Welcome to the January Newsletter
Hi Subscriber, welcome to the January newsletter of the
Florida Review & Travel Guide.
Firstly, 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.
January is traditionally the start of the vacation planning season, so if you
are planning a vacation to Florida during 2008, then let the Florida Review
& Travel Guide help you on your way.
Gasoline prices
Analysts are forecasting that oil prices will continue to rise and within a
couple of months time, gas (Petrol) could be as much as $3.75 a gallon.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
As of January 1, 2008, the Disney-MGM Studios theme park is being re-branded
as Disney's Hollywood Studios with a new logo.
Hurricane predictions
The 2007 hurricane season started early with Subtropical Storm Andrea in mid
May and ended late with Tropical Storm Olga in mid December.
The team from the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University
led by Professor William Gray have already made their first predictions for the
2008 season.
They are forecasting an above average season with 13 named storms, seven of them
hurricanes of which three will become major hurricanes (Category 3 or
greater with sustained winds of 111 mph or more).
Manatee Status
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has deferred their
decisions about reclassifying the manatee from endangered to threatened
after the personal intervention of the new Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist.
Florida books published in January
There is an eclectic mix of Books about Florida published in January including:
- Florida Lawn Guide
- The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort : How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer by Cara Goldsbury
- Where Orlando - Shop : Great Shopping Wherever You Are by Where Magazine
- Florida ATV Trails Guidebook (A Complete Quad Riding Guide To FL ATV)
- Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach & Florida's Space Coast Great Destinations : A Complete Guide by Dianne Marcum
- Along Florida's Expressways: Local Knowledge and Insider Information for Florida's Interstates, Expressways and Toll Routes
- The Captain's Guide to Wrecks and Reefs: Florida's East & West Coast; Florida's Keys; The Bahamas
- Historic Photos of Florida's Earliest Tourist Attractions
- Hiking the Florida Trail: 1,100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots, and One Heck of an Adventure
- Atlantic Loyalties: Americans in Spanish West Florida, 1785-1810
- Florida Cities, Towns and Counties 2008
- Greetings from Tampa, Florida
- Orlando Firefighting, Florida (Images of America Series)
- Passporter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line and its Ports of Call
- Petunia Sweetpea's Florida Gardening Book, Filled with Plumb Good Advice
- Sebring, Florida (Images of America Series)
- The Seaweeds of Florida
- Open Road's Best of the Florida Keys & Everglades : Your Passport to the Perfect Trip!" and "Includes One-day, Weekend, One-week & Two-week Trips by Charlie Morris
- Cocoa and Rockledge, Florida (Images of America Series)
- Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast (Adventure Guides Series)
All these books and more can be found in our new Florida book directories for
US and
UK visitors.
Theme parks in Florida have had mixed fortunes in 2007.
Whilst the big parks like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and the
Worlds of Discovery parks (formerly Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks) SeaWorld
and Busch Gardens have all seen increased visitor numbers, new rides and attractions,
some of the smaller independent parks and attractions have struggled financially.
Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park closed in 2003 as it failed to compete with it's bigger and more
sophisticated neighbours in Orlando but it was bought out by the Adventure Parks Group LLC.
After being hit by three hurricanes in 2004, it eventually re-opened in late 2004 but they were
unable to agree settlement terms with the insurers and Adventure Parks Group LLC
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Georgia federal court in 2006.
Despite these problems, Cypress Gardens has managed to remain open and they were able
to open the old wooden Starliner roller coaster,
rescued from the Miracle Strip amusement park in Panama City Beach.
In 2007, Cypress Gardens found itself with yet another new owner, a local company
called Land South Holdings LLC.
Holy Land Experience
Falling visitor numbers also hurt the Holy Land Experience in Orlando and it was
effectively bailed out by Trinity Broadcasting Network who will help to
promote the unusual theme park through their existing broadcasting channels
and use some of the Holy Land Experience's land to build production studios.
Skull Kingdom and Titanic Experience
Both Skull Kingdom and the Titanic Experience have closed their doors on International Drive.
The Titanic Experience were hoping to find an alternative venue but as yet there is no
news.
Weeki Wachee Springs
Another of Florida's oldest attractions, Weeki Wachee Springs are also struggling to stay open.
Today, the attraction is owned by the city of Weeki Wachee (population nine)
and they are in dispute with the Southwest Florida Water Management District who own
the land.
Court proceedings are ongoing and one possible outcome is that the Weeki Wachee Springs
is turned into a state park but discussions are only in the very early stages.
For further details of all of Florida's theme parks, click
here.
Despite the problems being suffered by some parks and attractions, for anyone planning a
trip to Florida in 2008, there is much to look forward to,
especially the opening of a the brand new water park, Aquatica.
All the major parks are planning new rides and attractions, but the opening of a completely
new park is something else.
Aquatica by SeaWorld
Several years in the making, the new water park by SeaWorld, Aquatica, will
officially open on March 1, 2008, next door to the existing SeaWorld and Discovery Cove
parks in Orlando.
It will compete directly with Disney's own themed water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
and early indications are that ticket prices will be similar.
Busch Gardens Africa
The sight of the now demolished Python roller coaster is being redeveloped as
a new themed Jungle Village called Jungala which is due to open in 2008.
Walt Disney World
Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams" celebrations which started in late 2006 have been so
successful that Disney have announced that they will be extended until the end of 2008.
From January 1, 2008, the Disney-MGM Studios theme park is renamed as Disney's Hollywood Studios
and there are several changes planned for 2008.
The "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" attraction which closed in 2006 will re-open in late 2008
as a new "Toy Story Mania" ride.
