In This Issue Welcome Gatorland The Florida Keys Florida book directory Florida 2006 highlights Free Monthly Desktop Wallpaper January events Weather forecast

Hi Subscriber, welcome to the January newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.

I hope you enjoyed the festivities over the last few weeks and I'd like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very happy New Year.

If you are planning a vacation to Florida during 2007, then let the Florida Review & Travel Guide help you on your way.

Many people in Florida on Christmas Day were surprised by some very bad storms and tornadoes and though several hundred properties were damaged, luckily no one was seriously hurt.

The people at NASA will be breathing a sigh of relief after three successful shuttle missions to the International Space Station during 2006, the first since 2003. There are just fifteen remaining shuttle missions before the fleet are retired in 2010 and 5 flights are scheduled for 2007 so the chances of seeing a launch are looking great.

Florida books published in January

Books about Florida published in January include:

• Seashells In My Pocket : Amc Family Guide To Exploring Nature Along The Atlantic Coast From Maine To Florida
• Night & Day Miami
• The Other Orlando : What to Do When You've Done Disney and Universal
• Florida Spring Training : Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League
• North Florida & the Florida Panhandle, an Explorer's Guide : Includes St. Augustine, Panama City, Pensacola, And Jacksonville

All these books can be found in our new Florida book directory.

Gatorland is billed as the "Alligator Capital of the World" and the 110 acre park and wildlife preserve is home to over 5,000 of alligators plus crocodiles, birds and snakes.

Gatorland was founded in 1949 by cattle-rancher Owen Godwin as the Florida Wildlife Institute on Highway 441 (the South Orange Blossom Trail) between Orlando and Kissimmee and is still owned by the family to this day.

When the Florida Wildlife Institute opened, it was the first major attraction in the Orlando area. Today Gatorland is a little off the main tourist area around the Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, Universal Orlando Resort and all the attractions on International Drive but it is still worth a visit. It is about 15 to 20 minutes drive away.

The famously tacky gaping alligator jaws entrance was built in 1962 and is still there today though a devastating fire in November 2006 damaged the entrance area and gift shop. The park reopened after a couple of weeks but the rebuilding of the entrance area and gift shop is expected to take a year to complete. The park will remain open during this period.

To read more about the Gatorland park and the other wildlife parks in Florida, click here.

The Florida Keys consist of hundreds of islands (many uninhabited) stretching 110 miles (180 km) from the Atlantic Ocean into the Gulf of Mexico and home to the only coral reefs in the United States.

They are joined together by a series of bridges (the Overseas Highway) and causeways along route US 1 which allow you to drive all the way to Key West.

At one time you could take a train to Key West on Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad over the famous 7-Mile Bridge, but it was destroyed by hurricanes in 1935.

Key West is often referred to as the 'southernmost point in continental USA' and everyone wants to get the photo taken next to the famous monument in Mallory Square where people gather each night to watch the sunset.

In reality, this is not strictly true because they are islands and therefore not really part of the mainland. However, Key West is a mere 90 miles (145 km) from Cuba and 62 miles (100 km) from the Tropic of Cancer.

One of Key West's most famous residents was Ernest 'Papa' Hemmingway who lived here between 1931 and 1940 and frequented the well-known bar 'Sloppy Joes'.

You can read more about the Florida Keys and all the other regions of Florida here.

Did you realise that there are well over 700 books about Florida, not including fictional books.

Over the past couple of months, we have researched and classified the many books about Florida including:

• Florida Guide books - Guide books to the whole of the state of Florida, from Pensacola and Jacksonville in the North all the way to Miami and Key West in the South
• Walt Disney World - Guide books to all of the Walt Disney World theme parks and Resort
• Caribbean Cruising - Guide books about cruising the Caribbean
• Maps - Maps and atlases for the state of Florida and the regions plus town streetmaps
• Outdoors - Guides to the many outdoor activities available in Florida including cycling, boating/cruising, canoeing and kayaking, diving and snorkelling, fishing, hiking, touring by car, travelling by rail and natural history
• History & Culture - Guide books on the varied history and culture of Florida including the Native Americans, Florida pioneers, architecture and cuisine
• Natural History - Guides to the natural history of Florida including wildlife and fauna
• Property & Retirement - Guide books on buying property in Florida and retiring to the Sunshine State
• Potpourri - The weird and the wacky - Florida kitsch and other oddities
• 2007 Calendars - Remind yourself of Florida or follow one of your favourite Florida sports teams with a 2007 Florida calendar

You can browse through our unique Florida book directory/store of over 700 books about Florida in conjunction with Amazon. Now open to UK visitors and US visitors.

