Endless sandy beaches and great diving areas, spectacular theme parks, wild nature and Art Deco at its best: the “Sunshine State” scores with superlatives.
St. George Island: Florida’s Best Beach 2021
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“Dr. Beach” is an authority on beaches. For 30 years, the scientist Dr. Stephen Leatherman annually a list of America‘s best Beacheswhich he rated according to 50 criteria. The mile-long beach of St. George Island * in the Florida Panhandle, the north-western tip of the US state, which is protected as a state park, was named by him in 2021 best Florida and listed as fourth best in the USA. The island is characterized by the finest, sugar-white sand facing the Gulf of Mexico and a rich bird life in the swamps and forests on the mainland side. If you want to experience spectacular sunsets, swim, canoe and kayak, fish and hike, this is the place for you.
Magic Kingdom: Guests of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
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Mickey and Donald, Goofy and Pluto, the mermaid Ariel, Peter Pan and many popular comic and fairy tale characters are the stars of the Magic Kingdom. The world’s most visited theme park * has been delighting children and the young at heart since 1971. There are a variety of carousels, a haunted castle and the indoor roller coaster Space Mountain, pirates and cowboys. In the afternoons, the cartoon characters dance in a big parade over Main Street USA, the Disney version of a small US town. In the evening, fireworks light up the park and gold sparks trickle up Cinderella’s Castle low.
Kennedy Space Center: Off to Space!
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Astronaut Neil Armstrong started his journey to the moon from here on July 20, 1969, and manned flights to Mars are being prepared today. A whole day goes by in a flash when visiting the most famous space center in the world *. in the Rocket Garden Launchers stretch their tips into the sky. Another attraction is the faithfully reproduced, walk-in model of the space shuttle Explorer. Buses leave from the visitor center for tours of the huge complex. Most impressive is that Apollo/Saturn V Centertracing the most successful era in US space travel. The start of Apollo 8 and the landing of the Eagle lunar module are simulated.
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Protection in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
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It works on land Brown pelican clumsy and awkward. But he is excellent at swimming and glides through the air at lightning speed to dive into the water and catch a fish. The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge *, established in 1903 and the oldest sanctuary for wild animals in the USA, safeguards the population of the brown pelican and other waterfowl. In addition, thousands of birds find their winter quarters on the island from November to March. Visitors can study the behavior of the animals from observation stations in three ways.
Sarasota: Memory of a circus king
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John Ringling (1866–1936) is considered the greatest circus impresario in US history. As the owner of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, he made a fortune – and invested it in the acquisition of European art from Rubens to Van Dyck to Velázquez. It is shown in the Venetian-looking one Ringling Museum of Art. Ringlings are also luxurious Residence Cá of Zan directly by the sea, with its colored facade and the arrangement of the windows, is reminiscent of Venetian architecture. Children are enthusiastic about the detailed miniature replica of John Ringling’s circus and the imaginative costumes in the Circus Museum.
You can find more information about the Ringling property * here.
Fort Myers: visit to Edison
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Thanks to the mild winter climate, many Americans from the north of the country have their second home in Fort Myers. The inventor Thomas Alva Edison also lived here for the winter from 1885. They are in his house oldest lightbulbs, the first talking doll and the first sound recordings by Edison, who patented 1,093 inventions in the course of his life. The tinkerer’s research laboratory with the original equipment and his gardens with plants from all over the world are also open to visitors.
It’s worth taking a look right next door Winterdomizil des Automobilmagnaten Henry Fordwho was close friends with Edison.
For more information on Edison & Ford Winter Estates *, please click here.
Shell hunting on Sanibel Island
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The main attractions of the island of Sanibel *, which is known for its gentle tourism, are its dream beaches on the warm Gulf of Mexico, the palm trees and shells swaying in the wind in abundance. When the tide is out, mountains tower up in front of the islet lying across the current, which is the largest mussel deposit in the USA boasts. Sanibel’s best collection points are considered Bowman’s Beach and the strait Blind Pass. Don’t forget to take a small bag with you and put on shoes when you go for a walk on the beach, because the shells of the marine animals are sharp-edged. For those who are not actively looking: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum * shows the most beautiful specimens from all over the world.
Tip for shell hunters: The best time to look for clams is when the tide is out, a look at the tide table * is helpful.
Miami Beach: All in pastel
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Glittering skyscrapers and Caribbean flair have made Miami a popular holiday destination. Miami Beach on the other side of Biscayne Bay scores with snow-white and pastel Art Deco architecture and as a nightlife hotspot. At the South Beach extends around Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue with around 800 listed homes largest art-deco ensemble in the world. The architectural style developed from 1920 and enchants with original details such as porthole windows with eyebrows. The Miami Design Preservation League * offers Art Deco Walking Tours through the district. At night, neon signs light up the streets and attract the beautiful and the cool to the clubs.
Among alligators and anhingas: The Everglades
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Water, grasslands and mangrove forests as far as the eye can see: The Everglades National Park * protects them largest subtropical wilderness in the USA. The gigantic wet savannah, which is more than twice the size of the Saarland, is best explored during the dry season from November to May. The begins at the Royal Palm Visitor Center in the park Anhinga Trail (approx. 1.2 kilometers). With a bit of luck, visitors will see alligators, turtles and anhingas, the American darter, along the boardwalk. The black animals often sit in the trees on the path with their wings outstretched. The 61 kilometer long road through the national park ends in Flamingo. From here, tours through the natural paradise are available on foot, by bike, canoe or excursion boat *.
In Nemos Reich: Der John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
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They are lined up like a pearl necklace Florida Keys in front of the southern tip of the “Sunshine State”. The southernmost section of Highway 1, the legendary Overseas Highway, leads from the mainland over 180 kilometers and 42 bridges to Key West. The waters off the over 800 gleaming white islets are known for their unique underwater world. The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park *, accessible from Key Largo, preserves this largest coral reef in the continental USA, also the third largest in the world.
On organized excursions, snorkelers and divers can marvel at fish and corals in all colors, sea turtles, wrecks overgrown with algae and a three-meter-tall, sunk statue of Christ. The colorful kingdom of Nemos also enchants from glass-bottom boats.
Good reasons for Key West
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For some, the name Hemingway, for others, the Sunset Celebration is the reason for it southernmost city in the continental United States to visit. Thousands of holidaymakers gather on the every evening Mallory Square from Key West * to watch the sun sink blood red into the sea. During the Sunset Celebration musicians and acrobats provide entertainment, bars provide the right sundowner.
Ernest Hemingway lived at 907 Whitehead Street from 1931 to 1940. Today tourists and offspring of his house cats cavort in the pretty house in the Spanish colonial style and in the tropical garden. At the round desk in the garden house of the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum *, the author wrote masterpieces such as “Death in the Afternoon” or “To have and not to have”.
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