magazine. At Christmas, the park transforms into a winter wonderland with ice skating shows, lights throughout the park, and a special family experience. Of all the amazing theme parks & zoos, my family values its annual passes. It’s pure family fun throughout the year.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
ORLANDO
Imagine teleporting to Diagon Alley and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida. Your family stumbles in to Gringotts, the multistoried white building, near the intersection of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley, avoids the Gringott’s dragon atop the building and climbs aboard the thrilling ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and then Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Before sneaking over to the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station and Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, your family WaterWorld, Transformers: The Ride-3D, Revenge of the Mummy-The Ride, and Jurassic World-The Ride. If you relish Harry Potter, you must experience Universal Studios and Hogsmeade at Universal’s Island of Adventure. The adventure is worth your time and money.
MORE TO EXPLORE
BEACHES
BEST OF SARASOTA
7 DAYS TRIP
THINGS TO DO
WATER FUN
CASUAL DINING
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
LIFESTYLE GEAR
TIKI BARS
ROAD TRIPS
FESTIVALS
PLACES TO SEE
14 local beaches you must experience
Sarasota Lifestyle’s Mike Payne shares top picks
Experience the “best of” the Sarasota area
All ages will love this “to-do” list
Sarasota’s best water fun hotspots
Best casual dining around Sarasota
You’ll bookmark this growing events calendar
Secret to good beach vibes in frozen tundra
8 local bucket list tiki “bars”
BEST one-tank Florida road trips
You MUST experience these festivals
Discover Sarasota’s off-the-beaten path
MORE TO EXPLORE
BEACHES
BEST OF SARASOTA
7 DAYS TRIP
THINGS TO DO
WATER FUN
CASUAL DINING
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
LIFESTYLE GEAR
TIKI BARS
ROAD TRIPS
FESTIVALS
PLACES TO SEE
14 local beaches you must experience
Sarasota Lifestyle’s Mike Payne shares
top picks
Experience the “best of” the Sarasota area
All ages will love this “to-do” list
Sarasota’s best water fun hotspots
Best casual dining around Sarasota
You’ll bookmark this growing events
calendar
Secret to good beach vibes in frozen
tundra
8 local bucket list tiki “bars”
BEST one-tank Florida road trips
You MUST experience these festivals
Discover Sarasota’s off-the-beaten path
MORE TO EXPLORE
BEACHES
BEST OF SARASOTA
7 DAYS TRIP
THINGS TO DO
WATER FUN
CASUAL DINING
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
LIFESTYLE GEAR
TIKI BARS
ROAD TRIPS
FESTIVALS
PLACES TO SEE
14 local beaches you must
experience
Sarasota Lifestyle’s Mike Payne
shares top picks
Experience the “best of” the
Sarasota area
All ages will love this “to-do”
list
Sarasota’s best water fun
hotspots
Best casual dining around
Sarasota
You’ll bookmark this growing
events calendar
Secret to good beach vibes in
frozen tundra
8 local bucket list tiki “bars”
BEST one-tank Florida road
trips
You MUST experience these
festivals
Discover Sarasota’s off-the-
beaten path
Sarasota US
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