SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO IN FLORIDA – THE SUNSHINE STATE

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Florida is just as much a land of ancient mangroves, slow-paced seaside towns and coastal habitats as it is about Miami and the glitz of the palm beaches. Secure your cheap holidays in Florida along the quieter Gulf coast and it’s possible to find a slice of the old South, the one that existed long before the theme parks and the movie stars.

Start your journey in intimate towns like Englewood, where charming shopping parades and independent eateries form the backdrop and you can stay in blissfully quiet condos near the beachfront. For culture-hunters, the east coast provides places like Sarasota, famous for the Ringling Bros. Circus but well-favoured for its opera, ballet and theatre scene.

Travel even further south, and you can visit the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford outside Fort Myers, where the meticulously-planned botanic gardens and period homes show another vision of the tropics as they were 100 years ago.

Or head the opposite way, and you’ll be entering a part of Florida long-overlooked by mass tourism. The ‘pan-handle’ of north-west Florida is known as the Emerald Coast, after the gem-like hue of its seas, and it’s also home to some of the finest sands in the whole state. Roam the 9-mile stretch at St George’s Island State Park and you might encounter black skimmer sea birds, and even a loggerhead turtle in the early summer months.

Some of the true highlights of western Florida are found in the natural spaces – great expanses of woodland, swamp and sand dunes, from the Myakka River State, the peninsula of Cape Haze and the Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel Island. Whether it’s setting out by airboat on an alligator hunt through the Everglades or combing the Sanibel beaches for shells, these under populated spots offer a different kind of Florida experience.

Of course, this alternative Florida can be found all across the country, from the coral-rich waters of the Keys to Orlando’s Lake Norris. There’s no Spring-break rush or flashy package resorts in this Florida, just a sense of the rich variety and culture that the Sunshine State has hidden up its sleeve. Search in the right places, and it’s not difficult to find.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/39689/

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