Mumbai, (January 9, 2015) – You could easily find a year’s worth of adventures in the Sunshine State. There’s no need to repeat an experience either, unless you love it so much you want to go back for more. Here are 52 different adventures and experiences that only Florida can deliver – with a dash of magic, a bucketful of sand and sunshine year-round to enjoy.
Chukkers and Champagne – January 5, 2015
Wellington
The world’s greatest polo players hit the pitch during the season in Wellington. From January through March, The International Polo Club Palm Beach hosts a series of tournaments, including the USPA Piaget Gold Cup and USPA Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship. You don’t have to mount a pony to participate, either. Grab a wide-brim hat and walk the field between periods, helping the players by tamping down the divots.
Hoist the Jolly Roger- January 12th, 2015 Gasparilla Pirate Parade,
Tampa
Arrrr! Avast, me hearties! If there’s one place in Florida where tax-paying citizens with good jobs can get away with wearing corsets and tricorn hats and generally swashbuckling up a storm, it’s at the Gasparilla Pirate Parade. The annual pirate invasion comes to Tampa each February in tribute to José Gaspar, a fictional Spanish pirate captain. The city’s most well-heeled residents mingle with its rowdiest denizens on the waterfront along Bayshore Boulevard, drinking grog and catching beads during a day-long, sun-soaked pirate parade of elaborate floats. And if you spy your orthodontist wearing a petticoat and a parrot, it’s best to keep it mum, matey.
Storm the Castillo– January 19, 2015
Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the country and embodies the spirit of the early colonial era in America. Today, you can journey back in time when you step through the battlements and read about the epic battles and sieges that happened there, take a tour, view people in period garb giving weapons demonstrations or even pack a picnic lunch and nibble a sandwich on the fort’s sprawling lawn overlooking the Matanzas Bay.
This Bud’s for You- January 26th, 2015 Daytona International Speedway
The Sprint FANZONE is THE place to be for thousands of race fans who flock to Daytona Beach every February for the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR’s premier events. You can watch world-famous drivers walk across the stage before the race, see the cars get their technical inspections, meet your racing idols and listen to live driver interviews. But for the true racing aficionado, the best bet might be to crack open a cold one at the Budweiser Bistro, an open air bar in the FANZONE, and just take it all in.
Be Queen for a Day- February 2, 2015
Parkesdale Farm Market, Plant City
In Plant City, just outside of Tampa, life moves a little slower and royalty is real. Each year the town crowns a Strawberry Queen and her court in a show of pageantry at the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. If you have royal aspirations of your own, visit Parkesdale Farm Market, the largest family-operated strawberry and citrus market in Florida. Sip one of their world-famous strawberry milkshakes and nibble some strawberry shortcake, and when you’re done, plop yourself onto the giant strawberry throne and pretend to be queen. They even provide tiaras.
Find the Toreador– February 9, 2015
Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg
Can you see him? It’s the “Hallucinogenic Toreador,” a famous work by surrealist master Salvador Dali, housed in new Salvador Dali Museum designed by French-American architect Yann Weymouth. The museum is open 363 days of the year on St. Petersburg’s waterfront and boasts 96 Dali oil paintings, plus drawings, prints, sculptures, photos and written works. The “Toreador,” meant to embody the disdain of Dali’s wife Gala for the sport of bullfighting, is comprised of 28 Venus de Milo forms and myriad other elements that, when looked at just right, form the upper body of a bullfighter.
Fly like a Falcon- February 16, 2015
Standing at 335 feet, Falcon’s Fury is billed as the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America. But that is just part of the tummy twisting and gravity defying elements of the ride. Like its namesake, a falcon must see where it is going to find food below. In midair, the ride pivots 90 degrees into a face-down dive to plunge toward the bottom. After soaring with the falcons, if you’re interested in exploring the area around you, try the newly remodeled land called Pantopia.
See to Believe- February 23, 2015
Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Orlando
No, you didn’t drink too many Butterbeers on your Orlando vacation. That building really is crooked. But wait, is it? That’s the fun of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium. It’s home to a collection of weird and wonderful objects that will tickle your imagination, from a set of miniature terracotta warriors to a 25-foot high mural of Jimi Hendrix made of playing cards to a real shrunken head to wax figures, puzzles and fossils. And then there’s the showstopper – a picture of Beyonce made completely of candy. Sweet!
Spot Key Deer— March 2, 2015
National Key Deer Refuge, Big Pine Key
Once you cross into Big Pine Key, you start to see road signs warning you to stay on the lookout for endangered Key Deer. Visitors can travel through the refuge among the area’s forests, wetlands and mangroves, founded in 1957 when the Key Deer population was at a low of 27. The diminutive deer, which average about 80 pounds, now number in the hundreds and can be seen prancing along roadsides or sometimes taking a siesta among the trees.
‘Survivor: Fort Jefferson’- March 9, 2015 Dry Tortugas National Park
Put your camping mettle to the test and star in your own private version of “Survivor” at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. The park’s seven islands are a mix of beach and coral reef, plus historical artifacts, including the 19th century fort. For those who camp near the fort on Garden Key, it’s primitive all the way, meaning no showers or convenient water spigots to wash your dishes. You bring what you need – water, sleeping bags, flashlights and, of course, your camera – and board the Yankee Freedom ferry to get to the island and camp out under the stars.
Meet the Manatees- March 16, 2015
TECO Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach
Gentle giants that grow to 13 feet and 3,000 pounds, West Indian Manatee look more like an elephant than a fish. The sea cows of Florida are slow moving herbivores that eat 10-15% of their body weight daily. At Crystal River, sea grass beds provide the perfect environment to come mask to muzzle with dozens of manatees in the winter months. It’s a look don’t touch tour, but with wetsuits and crystal clear waters and hundreds of manatees finding refuge in the shallow spring fed warm waters, the combination provides a once in a lifetime chance to glide through the waters next to these gentle giants.
Crack a Coconut- March 23, 2015 Sugarloaf Key
About a 15 minute-drive from Key West, secluded Sugarloaf Key is full of channels perfect for kayaking and lined with towering palm trees that drop coconuts into the water. Snag one on your kayak trip and get to work. You’ll need a hammer and a chisel, or just really strong biceps and a firm slab of cement. But the work will pay off when you bust the outer layer to meet the hairy little brown fellow inside, and then crack that open for a rush of fresh coconut water. Bake the coconut in the oven to loosen the meat and then blend it up with some rum and pineapple juice for the freshest pina colada you’ll ever taste.
Calling all Worms- March 30, 2015 Sopchoppy
Getting your bait the old fashioned way is the way they do it in Sopchoppy. The tiny Northwest Florida town has only 460 inhabitants but they are world renowned for their worm-charming skills. With just the right strip of metal and the precisely correct piece of wood, the worm grunters can call worms to the surface by the bucketful. You may be asking why a worm would flee into the hands of a fisherman. The vibrations, not the noise, mimic those of a mole, which snacks on worms moving through the soil. See the magic of these worm grunters in action each April at the Worm Gruntin’ Festival.
(Researched and written in conjunction with Stephanie Hayes, Chrissy Reynolds and VISIT FLORIDA partners.)