A Florida Vacation Guide

Hi! My name is Gail Nettles and I've been here in Florida my whole life.

I've lived in various parts of Florida (North, Central and South) so I've been able to scout out plenty of cool locations. Some are very familiar (Daytona Beach, anyone?).

Some are relatively unknown, like Florida Caverns State Park, where you can see Florida from a new perspective -- underground!

So come on an share a Florida adventure!

Florida has 600+ miles of beaches in the state. Imagine, you could walk a mile on a beach every day and it would take you almost two years to walk it all!

There are two basic kinds of beaches in Florida. Well, three if you count the Florida Keys.

The Atlantic Ocean beaches, on Florida's east coast, tend to have more wave action, especially from Melbourne northwards. The sands are generally tan colored, from all the small shells that get crunched by the waves and swept up on shore. Surfers tend to favor the area between Sebastian to Daytona.

The Gulf Coast beaches, from SW Florida all the way up through the Panhandle tend to have calmer wave action. The beaches have fine white "sugar" sand. Great beaches for families with small children!

Then there are the Florida Keys...which surprisingly don't have much in the way of natural beaches! There are a few (Bahia Honda, for example), but a great deal of the Keys beaches are man-made for the tourists. You see, there's a coral reef offshore, and it tends to absorb the wave action. Without the waves, no sand gets pushed up on shore.

In reality, there really aren't any bad beaches in Florida -- only what you prefer. There are quiet beaches for those who don't like crowds. Beaches with plenty of action and "beach toys" to rent. Lots of great beach resorts, too!

It seems our gators are very popular; very few tourists I've met haven't wanted to see one or more.

If you're in North Florida, try the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological park. They have albino gators there, along with zillions of "regular" gators. Crocodiles, too!

In Central Florida, go to Gatorland, an ever-popular attraction in Kissimmee. It's been around as long as I remember, and it's better than ever. All kinds of gators, shows and educational lectures.

For South Florida, it's the Everglades Shark Valley entrance, hands down. There are alligators all over the place! Be careful, though -- they are wild and they can cross your path if you're not watching where you walk.

Did you know that there are several state and national parks in Florida that are mostly underwater?

The two most popular of these parks are John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Biscayne National Park, both located in the Florida Keys area.

In the Florida Keys, there is the only living coral reef in the continental United States. It's a treasure that you can see while scuba diving or even just snorkeling!

Some of the reefs and wrecks are below 100 feet, but some reefs, Like Hens and Chickens (yes, that is the name) are in less than 10 feet of water.

Don't want to get wet? There are glass-bottom boats that let you see the reefs in comfort.