The Official 2009 RVers Guide to Florida

REGION 3 The talented mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs have captivated crowds for more than 50 years. The park also features a wilderness river cruise, exotic bird show and a petting zoo. The charming antique district of Dade City features unique shops in early 20th-century cottages and houses. Travel back in time at the Pioneer Florida Museum, where you can inspect horse-drawn buggies and a steam-powered locomotive. The museum also features a replica office of a pioneer doctor and a miniature doll collection of Florida’s first ladies in their inaugural gowns. And for aerial adventures, RVers can visit Zephyrhills to watch daring skydivers practice their thrilling craft. In Pinellas County, the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area is sometimes called Florida’s sunshine capital - the sun shines on this part of the state for an amazing 361 days each year. Nature is showcased at several unspoiled sites. Two area state parks, Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island, offer preserved beachfront and nature trails. But there’s more than nature, here. Fun things to do in the area include harbor cruises, beachfront dining, water trikes for rent and plenty of boutique-style shopping. Fort DeSoto Park, located on five islands, rates among the top 10 U.S. beaches and offers visitors a peaceful refuge. Just a few minutes inland, the city of St. Petersburg is home to art galleries, antique shops and museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Florida International Museum, now home to a permanent John F. Kennedy exhibit. The Salvador Dali Museum holds the world’s largest collection of the famed Surrealist’s paintings. Cultural activities in St. Petersburg are connected by the city’s downtown trolley service, called the Looper. Family-friendly stops include the St. Petersburg Museum of History, where a replica of a Benoist airboat commemorates the world’s first commercial flight, made from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 1914; and Great Explorations: The Hands-On Museum, where kids can play inventor-for-a-day as they help Einstein with his latest project, reconstruct a 40-foot-long roller coaster or create their own symphony. Jutting out into Tampa Bay St. Petersburg landmark. Its an inverted, five-story pyramid shops, eating establishments, observation area. is The Pier, a downtown most striking feature is housing a marketplace of an aquarium and large At the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, vacationers can meet Winter, the bottle-nosed dolphin, and Big Mo, a 500-pound loggerhead sea turtle. Or they can get a fish-eye’s view of a mangrove and seagrass community. Nearby, Celebration Station offers a variety of rides, including go-karts and bumper boats, along with miniature golf and batting cages. Parents will have a difficult time prying kids away from the park’s two-story arcade. On the finer side, a string of resort communities from St. Pete Beach to Tarpon Springs treats visitors to a variety of watersports, cultural events and excellent restaurants. Along St. Pete Beach, kids can enjoy an amusement center full of video games, and parents might stroll through shopping villages set in tropical surroundings. In Tarpon Springs, a seaside village settled by Greek sponge divers at the turn of the century, visitors will enjoy delicious Greek pastries and shoppers will find treasures in markets with a Mediterranean flair. To take a break from sun and sand, visitors merely cross the bay to Tampa, where they’ll encounter a glittering city that’s home to the region’s top attractions - the ever-expanding Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Florida Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. Visitors will discover a revitalized downtown waterfront, notable museums, a huge sports scene and a full performing arts calendar, as well as several major shopping malls. Ybor City, Tampa’s historic Latin Quarter, is rich in Spanish and Cuban tradition and today offers the area’s liveliest nightlife - and some of the best food around. Featuring a unique blend of thrilling rides, one of the country’s premier zoos with more than 2,700 animals, nine African-themed areas, live shows, restaurants, shops and games, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay provides excitement for guests of every age. New at the park is Gwazi, the Southeast’s largest and fastest double wooden roller coaster. Across the street from Busch Gardens is Adventure Island, Tampa’s premier water park, which features 25 acres of slides, tube rides, an ocean wave pool and the new “Splash Attack,” a treehouse maze of 50 interactive water elements overflowing with fun. Rounding out the park’s offerings are a championship volleyball complex, game arcade and outdoor cafes. Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach offers a sunset celebration modeled after Key West’s popular Mallory Square festival, but with a decidedly family-friendly atmosphere. Craftsmen, artists and entertainers perform nightly, two hours before and after sunset. 44 2009 FRVTA RVers GUIDE TO FLORIDA

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Official 2009 RVers Guide to Florida

The Official 2009 RVers Guide to Florida Contents RV Friendly Logos Meet Roadie Behind the Wheel Region 1 - Southwest Florida Region 2 - Southeast Florida Region 3 - Tampa Bay Area Region 4 - Orlando & Space Coast RV Rentals Region 5 - Florida Panhandle Financing Your RV Region 6 - Northeast Florida Region 7 - North Central Florida Florida Regional Shows Region 10 - Out of State Members Indian Mounds in Florida Springs in Florida What’s Your Type? Lighthouse Tour Insurance, Who Needs It?

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