USA - Florida
Florida is one of those places that seems to have been designed specifically for tourists. Sunshine, beaches, palm trees, alligators, enormous theme parks, space rockets and enough entertainment to keep you occupied for weeks. It can be wonderfully tacky, occasionally exhausting and sometimes gloriously over the top — in other words, quintessentially American.
Talking of tacky, the state is home to arguably the tackiest building in the USA, if not the world, in Mar a Largo, home to Donald Trump.
Orlando
Orlando is the undisputed capital of the Florida tourist industry and, for many visitors, the theme parks are the whole reason for coming. The Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando have transformed what was once a fairly ordinary part of central Florida into one of the world's great holiday destinations.Disney is the obvious giant. With the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, it is possible to spend several days here without coming close to seeing everything. Whether you are eight or eighty, there is something rather infectious about the place — although the prices have become considerably less magical than the experience.
Universal provides a rather different experience, with its film and television themes, spectacular rides and increasingly impressive Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For anyone who likes big rollercoasters and high-tech attractions, Universal can actually be more exciting than Disney.
Then there is SeaWorld, which combines marine-life attractions with some seriously impressive rides. Orlando also has a vast collection of smaller attractions, water parks, shopping outlets, restaurants and entertainment complexes, meaning that even after you've had enough of theme parks, there is no shortage of things trying to relieve you of your money.
And that's probably the biggest criticism of Orlando. Everything costs money — and usually rather a lot of it. Tickets, parking, food, drinks, souvenirs and the inevitable extras can turn what initially looked like an affordable holiday into something considerably more expensive. The parks are brilliant, but the whole operation can sometimes feel like one gigantic cash register.
Kennedy Space Center
For me, however, one of Florida's genuinely unmissable attractions lies on the Atlantic coast at Kennedy Space Center.This is where America launched men into space, where the Space Shuttle programme operated and where the extraordinary story of human space exploration is brought to life. Standing beneath the enormous Saturn V rocket is particularly impressive — it is difficult to comprehend that something so huge was once hurled into space.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibition is another highlight, displaying the spacecraft in a way that makes its engineering and sheer complexity apparent. It is one thing to see a shuttle on television; standing underneath one is something else entirely.
You can also take bus tours into the working space centre, seeing launch facilities and the enormous Vehicle Assembly Building. If you are lucky enough to visit when a launch is taking place, you have the opportunity to witness one of the most spectacular sights imaginable.
Unlike the theme parks, Kennedy Space Center doesn't feel manufactured simply for entertainment. This is a place where genuinely historic things happened, and there is a seriousness about it that makes it particularly memorable.
Tampa
Over on the Gulf Coast is Tampa, a city that is often overlooked by visitors heading for Orlando but is well worth a visit in its own right.
Tampa has a fascinating mixture of cultures and history, particularly around Ybor City, the historic district founded by Cuban cigar makers. Once famous for its cigar factories, Ybor City is now packed with restaurants, bars, shops and historic buildings, while still retaining plenty of its old character.The Tampa Riverwalk provides an excellent way to explore the waterfront, linking parks, restaurants, museums and attractions along the Hillsborough River. It is considerably more relaxed than Orlando and makes a pleasant change from the relentless entertainment machine further inland.
Tampa also has Busch Gardens, combining a large theme park with one of America's better collections of animals and some excellent rollercoasters. If you've survived Disney and Universal, you might as well finish yourself off properly.
And then there are the beaches. Florida's Gulf Coast is blessed with some beautiful stretches of sand, although you don't have to go far from Tampa to find them. The nearby Clearwater and St Pete Beach areas offer the sort of white sand and warm water that many people imagine when they think of Florida.
Florida in a nutshell
Florida is difficult to sum up because it manages to be so many things at once. There is the fantasy world of Orlando, the extraordinary reality of Kennedy Space Center, the historic character of Tampa and Ybor City, and then miles upon miles of beaches and wetlands in between.
It is also a state of remarkable contrasts. You can spend the morning watching a space shuttle, the afternoon riding a rollercoaster and the evening sitting on a beach — and all without travelling particularly far.
For all the complaints that can reasonably be made about the cost, crowds and commercialisation, Florida remains one of those destinations that delivers an enormous amount to see and do.
The theme parks may be the biggest draw, but they are certainly not the whole story. Kennedy Space Center alone is worth the trip, while Tampa provides a welcome reminder that Florida existed before somebody put a giant theme park on it.
Prices quoted correct as at June 2026
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