The USA offers such a huge variety of holidays

Its a big country, and there is so much more than the great top staples of Florida, New York and California. The 52 states all have something to offer and you can get a big chunk of information at http://www.traveltidingsusa.com/ where, from the whales of Alaska to the beaches of Florida, from the theatres of New York to the theme parks of California, from the Grand Canyon to the islands of Hawaii, they give you a lot of detailed info.

But of course Florida may well be your aim, It is a favorite of so many of us for the obvious reasons of sunshine, fun (disney and the theme parks), more sun and more fun !! (golf and more theme parks). So here are some basic facts on Florida to get you started:

Florida is known as the "Sunshine State" and is located on the large peninsula at the southern end of the eastern coast of the United States. New York City is 1000 miles north. It is a flat and sandy spit of land about 100 miles (165 km) wide and 400 miles (660 km) from north to south. It has nearly 400 miles (660 km) of shoreline o the East with beautiful sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and over 600 miles (1.000 km) of Gulf of Mexico beaches on the West. It is semi-tropical, with hot rainy summers, very mild winters and very pleasant spring and autumn temperatures. As we all know though, there is the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes during late summer and autumn.

Florida is made up of several distinct geographical regions with different features:

1) The Eastern Coast of Florida

There are very nice beaches here pretty good surf on the Atlantic Ocean. Alot of the big beaches, primarily those around Miami, Daytona , Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, are commercialized for tourism. This is where you will find the big high rise hotels, plenty of restaurants, various tourist attractions and entertainments for the beach loving tourists. If you venture to Saint Augustine or Melborne you will find the beaches are a bit less commercial and more family oriented.

2) The Western Coast

This has a very different feel to the Atlantic Coast. The beaches are on the whole, shallower, with calmer seas (not really surfing country) and the water is warmer. They are therefore a mecca for families with kids. The sand is soft and the beaches are wide, and you can wade a long way out from shore before the water gets very deep. There is Clearwater for the tourist looking for the attaractionas and entertainments but most of the Gulf coast is far less commercialized. Rental cottages and villas instead of rather the skyscraper hotels. In the summer there are frequent thunderstorms with intense lightning (almost daily).

3) Central Florida

Because of Disney and its rivals, Central Florida is the number one Florida destination for tourists . Disney World is the largest amusement park on earthand is found just south of Orlando in central Florida. It is by no means the only park around this area, others include
Universal Studios and Sea World. Put together they form the largest family amusement area in the world. Central Florida is also produces a large proportion of the state's oranges, other citrus fruits, sugar cane, vegetables and beef.

4) The Panhandle

This is the least touristy area of the state. It is the narrow strip that extends west from the top of the Florida, bounded by Alabama in the North and the Gulf Coast beaches on the South. There are beautiful shallow white sand beaches with very warm waters and next to no built up tourist features. There is one tourist town though, and that is Panama City which s famous forit's "Spring Break" festivities every year in March.

5) The Southern Tip including the Keys.

The southern tip of Florida is nmade up mainly of tropical jungle and the evocotive swamplands. This area is almost entirely covered by the Everglades National Park. This huge wetland is full of wild birds, alligators, snakes, insects and other wildlife. A 100 mile long (160 km) archipeligo of islands known as the Florida Keys stretches South Westward from the tip of the penninsula into the Gulf of Mexico. A 90 mile (150 km) long stretch of bridges and causeways connects these islands up, down to the town of Key West on its southern most tip. Here, North America's only tropical reef lies just a few miles off shore and is a great place for scuba divers and fisherman.

So something for all sorts - and we have not mentioned the great Golf Courses you can play here as well - so enjoy Florida !