Situated on the northeastern Atlantic coast of Florida, Daytona Beach features 23 miles of sandy beaches where visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as jet skiing, pier fishing and parasailing. The city also features the Daytona Lagoon, a waterpark filled with water slides, a lazy river and a wave pool. The Daytona International Speedway, home to NASCAR's famed Daytona 500 race, resides in the city as well. Visitors can take in a race, tour the speedway or explore the Daytona 500 Experience, an interactive center filled with games, an IMAX theater and motion simulators. Daytona Beach also plays host to the Daytona Cubs, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs.
Located on the southeastern coast of Florida, the city of St. Petersburg resides amidst the Tampa Bay region. The St. Petersburg Pier, an attraction which draws more than 1.2 million visitors annually, features such family-friendly perks as shops, restaurants, an aquarium and a bait house for fishing. Tourists can take in any of the three professional sports teams in St. Petersburg (the NHL's Lightning, the NFL's Buccaneers and the MLB's Rays) or pay a visit to the city's Great Explorations Children's Museum. Fort De Soto Park's North Beach sits just 17 miles southeast of downtown St. Petersburg. With its isolated white sand beaches and crystal blue waters, the travel website TripAdvisor named it the top beach in the United States in 2008.
Situated on the southeastern tip of Florida, and spread across 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park features the country's largest subtropical wilderness region. Visitors can enjoy a host of outdoor activities including hiking, canoeing, kayaking and bird watching excursions throughout the park. Guests may also wish to reserve a spot in the area's more than 12 beachfront campgrounds. Be advised, however that most beach sites have no toilets. To avoid the heat, the humidity and an onslaught of mosquitoes, it's best to camp on the beach from November through April. The region is filled with such wildlife as alligators, Florida panthers, black bears and sea turtles.
