I’ve always been a big kid. I make no excuses for that fact. I geek out at Harry Potter (everyone’s read all the books and watched all the movies at least twice, right?!), I get giddy for Christmas. I love eating cake. But I’m kinda scared of big rollercoasters. And that’s ok. Because even though Florida seems like it’s just one big theme park, there’s a lot more to the Sunshine State than adrenaline, and that makes it perfect for adults, and big kids, like me.
Firstly, let’s talk about Florida’s weather for a second. With a subtropical climate almost year-round, it’s no hardship to spend a vacation here and marks the reason for the name “Sunshine State”. Now, am I a little sad that they get little to no snow? Yes, but I’ll get over it. And who wants to visit a beach town when it’s snowing anyway? That’s just stupid.
Secondly, let’s talk about Orlando. How can we not? Now, while I’m all for snapping up Universal Studios theme park tickets and screaming at some unsuspecting kid sat next to me on Hulk, or whatever the biggest, baddest rollercoaster is these days, there are much more exciting things for me to do in Florida. Like get a wand from Ollivander’s (yep, I’m talking about Harry Potter again). Or go to a waterpark for the day (remember that subtropical climate I was talking about? Perfect for a rubber ring and a lazy river). Or eat in a fantastic restaurant on the waterfront.
Thirdly, Florida is home to Miami. Need I say more? Ever since I first got hooked on Dexter, I’ve wanted to visit Miami and eat fish tacos and listen to Latin-inspired music and gawk at the bodybuilders on Miami Beach and take photos of the Art Deco buildings and ALL THE THINGS. Phew. Basically, I really want to go to Miami, you guys. It looks even more fun than Florida, if you can imagine that.
Fourthly, there’s the Florida State Football. I know nothing about American football (which is only a little bit less than I know about English football, so there’s that), but I do know that this is a state which is crazy for its football. And with a championship-winning team under their belt, I figure that this is the best state of any to get to know a little bit more about this sport.
Fifthly, (wow, I’m rambling now. Is “fifthly even a word?) there’s a beach town called Destin which Scott used to live in and is always talking about that I now feel that I must see. It’s located on something called the Emerald Coast of Florida (even the name sounds amazing) and the beaches here are said to be ridiculously pretty. Plus, they have lots of beachside restaurants where the waiters wear Hawaiian-style shirts and sell food with names like “Calypso Jerk” (sounds more like an insult to me) and “Reggae Rolls”.
Basically, if this rambling and crazed list hasn’t inspired you that Florida isn’t just for the kiddies, then I don’t know what will. What I do know is that it’s definitely going to be included in my travel plans in the near future, if only because I’m in desperate need of that wand.
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