Fascinating Florida Part2

Florida is a unique place, where you have sunny days all year round, lovely people, easy access to the beach and so many things to discover. Let’s continue our journey, in this section we will visit the Western part of Orange State. I’m showing you another theme park and two more cities, that are definitely worth visiting. I discovered some beautiful beaches, that’s the best about Florida, you know that I need to be close to the beach.

Busch Gardens Theme Park

Just after a 1,5 hour drive from Orlando, I arrived to my next destination, another fun place called Busch Gardens in Tampa. The place itself opened as a house where you could taste beer in the fifties. Later on it got enlarged and became like a kind of Safari, a large free roaming habitat. The Old Swiss House and the Moroccan Village was added to the park later on, at that time there were no roller coasters at all.

They built their first fun ride only in the seventies. Today it’s a place that attracts millions of tourists, it features world-class roller coasters and a huge animal park with wild animals in their natural settings.

There is a train ride that takes you to the animals, that was my favorite part, somehow I felt like being in Africa and it was good to see that animals had so much space. All in all there are rides and shows for everyone from kids up to thrill seekers, a family friendly place as well.

Saint Petersburg - the city of sunshine

The city lies on the Pinellas Peninsula on the central Gulf Coast of Florida. I only spent a day here, afterwards I was driving to my next destination, even if I wasn’t able to visit the city in depths, I loved the atmosphere of it. What can you expect here? Sunny beaches, high rated restaurants, cultural experiences and amazing natural parks.

Here are some of my suggestions for visiting:  

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

The impressive bridge is located at the entrance to Tampa Bay and it’s stretching 12 miles in total, it’s one of the largest cable-bridges in the USA. The bridge opened in the fifties and it got collapsed once due to a storm, since hat they changed the structure. It’s breathtaking, definitely worth passing by! Bridge suicide happened many times here unfortunately, I wish they could do something against that.

Photo: www.dreamstime.com

Sunken Gardens

You will find several botanical gardens in the region. These places are like paradise. You will see here some of the oldest tropical plants, lotus flowers, turtles, waterfalls, the garden makes you feel relaxed and filled with energy. It’s like being in a different word, definitely a must see landmark in the region.

Salvador Dali Museum

It houses a comprehensive collection of paintings by this Surrealist master. There are oil paintings, watercolors, sculptures, drawings, graphics and other artworks, more than 2000 pieces altogether. The original collection was family-owned and was donated to the city. If you love museums, there is another one worth visiting, the Saint Petersburg Museum of History.

Amazing beach life

Florida is all about beaches, you will find so many beautiful seashores on the way. Once you have a few days in Saint Petersburg, paradise is just half an hour drive away. Spend a few relaxing moments at one of these beaches: Paradise beach, Honeymoon island, Sunset beach, Saint Pete beach, Pass-A-Grille beach, just naming a few. The region is perfect for family vacation as well, your kids will love the long, sandy shores.

The pearl of Florida - Naples

The last destination of this Florida section is the elegant Naples. This place was my main inspiration for the Fashion section with its elegance and sophistication. It's a charming resort city on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico with nice pedestrian walks, elegant shops and tropical surroundings. My first program was a jet-boat trip, It's also a sightseeing tour of rich people's home. It's always fun to discover a city from the water, entertaining, cool program!

Shopping in style

The 5th Avenue is the spot to be in the city, you are also a few blocks away from the ocean. The street is full of upscale, elegant shops and restaurants. The palm trees, the luxurious buildings and the stunning landscape set the mood already. Enjoy a light lunch here and head to the ocean! At least, that's what I did...

Naples beach fun

Visit some of the finest beaches here! It was the best moment when I had a few hours on the so called Barefoot beach. Amazing landscape, white, sandy beach, sunshine.

Keep tuned for more travel posts and browse the fresh, sophisticated, Naples inspired fashion outfits and accessories here: FASHION