47 The most famous annual event is the Daytona
500, but there is also top motorcycling and watching any meet is a thrilling experience. You can still drive on the beach at certain times
but at a maximum speed of 10 miles an hour! If you want to go a bit faster sign up for your own driving experience at the Speedway. There is lots to do for all the family from
parasailing to boating in the year-round family resort of Daytona Beach. The city is also great for shopping and nightlife and there are a number of golf courses. The Museum of Arts and Science, a collection of museums and galleries, is well worth dipping into.
CRYSTAL RIVER, HOMOSASSA,
SPRING HILL You’ve heard of swimming with dolphins, but how about swimming with manatees? That’s a star attraction of Crystal River on the west side. The area has become a sanctuary for the
West Indian manatee and you can join boat and snorkelling tours to admire this loveable creature. Other river cruises and scalloping are also a popular way to spend time and the area offers the usual fare of nature trails and top golf courses. Homosassa is a quiet fishing village south of
Crystal River, with a whole host of fun countryside experiences and inviting seafood restaurants. Spring Hill, just two miles from the Gulf Coast,
has several gorgeous parks including the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens. Mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park are still attracting visitors after more than 60 years. Take your place in the 400-seat submerged theatre!
ORLANDO Of course, major theme parks are at the centre of tourism in Orlando, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld.
This is where you suspend normal logic,
go back to your childhood and just get sucked in by the sheer fun of it all. You’ll find a separate section to the theme
parks in this guide so let’s concentrate on what else is happening in the city, and there’s plenty. It may surprise you to know this is a renowned
“You can still drive on the beach at certain times but at a maximum speed of 10mph”
area for culture. Orlando Science Center is an interactive museum, the Museum of Art has superb collections and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra holds year-round concerts. There’s ballet, a Shakespeare theatre plus lots of other nightly stage entertainment for all the family. Just outside Orlando, take an airboat ride to see alligators. And
Blue Springs, north of Orlando, offers camping, swimming, boating, snorkelling and diving.
KISSIMMEE A short drive from Orlando is the wonderfully named city of Kissimmee, near enough to hit the big theme parks, but also packed with things to do locally. Old Town has 18 amusement rides, 75
speciality shops and eight main restaurants. Take in a theatre show such as Arabian Nights where you can enjoy dinner while being entertained by 65 magnificent horses, glittering costumes and special effects. You should check out the
schedule at the Osceola Center for the Arts and the Cornell Arts Museum. An experience you will never forget is a
helicopter ride over the city or for a little more peace, go in a hot-air balloon over central Florida.
As fabulous as the theme and water parks of central Florida are, the area offers so much more than the perennially popular parks
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