5 Big Perks of Life in Florida

Mangroves, trees native to Florida, help limit coastal erosion. Their roots also serve as nurseries for baby fish which are also known as fries.

Florida is renown for beaches and sunsets. From the beautiful Panama City to the wondrous Key West, the beaches never cease to be awe inspiring.

During the day, the beaches are lively and the waves are inviting. On a clear night, the stars are seemingly endless.

The beaches are often host to a variety of activities. In cities, such as a Clearwater, there are events on the beach almost every weekend. Some beaches allow shore fishing and a few select beaches allow dogs.

There is a beach for everyone.

Before you visit an amusement park, call their customer service or check their website to determine what you can and cannot bring into the park. Some parks allow you to bring your own water bottle and that will save you a lot of money, especially if you just refill the water bottle at the park's water fountains.

In addition to beaches, Florida also has a wealth of amusement parks. Recently, most of the amusement parks have started to work together to offer both locals and visitors unprecedented rates. Roughly a two hour drive is all that separates these amazing amusement parks in Florida:

• Disney (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studies,
• Busch Gardens,
• Sea World,
• Aquatica,
• Wet and Wild,
• Universal Studies,
• Island of Adventure,
• Adventure Island,
• Legoland,
• Discovery cove

All of the amusement parks have at least one water ride to help visitors cool off during the summer months. They also have indoor dining and plenty of shade if you just need to take a break from the sun.

Since Florida has such mild winters, many of the theme parks will continue operating their water rides even during the winter months. Occasionally the water rides will close if the weather cools off enough. However, there is plenty of other things to do when it's too cool to ride the water rides.

But no matter the time of year, it's important to remember sunscreen or a hat. You can get sunburn in the winter, too!

Florida has campsites on the water and campsites near the caverns. If one thing is for certain, it is that Florida has a lot of campsites to choose from.

Different campsites have different rules. Some will allow boats, some will allow pets, and there is generally an option of whether the campsite has hook ups for electricity or not.

Camping is a great way to spend a vacation, staycation, or holiday weekend since you are surrounded by all of your favorite outdoor recreations.

But if there's one thing you never want to forget, it's going to be the bug spray. Definitely do not forget the bug spray.

Between city parks and county parks, there is no shortage of luscious green parks in Florida. Events are often hosted at the parks and the bigger parks are usually decorated beautifully for the holidays.

Another bonus to the park is that there is usually exercise equipment for anyone who wants to exercise in the fresh air.

Florida's restaurants have benefited from its cultural diversity. There is an array of authentic ethnic restaurants as well as plenty of restaurants specializing in delivering the best, freshest seafood.

Many of the bigger cities are also benefiting from health food trends with new and exciting vegan, raw, and health food restaurants. Even the Dali Museum in the St. Petersburg has a cafe that offers vegan options.

The benefit of being surrounded by water is that there are a lot of great fishing opportunities and so many different ways to fish. You can fish from piers, boats, kayaks, or along the shoreline. If you get tired of fishing then you can snorkel in the sea grass beds and find all sorts of critters, be it sea urchins, star fish, crabs, or sea horses. There are also plenty of rivers and creeks that are worth adventuring through.