Norton Museum of Art
Culture vultures should not miss out on one of Florida's
major cultural attractions, the Norton Museum of Art in trendy,
upmarket West Palm Beach. The museum's permanent collection
is internationally renowned, including European, American, Chinese
and contemporary art, from Renaissance through Baroque. There is
also a photography section. The museum also hosts travelling
exhibitions and offers education programmes for children. There is
a museum shop and café serving refreshments. Guided tours are
available.
Telephone: (561) 832 5196
Website: www.norton.org
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday 1pm to 5pm. Closed on Mondays between May and October
Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex
Situated in Boca Raton at Red Reef Park on a barrier island,
Gumbo Limbo (named after a species of tree) is an
eight-hectare (20-acre) marine and estuarine reserve dedicated
to showcasing and preserving a concentration of plants known as a
'tropical hammock'. The Environmental complex also
includes large outdoor aquariums containing local marine life,
including the area's ubiquitous sea turtles. Visitors can
also visit a butterfly garden, see visual presentations and
interpretive displays, catch the view from an overhead observation
tower, and stroll an elevated boardwalk through the hammock and
mangrove swamp.
Telephone: (561) 338 1473
Website: www.gumbolimbo.org
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm; Sunday 12pm to 4pm; closed New Year's Day, 4 July, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Miami Science Museum
Nothing is staid or boring in Miami, least of all its museums.
The Miami Science Museum north of Coconut Grove, contains more than
140 exhibits, all designed to be hands-on and interactive, coupled
with live demonstrations and collections of rare natural history
specimens that make discovering and learning a great deal of fun.
The Wildlife Center boasts more than 175 live reptiles and birds of
prey, and the adjacent Space Transit Planetarium provides more
thrills with projected astronomy and laser light shows.
Telephone: (305) 646 4200
Website: www.miamisci.org
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 10am to 6pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Miami Seaquarium
At least a half a day is required to fully enjoy south Florida's
premier attraction. The Seaquarium is world-renowned for its marine
life shows and attractions, including performing killer whales and
television aquatic star and dolphin, Flipper. Another favourite
star is the sea lion Salty and his colleagues, who amuse and amaze
with their antics.
Telephone: (305) 361 5705
Website: www.miamiseaquarium.com
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 6pm
Florida - attractions - Travel Guide
Miami-Dade Cultural Centre
The outwardly unattractive complex of the Miami-Dade Cultural Centre, in the rather unsavoury area of West Flagler Street, is worth a visit because it houses a plethora of interesting artistic and historic exhibits. The Centre contains the Miami Art Museum (www.miamiartmuseum.org), featuring a collection of modern and contemporary works by American, Latin American and Caribbean artists. There are also themed exhibits, which bring art and artists to life, as do the twice-monthly 'happy hour' parties, organised to highlight a particular exhibit. The Cultural Centre also contains the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (www.historical-museum.org) with exhibits that relate to the fascinating history of the area and the culture, folklore and archaeology of South Florida and the Caribbean.
Telephone: Art Museum: (305) 375 3000; Historical Museum: (305) 375 1492
Website:
Transport: Government Center metrorail station
Opening times: Art Museum: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12pm, third Thursdays until 9pm. Historical Museum: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 12pm, third Thursdays until 9pm
. Vizcaya Villa
Lovers of antiques revel in visiting the magnificent 34-room Vizcaya bayfront villa, built in the Italian Renaissance style in 1916 as a winter retreat for wealthy industrialist, James Deering. The grand mansion took hundreds of artisans five years to complete, and the formal gardens, which surround the villa fronting on Biscayne Bay, took even longer to lay out. Today visitors can tour the villa and grounds, enjoying the original furnishings and décor in a variety of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococco and Neoclassical styles.
Telephone: (305) 250 9133
Website: www.vizcayamuseum.com
Transport: Metrorail to Vizcaya station
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 4.30pm; closed 25 December
Spanish Monastery
Miami boasts the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere. Dating from 1133 the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux in North Miami Beach is a hugely popular tourist attraction, although not quite indigenous to the area. The monastery stood originally in Segovia in Spain, but in the early 1950s the medieval building was bought by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, disassembled, shipped to Miami and rebuilt on its present site.
Telephone: (305) 945 1461
Website: www.spanishmonastery.com
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm; Sunday 1.30pm to 5pm
Coral Castle
Legend has it that unrequited love led a Latvian immigrant to spend 25 years single-handedly carving a castle out of rock between the Florida Keys and Miami, on the South Dixie Highway. The amazing monument to the man's determination has been called America's Stonehenge and has been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Visitors are awed by the castle, which also contains affidavits from neighbours testifying to the fact that the builder had no assistance with his mammoth task.
