Florida holidays - Orlando activities and sights

While the Gulf Coast offers the most popular beaches, there are some in the east worth a visit too that can be easily reached from Orlando. One of the most famous is Daytona Beach and a little further south lies New Smyrna Beach, a more relaxing stretch of sand backed by low-rise condominiums. This laid-back town is well known for its art galleries and workshops. However, the beach on which to be seen is South Beach in Miami. It's bordered by the famous Ocean Drive, with its art deco buildings and stylish cafes and shops.

The most famous home of space travel, the Kennedy Space Centre is awe-inspiring. Tours around the site include NASA's launch and landing facilities, the chance to experience interactive simulators and live shows, and even meet a member of the astronaut corps.

The Everglades National Park covers the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and is the only subtropical area in North America. Walking and cycling are popular pastimes, but for a real burst of fun take an air boat ride through the wilderness - feeling the wind rush through your hair as you go. More sedate boat tours will introduce you to the area and walking tours are available to discover the forested areas of the park.

Daytona is renowned around the world for the sport of motor racing. Historically, the races were held along the beach, but these days it's confined to the Daytona 500 Speedway, home to the famous NASCAR Daytona 500 race. Enthusiasts can visit Daytona USA, an interactive motor sports attraction where simulators bring you closer to the NASCAR action than ever before!

Florida is a putters paradise on a par with anywhere in the world! Proof of Florida’s golfing credentials are courses designed by such famous names as Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent-Jones and Jack Nicklaus. In fact there are more courses per capita in Florida than anywhere else in the world. No matter what your handicap chances are Florida has a course to suit you. Fore!

Florida holidays are great for fishing lovers whether you’re looking for a spot of freshwater angling or deep sea, big game fishing. From the Gulf to the Atlantic Coast there’s no shortage of opportunity to hire a boat and even a fishing guide for an unforgettable day on the water in search of dinner or the simple thrill of the chase. If you’re fishing in Florida you can hope to find: Tarpon, Sea Bass, Tuna, Grouper, Snapper, Mackerel and Shark.

Whether you’d like to ride bare-back over the beach or Western Style through the country there are great opportunities to go horse riding in Orlando with some really great trails where the scenery and the wildlife make for a really memorable trip.

Cycling in Florida can mean different things to different cyclists. If you like to take things easy you can hire a bike and cycle up and down a sunny beach promenade without breaking into a sweat. However if off road thrills and spills are your thing then mountain biking across Florida’s miles of trails could be right just the thing for you.

Florida is a jogger’s paradise! You can head out on your very own route or, if you’re lucky enough to be staying at Walt Disney World Resort you can follow some of the specially built trails that incorporate all manner of terrain and some specially built environments.