2006 has not been a bad year for Florida and its tourists, all in all. Tourist numbers have remained pretty static compared to 2005, probably not helped by the rise in price of gasoline and the terrible hurricane season for 2005.

Florida continues to have some of the best beaches in the whole of the United States. According to Stephen Leatherman, Ph.D. "Dr. Beach", Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin was ranked 2nd in 2006 with Barefoot Beach Park, Bonita Springs taking 10th place.

Several new rides, shows and attractions opened during 2006 as the major theme parks continue to compete for visitors, including the new Shamu killer whale show 'Believe' at SeaWorld, the revamped the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Magic Kingdom, the Living Seas pavilion re-opened as The Seas With Nemo And Friends at Epcot, the long awaited "Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain" roller coaster ride officially opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom and following the success of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth", Disney launched their new "Year of a Million Dreams" celebrations which will run until the end of 2007

NASA have been able to get back on track after the successful launch of three shuttles missions to the International Space Station, the first since the Columbia tragedy of 2003 and they announced their plans to return to the moon.

To read about all the 2006 highlights and some of the not so happy moments, click here. For a preview of what is coming in 2007, click here.

Desktop calendars for January 2007 (SeaWorld - Journey to Atlantis) and February 2007 (Lakeside villa view) are ready to download now.

Note that some of the larger files can be 200-300k in size so if you are on a modem dialup line it will take a few minutes to download.

To view and then download the Florida free desktop wallpaper for January now, click here.

With Christmas and New Year's Eve over, most of the holiday season celebrations are coming to an end (for full details including special calendars and details of which parks charge extra, click here).

The 13th annual Nights of Lights in St. Augustine is decorated with two million tiny white lights adorning the palm trees and buildings of the city's historic district and continues until January 31 (see www.nightsoflights.com for more details).

The spectacular Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios lights up the backlot and continues every night until January 07, 2007.

At Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, the daytime parade becomes the festive Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade until January 06, 2007 (see disneyworld.disney.go.com for more details of all the Disney events).

Starting on January 22 and running on 13 selected nights from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am, until March 8 is the new Disney's Pirate & Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom where you can hunt for chocolate doubloons, see Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade, watch the Magic, Music and Mayhem fireworks spectacular and the Dream Along With Mickey castle stage show. Selected attractions will remain open and you can come in costume if you wish.

The party takes place on January 22, 26 and 29, February 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 23 and 26, March 2, 5 and 8. Tickets cost US$36.95 for adults and US$29.95 for children if bought in advance or US$42.95 for adults and US$35.95 for children if bought on the day (all prices plus tax).

Don't forget that starting on January 24, each day a selected guest and up to five members of their party will be offered the chance to spend the night in the Cinderella Castle as part of the Disney Dreams Giveaway during Disney's 'Year of a Million Dreams'.

The 14th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon takes place between January 4 and 7 in one of the largest USA marathons when more than 16,000 athletes will run the 26.2 miles through all four Disney theme parks. Those who complete the full marathon will receive a Mickey Mouse-shaped medal. A further 16,000 runners will attempt a half marathon to receive a Donald Duck-shaped medal.

Some 3,000 runners will attempt the "Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge" and run both races.

Disney's Blizzard Beach re-opens after its annual refurbishment on January 7, 2007 and then Typhoon Lagoon closes until March 17.

The Holy Land Experience are staging Come to the Manger: A Bethlehem Christmas until January 6, 2007 with festive musicals and presentations (see www.holylandexperience.com for more details).

SeaWorld will celebrate their annual Bud & BBQ with four special concerts. On January 27 you can see Sugarland, on February 3 it is the turn of Sara Evans and then Dennis DeYoung featuring the legendary music of Styx on February 10 and finally Little Big Town on February 17. All washed down with ice-cold Anheuser-Busch beers and southern style smokin' barbecue ribs and chicken (see www.seaworld.com for details).

At Bok Sanctuary, there is a Moonlight Carillon Concert on January 2 at 7:30 pm. On January 9, the daily cariloon concerts commemorate Edward W. Bok who died on January 9 in 1930 and on January 15, Martin Luther King Jr (see www.boksanctuary.org for more details).