Telephone: (305) 248 6345
Website: www.coralcastle.com
Transport:
Opening times: Sunday to Thursday 8am to 6pm, Friday and Saturday until 9pm
Ybor City
Ybor City in central Tampa, with its cobblestone streets and huge old cigar factory buildings, is a National Historic Landmark District that beckons visitors back to an era when this Latin Quarter was known as the cigar capital of the world. The historic enclave, founded in 1886, has been fully restored and although the cigar factories are no longer operational, the buildings now house shops, restaurants, clubs and art galleries drawing large numbers of visitors. It is still possible to watch locals demonstrate the ancient art of premium hand-rolled cigar making, or spend a wild night applauding Spanish Flamenco dancers.
Telephone:
Website: www.ybor.org
Transport:
Opening times:
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is a massive zoo-come-theme park, which predates Florida's more famous Walt Disney World and offers an equally exciting and entertaining experience for visitors. The park is based on an overall African theme, divided into eight different areas with thousands of animals living in naturalistic environments. The site also contains thrill rides, live entertainment venues, shops and restaurants, all easily viewed from above from the Skyride cable car that crosses the park. In one day it is possible to visit Tutankhamen's Tomb in Egypt, cross the plains of the Serengeti and watch snake charmers in a Moroccan sultan's tent.
Telephone: 1 888 800 5447
Website: www.buschgardens.com
Transport:
Opening times: Opening hours vary according to the day and month, but the park is generally open daily between 9am and 10am, closing between 5pm and 9pm; extended hours in July and July
Museum of Science and Industry
The hands-on Tampa Science Museum is designed to educate, amaze and amuse both young and old with more than 450 interactive exhibits. Visitors can, for example, experience what it is like to be in a Gulf Hurricane with winds of up to 74 miles per hour (200km/h), or defy the laws of gravity in space. The biology section features a unique way to explore the human body and stroll through a butterfly garden.
Also at the museum is Florida's
first IMAX dome theatre, and the museum building is set in a
47-acre nature reserve which features walking trails.
The outwardly unattractive complex of the Miami-Dade Cultural Centre, in the rather unsavoury area of West Flagler Street, is worth a visit because it houses a plethora of interesting artistic and historic exhibits. The Centre contains the Miami Art Museum (www.miamiartmuseum.org), featuring a collection of modern and contemporary works by American, Latin American and Caribbean artists. There are also themed exhibits, which bring art and artists to life, as do the twice-monthly 'happy hour' parties, organised to highlight a particular exhibit. The Cultural Centre also contains the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (www.historical-museum.org) with exhibits that relate to the fascinating history of the area and the culture, folklore and archaeology of South Florida and the Caribbean.
Telephone: Art Museum: (305) 375 3000; Historical Museum: (305) 375 1492
Website:
Transport: Government Center metrorail station
Opening times: Art Museum: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12pm, third Thursdays until 9pm. Historical Museum: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 12pm, third Thursdays until 9pm
. Vizcaya Villa
Lovers of antiques revel in visiting the magnificent 34-room Vizcaya bayfront villa, built in the Italian Renaissance style in 1916 as a winter retreat for wealthy industrialist, James Deering. The grand mansion took hundreds of artisans five years to complete, and the formal gardens, which surround the villa fronting on Biscayne Bay, took even longer to lay out. Today visitors can tour the villa and grounds, enjoying the original furnishings and décor in a variety of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococco and Neoclassical styles.
Telephone: (305) 250 9133
Website: www.vizcayamuseum.com
Transport: Metrorail to Vizcaya station
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 4.30pm; closed 25 December
Spanish Monastery
Miami boasts the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere. Dating from 1133 the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux in North Miami Beach is a hugely popular tourist attraction, although not quite indigenous to the area. The monastery stood originally in Segovia in Spain, but in the early 1950s the medieval building was bought by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, disassembled, shipped to Miami and rebuilt on its present site.
Telephone: (305) 945 1461
Website: www.spanishmonastery.com
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm; Sunday 1.30pm to 5pm
Coral Castle
Legend has it that unrequited love led a Latvian immigrant to spend 25 years single-handedly carving a castle out of rock between the Florida Keys and Miami, on the South Dixie Highway. The amazing monument to the man's determination has been called America's Stonehenge and has been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Visitors are awed by the castle, which also contains affidavits from neighbours testifying to the fact that the builder had no assistance with his mammoth task.
Telephone: (305) 248 6345
Website: www.coralcastle.com
Transport:
Opening times: Sunday to Thursday 8am to 6pm, Friday and Saturday until 9pm
Ybor City
Ybor City in central Tampa, with its cobblestone streets and huge old cigar factory buildings, is a National Historic Landmark District that beckons visitors back to an era when this Latin Quarter was known as the cigar capital of the world. The historic enclave, founded in 1886, has been fully restored and although the cigar factories are no longer operational, the buildings now house shops, restaurants, clubs and art galleries drawing large numbers of visitors. It is still possible to watch locals demonstrate the ancient art of premium hand-rolled cigar making, or spend a wild night applauding Spanish Flamenco dancers.
