Royal Palm Bay Villas, Orlando, Kissimee, Florida , USA.

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Florida had the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in North America at St Augustine . This fascinating city on the upper Atlantic coast has seen the Spanish, French and British pass through during its long history. It was claimed by Spanish settlers in 1565, thirty-nine years before English settlers arrived in Jamestown . Very European in its antiquity it is well worth a visit.

To the south Daytona Beach is famous for its sparkling sands and the fact that it is one of the few beaches on which motor vehicles are allowed to drive. Daytona International Speedway is a few miles inland and draws huge crowds for Bike Week and the Daytona 500. Further south is Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center . If you are very lucky you can witness the launch of a space craft.

To the north Jacksonville is where the Old South really starts. It has some beautiful beaches, parks, neighbourhoods and the River City Brewery. A port town on the St. Johns River it was largely rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1901. Going west from here takes you to the Florida Panhandle and Tallahassee , a city that was designed as the state capitol. Downtown there are many old government buildings and a historic district. Follow the famous canopy roads to Pensacola , with its mix of Spanish, French and Georgian buildings. The white dunes of Pensacola Beach are not to be missed and there is a local Naval Air Station.

Moving south from the panhandle but keeping to the Gulf of Mexico one comes to Crystal River and its National Wildlife Refuge. This is manatee country, as is Homosassa Springs which is a few miles to the south. Further on is Weeki Wachee Spring with its famous mermaids. Tarpon Springs is known for its natural sponges which are harvested from the sea. Continuing south through unremarkable Clearwater leads to St. Petersburg , know as St Pete. This is another spectacular white sand beach but backed by an old city that has, among others, the Florida Holocaust Museum and the Salvador Dali Museum . Cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge into Tampa . This is a sizable city with a thriving Latin culture, particularly in the Ybor City section. On the outskirts is Busch Gardens .

On down the coast is Bradenton , with the Gamble Plantation State Historic Site. Sarasota is a centre of culture and well known for the Ringling Estate and its barrier of islands. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford both had homes in Fort Myers . Sanibel Island is a nature reserve. Naples is an adventurers town after which comes the Big Cypress National reserve and the Everglades National Park .

The Everglades cross the south of the peninsula state to the outskirts of Miami and the Keys. Miami is a huge city with a large Cuban Hispanic population, especially on Miami Beach . The Keys are a string of islands connected by a narrow two lane causeway leading to Key West . This old habitat of pirates and wreckers is now better known for Ernest Hemingway and hippies. North of Miami is Fort Lauderdale and another famous beach. Hollywood and its beach attracts Canadian snowbirds. After this it is Cocoa Beach and back to Cape Canaveral.