Busch Gardens Africa celebrate Irish music and dance with Emerald Beat at the Desert Grill from January 17 until April 15.

There is also the Real Music Concert Series featuring swing, pop and rock 'n roll which starts on January 18 at the Stanleyville Theater. Scheduled to perform are the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Buddy Morrow on January 18 to 21, the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra on January 25 to 28, the Terry Meyers Orchestra with Peter Appleyard on February 1 to 4, the Les Brown Band of Renown featuring Les Brown Jr on February 8 to 11, John Davidson on February 15 to 18, Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone on February 22 to 25, The Four Aces on March 1 to 4 4 and finally Gary Puckett on March 8 to 11 (see www.buschgardens.com for more details).

Cypress Gardens have a series of concerts already lined up including Bobby Goldsboro on January 6, Charlie Pride on January 13, Bobby Vinton on January 20, Trace Adkins on January 27, Willie Nelson on Febraury 3 and Tommy James & The Shondells on February 10 (see www.cypressgardens.com for more details).

There are also some big name acts booked for Silver Springs including Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers on January 20, Jo Dee Messina on January 27, Salute To America on February 3, Lee Greenwood on February 3, Aaron Tippin & Joe Diffie on February 10 and Clint Black on February 17 (see www.silversprings.com for more details).

The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2007 takes place at Sebring Regional Airport between January 11 and 14 and features Light Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot and related certifications and includes fixed wing, trikes, powered parachutes and gyroplanes (see www.sport-aviation-expo.com for more details).

The Florida Citrus Festival and Polk County Fair is from January 11 to 21 in Winter Haven and has been running since 1924. This event showcases the Florida Citrus Industry and State of Florida agriculture, offering fairgoers fun and history including the Citrus Museum, competitions and fantastic rides. (see www.citrusfestival.com for more details).

The annual South Florida Fair runs for 17 days from January 12 to 28 at the South Florida Fairgrounds at West Palm Beach (see www.southfloridafair.com for more details). There are over 80 rides, games and attractions at the Wade Shows midway carnival plus the amazing Kachunga Alligator Show and a spectacular world class ice show.

On January 18, NASA hope to launch a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 Rocket as part of the United States Air Force Space Test Program-1. Last launch attempt was delayed to avoid a clash with the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-116 (see launch schedule for more details).

Amongst the other county fairs this month is the DeSoto County Fair & Livestock Show from January 18 to 28 (see www.desotocountyfair.org for more details) and the Manatee County Fair from January 18 to 28 (see www.manateecountyfair.com for more details).

This year, the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa is on January 27 starting with the Gasparilla Invasion when pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla sails into Hillsborough Bay. In the afternoon, the Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates starts at the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Bay to Bay Boulevard (see www.gasparillapiratefest.com for more details).

There are a number of art festivals during the month including the 19th Annual Las Olas Art Fair and The Villages Art Festival on January 6 to 7, the 20th Annual Boca Fest and 10th Annual Downtown Dunedin Street Art Festival on January 13 to 14, the 18th Annual Delray Beach Festival of the Arts and 17th Annual Indialantic Art Festival on January 20 to 21 and the 4th Annual St. Armands Art Festival on January 27 to 28 (see www.artfestival.com for more details).

On January 27 and 28, it is the 22nd Annual Orange City Blue Spring Manatee Festival (see www.themanateefestival.com for more details).

January is expected to be about average in terms of temperature, slightly cooler in the north and slightly warmer in the south than normal with the likelyhood of above average rainfall for the time of year, especially in Central and Southern regions. Expect some rain and the odd shower with the possibilities of overnight frosts in the North.

In the north, around Pensacola expect temperatures in the high 50s to low 70s with some rain. It will be a little warmer on the east coast around Jacksonville with temperatures up into the mid 70s for a time. Orlando and Tampa will see mid to high 70s but with a lot of cloud. Further south, in Miami and Key West, the temperatures will be in the high 70s and low 80s.

To check out the rest of the weather for all of Florida including a live weather map, monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news, click here.

We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.

Copyright © 2007, Stephen Downs, Florida Review & Travel Guide. All rights reserved. Please do NOT reprint or host on your website without explicit permission from http://www.floridareview.co.uk.

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