Telephone:
Website: www.ybor.org
Transport:
Opening times:
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is a massive zoo-come-theme park, which predates Florida's more famous Walt Disney World and offers an equally exciting and entertaining experience for visitors. The park is based on an overall African theme, divided into eight different areas with thousands of animals living in naturalistic environments. The site also contains thrill rides, live entertainment venues, shops and restaurants, all easily viewed from above from the Skyride cable car that crosses the park. In one day it is possible to visit Tutankhamen's Tomb in Egypt, cross the plains of the Serengeti and watch snake charmers in a Moroccan sultan's tent.
Telephone: 1 888 800 5447
Website: www.buschgardens.com
Transport:
Opening times: Opening hours vary according to the day and month, but the park is generally open daily between 9am and 10am, closing between 5pm and 9pm; extended hours in July and July
Museum of Science and Industry
The hands-on Tampa Science Museum is designed to educate, amaze and amuse both young and old with more than 450 interactive exhibits. Visitors can, for example, experience what it is like to be in a Gulf Hurricane with winds of up to 74 miles per hour (200km/h), or defy the laws of gravity in space. The biology section features a unique way to explore the human body and stroll through a butterfly garden.
Telephone: (813) 987 6100
Website: www.mosi.org
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, until 6pm on weekends
. Tampa Museum of Art
In downtown Tampa, the Tampa Museum of Art houses a collection of 20th century and contemporary art, as well as a renowned collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. There is also a changing special exhibitions programme. *Note: the art collection is in storage and will open in a temporary location on Howard Avenue on 7 March 2008. A new museum is under construction which aims to be completed by the end of 2009.
Telephone: (813) 274 8130
Website: www.tampamuseum.com
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; every third Friday includes Art After Dark from 8pm to 11pm
Henry B. Plant Museum
The Henry B. Plant Museum in the heart of downtown Tampa is designed to transport visitors back to the turn of the century. The ornate building is Moorish in design, featuring 13 silver minarets, said to be a copy of the famed Alhambra Palace in Spain, and in itself is worth a visit. Railroad tycoon Henry Plant built the edifice in 1891 as the 511-roomed Tampa Bay Hotel. Today it houses period art and furnishings from Europe and the Orient, and details via exhibits the history of the resort and the early days of the tourist industry.
Telephone: (813) 254 1891
Website: www.plantmuseum.com
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Florida Aquarium
More than 5,000 aquatic creatures, including crocodiles and moray eels, live at the three-storey Florida Aquarium where it is possible to explore the underwater world in air-conditioned comfort. The aquarium utilises behind-the-scenes tours, dive shows, audio tours, close-up animal encounters and touch-tanks to spice up the experience. There are also numerous informative and entertaining theme exhibits.
Telephone: (813) 273 4000
Website: www.flaquarium.org
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 5pm; closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Walt Disney World
Orlando's most familiar landmark is undoubtedly the turreted Cinderella Castle that stands in the centre of the original Disney Florida theme park, the Magic Kingdom, at Lake Buena Vista. The park was opened in 1971 and has been making childhood fantasies come true ever since. Today it is just one of four Disney parks that cover more than 28,000 acres of Orange and Osceola counties in central Florida, with accompanying resorts, shopping complexes, hotels and waterparks.
Telephone: (407) 939 6244
Website: www.disneyworld.com
Transport:
Opening times: Open daily, but park hours vary according to the month and day; it is best to check on their website for up to date information
. Sea World
Spread out between the Disney parks at Lake Buena Vista and the downtown Orlando area is the renowned Sea World attraction, which has been making a major splash in central Florida for more than a quarter of a century. The park, owned and operated by Annheuser-Busch, is designed to give an interactive look at the sea and all its facets, featuring themed animal habitats from tidal pools to iceberg lakes. In addition visitors can hug a dolphin or kiss a killer whale, and watch the famous aquatic Sea World stars go through their paces in various shows. The park also features fun rides like the very popular water roller coaster thrill ride called Journey to Atlantis. Neighbouring Discovery Cove (part of the Sea World group) offers visitors a chance to swim with dolphins, view wildlife, sunbathe on gorgeous beaches and snorkel amongst the coral. See www.discoverycove.com for details.
Telephone: (800) 327 2424
Website: www.seaworld.com
Transport:
Opening times: Daily from 9am, but closing hours vary according to the month, closing earlier in winter
Universal Studios
Experienced theme parkers recommend that it takes at least two days to fully appreciate all the delights on offer at the Universal Orlando entertainment complex, which includes two theme parks: the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. The movie-themed park with its thrilling, innovative fun-rides, production studios and film sets also has three superb luxury on-site hotels so spending a night is a good idea. At Universal Studios visitors are invited to go behind the scenes and become involved in the movie action, while Islands of Adventure offers thrilling rides, shows and attractions from five different islands.