There will also be a new outdoor show, "Block Party Bash", new characters for the
"Playhouse Disney-Live On Stage!" show and a new High School Musical street show.
Universal Orlando
Like Disney, Universal are replacing rides and in their case, the "Back to the Future: The Ride"
will be revamped as a new "Simpsons" ride in the Spring of 2008.
For more information on all these Florida 2008 highlights and more, click
here.
Book Review - Along Florida's Expressways
For many years now, Dave Hunter has published the Along Interstate-75: Local Knowledge,
Entertainment And Insider Tips, for Your Drive Between Detroit And the Florida Border driving guide.
The second edition of Along Florida's Expressways : Local Knowledge and Insider Information for
Florida's Interstates, Expressways and Toll Routes is a companion book to Along Interstate-75
and picks up where the other book leaves off; i.e. at the Florida state border.
If you are a Florida snowbird, then it is quite possible that you will consider driving to
Florida for the winter rather than flying or taking a train.
If so, then you may want to consider purchasing both books.
The 2nd edition of Along Florida's Expressways is published on January 15, 2008 and will
generally be updated every two years.
Along Florida's Expressways following the same tried and tested approach as it's companion
Along Interstate-75 with 25 miles-per-page full colour strip maps.
Each map is accompanied by pages of factual information about every available service; gas
(petrol) station, hotel and restaurant at each exit plus other historical and interesting
titbits and fun facts which can turn an otherwise tedious drive into an enjoyable family experience.
The book is described as a driving guide rather than a destination guide but it still manages
to contain a lot of interesting information about the places you are passing close by.
One of the first things you notice about Along Florida's Expressways is that the maps are not
orientated north-south or east-west like many other road maps, they are aligned in the
direction you are travelling so you always travel up the map from bottom to top.
This means what is on the right-hand side of the map is always on your right-hand side
as you drive along the road.
It is obvious when you think about it but it may take a bit of getting used to.
In the long run it makes the maps much simpler to use when navigating as it is so
much easier to orientate yourself to the map and your direction of travel.
The book is also spiral bound which again makes it much easier to keep open at the
right page when you are driving.
To read the complete review of Along Florida's Expressways, click
here.
The Northwest corner of Florida is one of the least well known regions stretching
from the border with Alabama along the beautiful crystal white sandy beaches
to Apalachee Bay. To the north east it borders the state of Georgia.
Often called the Florida Panhandle because of it's long and thin shape, it is
also known as the Emerald Coast to the west after the bright emerald greens and
blues of the sea, the Forgotten Coast in the centre and Big Bend to the east after
the curving Apalachee Bay.
The area around Panama City Beach is known colloquially as the Redneck Riviera
because of its beautiful beaches which made it a favourite destination for
holiday makers from the Deep South.
Today this area of coastline is one of the top spots for college spring breakers.
Other popular vacation destinations include Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze,
Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Seaside and Destin.
Because it is more northerly, the climate is more temperate than the rest of
Florida and during the winter months, the temperature will sometime drop
below freezing at night but in the summer the temperatures are perfect.
Unlike Central and Southern Florida, the Northwest of Florida actually feels
more Southern perhaps because it borders Alabama and Georgia.
Instead of palm trees you will find typical southern antebellum houses and
giant live oaks.
Note that this part of Florida is actually in a different time zone to
the rest of Florida, being on Central time rather than Eastern time.
To read more about all of Florida's regions, click
here.
Free Monthly Desktop Wallpaper
January and February 2008 desktop wallpaper calendars
The free Florida desktop wallpaper calendars are now available in
widescreen format as well as standard format so if you have a widescreen
monitor you can now download a new widescreen calendar.
Free desktop calendars for January 2008 (Shamu Believe Show, SeaWorld) and
February 2008 (Muppet Vision 3D at Disney's Hollywood Studios) 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 or February now, click here.
Also don't forget if you are looking for inspiration on what to do on your Florida
vacation, why not take advantage of our collection of free brochures where you will find
information on many activities including golfing vacations, eco-tours, scuba diving
and Caribbean cruises.
Read more...
Early January sees the last of the holiday season attractions and events at the
theme parks coming to a close but if you hurry you will still be able to see
Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Osborne Family
Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney's MGM-Studios, Christmas at Dixie Stampede
at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and ICE! at Gaylord Palms.
As of January 1st, the Disney MGM-Studios theme park is re-branded as
Disney's Hollywood Studios.
January also sees the switch over with the Disney water parks.
On January 6, 2008 Disney's Typhoon Lagoon re-opens after its annual maintenance
and Disney's Blizzard Beach closes until mid March 2008.
NASA hope to launch the Space Shuttle Atlantis that was delayed from its launch
in December 2007 due to electrical problems with the engine fuel cut-off sensors.
Once the holiday season ends, the theme parks will start to get quieter again.
For full coverage of January events throughout the State of Florida, click here.
January is the coldest month of the year in Florida and particularly in
the North, there is a chance of overnight temperatures dropping below freezing.
Overall, temperatures will be slightly below seasonal averages and rainfall
will be about average.
In the north around Pensacola and Jacksonville, the month will start out
cool and then will gradually warm up with sunshine and clouds.
Temperatures will be in the low 50s/mid 70s during the day with night-time
temperatures in the low 30s/mid 50s. It will be colder in the west.
Across the Central region, the weather outlook is similar but a little warmer
in the low 60s/high 70s during the day, dropping to mid 30s/high 50s over night.
Down in Miami and the Keys, there will be fewer clouds and temperatures are much
more consistent with daytime temperatures a little warmer with mid 60s/high 70s
during the day and high 40s/high 60s overnight.
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 © 2008, Stephen Downs, Florida Review & Travel Guide.
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