Things to do in Florida (that are not maintained by Disney)

Good morning, S!

And giant heaps of welcome to T, who has recently started a blog as well!

It's Thursday, October 30th, and I've been wondering what else you can do in the lovely state of Florida, S, that isn't owned by Disney!

I realize you probably won't have a lot of time down there, and/or the time you have will be spent with Mo (your lovely pony) anyway. I thought I'd make this for fun anyway, and let me tell you - it turned bad pretty quick. It seems that Disney somehow owns the state of Florida, and no other landmark is allowed to be put up there... But I tried my best regardless.

Here are some things that I would want to do in Florida, that are not related to Disney:

1. Visit the oldest city in America. That has to be pretty awesome, right? St. Augustine was founded in the early 1500s. "North Florida boasts a year-round mild climate perfect for strolling Saint Augustine's delightful historic district, with its cobblestone streets, quaint cafes, bars, unique shops and bed-and-breakfast inns." Super pretty in the pictures!
2. Go on a pirate cruise in Panama City! "Come if you dare, and walk in a pirate's shoes. Look through a pirate's eyes aboard the panhandle's premier family adventure cruise."
   
3. Swim with Dolphins/Sharks/Manta Rays. There's so many spots all over the coast of Florida that offer awesome times swimming with some sort of marine animal (in captivity or no).
4. If you have a chance and you're in Orlando, you HAVE to go to Al Capone's. It's a dinner theatre show, based in the thirties when Capone ran the show. It isn't necessarily the best food in the entire state of Florida, however, it is a funny show, and a great way to spend a night after all that wonderful Disney commercialism. And if you'd rather spend a night in a medieval castle than in a 1930's speakeasy, go to Medieval Times in Kissimmee.
5. If you're in Fort Myers, check out the Edison museums. I'm almost positive there's not much else to do tourist wise in that town...
6. Go on a hot air balloon ride! I've always wanted to go up in a balloon, and so I'm sneakily adding this to my list. Trip Advisor suggests the Orange Blossom Balloons company, which takes you all over Orlando, Florida. You can also check out Warbird Adventures, which allow you to soar over Kissimmee in a two-seater WWII plane!
7. You can go three ways in Daytona: the beach, the races or the museum. Although I probably wouldn't mind a little of all three, I really suggest going to check out the Museum of Arts and Sciences. Moreover, I something especially for you, S... an absolutely FREE chocolate factory tour. Be your own Willy Wonka!
8. In Orlando you should check out Gatorland. It's a pretty lame-but-amusing way to spend an afternoon, and if you go at the right time, you can see the gators feeding.
9. I have to mention this, as I went here on my trip to Florida. Actually, let me amend that sentence by saying that I was trapped here on my twelfth birthday when we went to Fort Lauderdale. It actually turned out to be a pretty cool place to hang out, I guess, and there's fortunately lots to see. The kids will like the butterflies and cute little carnivorous owls, and the older folk will like the gardens and the cute little carnivorous owls. (This is where I first saw what adorable little owls actually ate, and it scarred me for life.)
10. Check out Universal - just to rub Disney's nose in it.

I know this list is short, S, but there's so much to do, and so much information to go through, that I picked things that were sort of lame-but-still-fun-for-everyone. Florida has all kinds of gorgeous beaches, golf courses, water parks, haunted walks, orange groves, nature paths, antique shops, b&bs, museums, brand name outlets, etc. that you can check out as well.

Here are some non-Disney-fying facts about Florida:

• Oh hai! Do you like hurricanes? You'd best, as Florida is the state that has the highest amount of hurricane attacks every year. Named tropical storms and hurricanes from this year only: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Genevieve, Edouard,
  Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Iselle, Josephine, Kyle & Omar.
• Florida was named by Ponce de Leon (you know, the rad Clone High character), who discovered it and claimed it for Spain while he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. 
• There's a coalition for the ban of smoking in public areas in Florida, much like the one we have here at home (so breathe easy, S). About 88 Floridians are estimated to die daily of tobacco use.
• Their state *saltwater* mammal is the porpoise, while their state *freshwater* mammal is the manatee.
•  "Florida is a prime area for international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, and a principal thoroughfare for cocaine and heroin transiting to the northeastern United States and Canada."
• Suntan lotion was invented by a Floridian in 1944.
• It's violent crime rate in a national ranking is 2.
• In 2008, Florida is celebrating their state Lotto's 20th Anniversary! (ooo! the Platinum year!)

Have a great second week in the drug smuggling capital, S!

See you some time in the near future,T!

Don't forget to be awesome!

-xo

PS: here's a list of sources that I used for the list!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28930-Activities-Florida.html

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bluelist/index.cfm?fa=main.viewList&list_id=7693

http://www.piratecruise.net/ (panama pirate cruise information)

http://www.oldcity.com/ (st.augustine information)

http://www.alcapones.com/ (restaurant information)

http://www.orangeblossomballoons.com/ (hot air balloon ride information)

http://www.warbirdadventures.com/ (WWII plane information)

http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/ (DIS information)

http://www.moas.org/ (Museum of Arts and Sciences information)

http://www.angellandphelps.com/ (chocolate factory information)

http://www.gatorland.com/ (gatorland information)

http://www.butterflyworld.com/start.html (butterfly world information)

PPS: For all you "random blog" button clickers, check out S's Parelli blog for more information on what she's actually doing in Florida!

PPPS: I have nothing against Disney. Sorry!