Telephone: (407) 363 8000
Website: www.universalorlando.com
Transport:
Opening times: Daily from 9am, but closing hours vary according to the month, closing earlier in winter
Wet ‘n Wild
One of Orlando's numerous water parks, Wet 'n Wild has the distinction of being the most popular water attraction in the area and also the world's first amusement park devoted solely to water flumes, pools and slides. The park was designed by George Millay, creative genius behind the Sea World parks in San Diego and Orlando, and has been operating since 1977.
Telephone: (407) 351 1800; or (800) 992 9453 (toll-free, US only)
Website: www.wetnwildorlando.com
Transport:
Opening times: Open daily year-round, but hours vary according to the season. Generally the park opens between 9am and 10am and closes between 5pm and 7pm, with longer hours during June and July
. Lee County Manatee Park
A sighting of an endangered West Indian manatee, a shy and lumbering walrus-like creature whose numbers are dwindling, is a must for visitors to Florida. At the Lee County Manatee Park on the Orange River in eastern Fort Myers these animals can be viewed in their natural habitat from observation decks. The Park also offers information, walking tours and workshops, as well as picnic facilities, a fishing cove with deck and a pier. Kayak and canoe trails are also available.
Telephone: (239) 690 5030
Website: www.leeparks.org
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 8am to sunset
Orlando Odditorium
Housed in an odd-looking building that is tipped to one side and apparently sinking into the ground, the Orlando Odditorium contains a remarkable collection of weird and wonderful exhibits, amassed over a period of 40 years by explorer Robert Ripley. Examples of the exhibits are shrunken heads and a scale model of a Rolls Royce made entirely of matchsticks. Ripley's 'Believe it or Not' collection is world-renowned and has been documented in television series and best-selling books.
Telephone: (407) 351 5803
Website: www.ripleysorlando.com
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 9am to 1am
Orlando Museum of Art
In true Florida style, Orlando's Museum of Art is not just another gallery but a fascinating world of creative themed exhibitions showcasing its permanent collections of American Art, Art of the Ancient Americas and African Art. The Museum also has an active programme of visiting exhibitions on display in the elegant building with its marble floors and glass ceiling. Group tours are made memorable and educational with commentary about art appreciation and the lives of the various artists represented.
Telephone: (407) 896 4231
Website: www.omart.org
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Closed Mondays
National Museum of Naval Aviation
The museum on site at the sprawling US Naval Air Station west of Pensacola is regarded as one of the largest and most remarkable air and space museums in the world, with more than 170 aircraft on display dating from the 1920s to the space age. In addition the museum boasts a very realistic recreation of a World War II aircraft carrier and a wartime Pacific airbase.
Telephone: (850) 452 3604 or 452 3606
Website: naval.aviation.museum/intro.html
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 9am to 5pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
. Pensacola Historical Museum
The museum is a good place to learn about the city's diverse history and understand why Pensacola is known as the 'city of five flags'. The museum is housed in the Arbona Building, built in 1882, and the site includes an archaeological dig dating back to the Spanish colonial era, which visitors can view from a boardwalk with explanatory signs.
Telephone: (850) 433 1559
Website: www.pensacolahistory.org/Museum.html
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm
Civil War Soldiers Museum
A store-front museum in Pensacola's business district houses a fascinating collection of Civil War artefacts gathered by a local physician, Dr Norman W. Haines Jr, throughout his lifetime. The exhibits have been arranged to give visitors an insight into what life as a civil war soldier was like. Particularly interesting are the medical exhibits. The collection also includes the handmade First National Confederate flag captured by Wilson's New York Zopuaves during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island in October 1861.
Telephone: (850) 469 1900
Website: www.cwmuseum.org
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm
Marine Life Center of Juno Beach
Some years ago Juno Beach resident Eleanor Fletcher, affectionately known locally as 'the Turtle Lady', began assembling a collection of turtle artefacts and information that has grown to become the Marine Life Center on the oceanfront at Loggerhead Park, which monitors turtles along the Gold Coast. The Center is essentially a turtle hospital, and visitors can see ill and injured creatures being rehabilitated. The Center has numerous exhibits, including tropical fish and shells, and a gift shop. Evening guided 'turtle walks' are offered during June and July, but bookings must be made in advance.
Telephone: (561) 627 8280
Website: www.marinelife.org
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm; Sunday 12pm to 3pm
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Famous inventor, Thomas Edison, and his friend, automobile magnate Henry Ford, both spent dozens of winters in the city of Fort Myers in the early years of the 20th century. Edison's home is the region's top historic attraction, and has been preserved as it was during his lifetime. The Victorian house called Seminole Lodge still boasts working light bulbs, which he invented.
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