Brochure images of tanning flesh and Mickey Mouse give an
inaccurate and incomplete picture of FLORIDA . Although the
aptly nicknamed "Sunshine State" is indeed devoted to the tourist
trade, it's also among the least-understood parts of the US. Away
from its overexposed resorts lie forests and rivers, deserted
strands filled with wildlife, vibrant cities and primeval
swamps.
In many respects Florida is still evolving. Seven hundred people
a day move to the state, now the fourth most populous in the
nation. Changing demographics are eroding the traditional Deep
South conservatism: the new Floridians tend to be a younger, more
energetic breed, while Spanish-speaking enclaves provide close ties
to Latin America and the Caribbean - links as influential in
creating wealth as the recent arrival of the movie industry in
central Florida, fresh from Hollywood.
The essential stop is cosmopolitan, half-Latin Miami ,
from where a simple journey south brings you to the Florida
Keys , a hundred-mile string of islands known for sports
fishing, coral-reef diving, and the sultry town of Key West
, legendary for its sunsets and anything-goes attitude. North from
Miami, much of the east coast is disappointingly urbanized,
albeit with miles of unbroken beaches flowing alongside. The
residential stranglehold is lessened further north, where
communities such as Daytona Beach have become subservient to
the local sands. Farther along, historical St Augustine
stands as the longest continuous settlement in the US.
In central Florida the terrain turns green, though it's
no rural idyll: this is where you'll find Orlando and
Walt Disney World , one of the world's leading tourist
destinations. From here it's just a skip north to the forests of
the Panhandle , Florida's link with the Deep South, or to
the towns and beaches of the west coast . To the south, and
also easily accessible from Miami, stretches the Everglades
, a swampy sawgrass plain filled with camera-friendly (but
otherwise unfriendly) alligators.
In at least one way it makes little difference when you
visit : warm sunshine and blue skies are almost always a fact
of life. Florida does, however, split into two climatic
zones : subtropical in the south and warm temperate in the
north. Orlando and points south have very mild winters (October to
April), with warm temperatures and low humidity. This is the peak
tourist season, when prices are at their highest. The southern
summer (May to September), on the other hand, brings high humidity
and afternoon storms - the rewards for braving the mugginess are
lower prices and fewer tourists. Winter is the off-peak period
north of Orlando; while snow has been known to fall in the
Panhandle, daytime temperatures are generally comfortably warm.
During the northern Florida summer, the crowds arrive, and the days
- and the nights - get hot and sticky. Also, there is a potentially
ominous time of the year - the " hurricane season " - June
to November.
Finally, although Florida has struggled with its reputation for
crimes against (and even murders of) tourists, the state's
been very successful in reducing such attacks. It's definitely no
longer the den of "Miami Vice" it once was, but, as when visiting
all big cities, it pays to be wary.