Celebrate the Season Amid Surf, Sand and Palm Trees
VISIT FLORIDA points out that almost 23 million visitors came to the Sunshine State last year between October and December. What better place to make merry with family and friends? Here they list some of the holiday festivities you can enjoy:
Gone To the Beach:
Panama City Beach is America’s Beach Home for the Holidays this year. This holiday celebration, spanning from November through December, will feature live musical performances, bonfires complete with s’mores and hot chocolate, and even Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be in attendance.
For those in favor of a very beachy Christmas, the fun does not stop there. West Palm Beach’s annual Sandi Land: Holiday in Paradise, features Sandi, the world’s only giant holiday tree sculpted from 600 tons of sand, presenting a dazzling musical light show with over 5,000 lights.
Long Time No Sea:
Ever wondered where Santa Claus goes on his last day before flying out to deliver toys all over the world? A deserted island in the waters surrounding Fort Myers and Sanibel is where. Take Santa’s Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise to visit him before he takes off and celebrate Christmas island-style.
Not ready to hit dry land yet? Punta Gorda has the perfect Christmas Light Canal Cruise for the whole family to embark on. One-hour cruises view the illuminated residential canals filled with Christmas lights, displays and decorations on homes, boats, sea walls and docks.
For those who don’t have the sea legs, St. Pete Beach has its annual Boat Parade & Winter Festival. The parade features boats decorated with holiday décor and lights to create a holiday celebration like no other.
Parades in Paradise:
Pensacola is the perfect place to start when looking for a parade of good cheer. Their annual Elf Parade features hundreds of children all dressed as elves and holiday characters parading downtown to meet Santa at the Escambia Court House for the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree. This parade comes fit with a Christmas song battle, southern-made snow and a guarantee of holiday fun.
Also parading through the town of Key West is the Annual Key West Dachshund Walk. Turning this island into a “wiener wonderland”, about 200 dachshunds and their owners take a New Year’s Eve stroll through Key West’s scenic downtown. Many canine participants even wear festive costumes or accessories as they strut for the whole town to see.
Holiday Fun for the Whole Family:
Experience Christmas traditions from around the world at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Christmas Town 2016. This year’s spectacle is bigger and better than ever with more than 8 million lights adorning the amusement park’s grounds for all to enjoy.
Even Mickey Mouse is excited to celebrate the holidays in Florida with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World Orlando Resort. Cinderella’s Castle transforms into a sparkling ice palace, your favorite attractions take on a holiday theme, and Magic Kingdom lights up with excitement for this year’s holiday celebration.
Mickey isn’t the only one wanting to celebrate the holidays with you, Shamu at SeaWorld Orlando is putting on a Christmas Celebration of his own. Waves of holiday spirit splash over the park during their live holiday shows and you can even take a journey to the North Pole on The Polar Express Experience.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town:
Santa is planning to drop in on the city of Pensacola this December and not by sleigh. Bring the whole family to the Flora-Bama Santa Drop and see Santa descend from an airplane and safely land on the snow-white beach of Perdido Key. Get pictures taken with the adrenaline junkie himself and join in on this daylong holiday celebration.
If skydiving wasn’t enough of a thrill for Santa, a visit with Big Cat Habitat’s Samson the white tiger sure will be. Enjoy their special holiday performance and get your photo taken with Santa and Samson after the show.
A Little Holiday Competition Never Hurt Anybody:
Benefiting more than a dozen local charities, Miramar Beach is hosting their seventh annual Grand Boulevard Festival of Trees. Come marvel at dozens of Christmas trees, uniquely decorated by area non-profits. Judging categories include Best in Show, People’s Choice and many more. Take a stroll down Grand Boulevard and enjoy the finest efforts of tree-bedazzling around.
The friendly holiday competition doesn’t stop there, Sarasota joins in on the fun with CYD’s Gingerbread Festival. With over 150 outstanding entries to enjoy, picking your favorite confectionary delight may be a bit of a challenge. Enjoy taking on the task and possibly even take your favorite creation home for your own holiday decoration.
Gone To the Beach:
Panama City Beach is America’s Beach Home for the Holidays this year. This holiday celebration, spanning from November through December, will feature live musical performances, bonfires complete with s’mores and hot chocolate, and even Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be in attendance.
For those in favor of a very beachy Christmas, the fun does not stop there. West Palm Beach’s annual Sandi Land: Holiday in Paradise, features Sandi, the world’s only giant holiday tree sculpted from 600 tons of sand, presenting a dazzling musical light show with over 5,000 lights.
Long Time No Sea:
Ever wondered where Santa Claus goes on his last day before flying out to deliver toys all over the world? A deserted island in the waters surrounding Fort Myers and Sanibel is where. Take Santa’s Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise to visit him before he takes off and celebrate Christmas island-style.
Not ready to hit dry land yet? Punta Gorda has the perfect Christmas Light Canal Cruise for the whole family to embark on. One-hour cruises view the illuminated residential canals filled with Christmas lights, displays and decorations on homes, boats, sea walls and docks.
For those who don’t have the sea legs, St. Pete Beach has its annual Boat Parade & Winter Festival. The parade features boats decorated with holiday décor and lights to create a holiday celebration like no other.
Parades in Paradise:
Pensacola is the perfect place to start when looking for a parade of good cheer. Their annual Elf Parade features hundreds of children all dressed as elves and holiday characters parading downtown to meet Santa at the Escambia Court House for the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree. This parade comes fit with a Christmas song battle, southern-made snow and a guarantee of holiday fun.
Also parading through the town of Key West is the Annual Key West Dachshund Walk. Turning this island into a “wiener wonderland”, about 200 dachshunds and their owners take a New Year’s Eve stroll through Key West’s scenic downtown. Many canine participants even wear festive costumes or accessories as they strut for the whole town to see.
Holiday Fun for the Whole Family:
Experience Christmas traditions from around the world at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Christmas Town 2016. This year’s spectacle is bigger and better than ever with more than 8 million lights adorning the amusement park’s grounds for all to enjoy.
Even Mickey Mouse is excited to celebrate the holidays in Florida with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World Orlando Resort. Cinderella’s Castle transforms into a sparkling ice palace, your favorite attractions take on a holiday theme, and Magic Kingdom lights up with excitement for this year’s holiday celebration.
Mickey isn’t the only one wanting to celebrate the holidays with you, Shamu at SeaWorld Orlando is putting on a Christmas Celebration of his own. Waves of holiday spirit splash over the park during their live holiday shows and you can even take a journey to the North Pole on The Polar Express Experience.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town:
Santa is planning to drop in on the city of Pensacola this December and not by sleigh. Bring the whole family to the Flora-Bama Santa Drop and see Santa descend from an airplane and safely land on the snow-white beach of Perdido Key. Get pictures taken with the adrenaline junkie himself and join in on this daylong holiday celebration.
If skydiving wasn’t enough of a thrill for Santa, a visit with Big Cat Habitat’s Samson the white tiger sure will be. Enjoy their special holiday performance and get your photo taken with Santa and Samson after the show.
A Little Holiday Competition Never Hurt Anybody:
Benefiting more than a dozen local charities, Miramar Beach is hosting their seventh annual Grand Boulevard Festival of Trees. Come marvel at dozens of Christmas trees, uniquely decorated by area non-profits. Judging categories include Best in Show, People’s Choice and many more. Take a stroll down Grand Boulevard and enjoy the finest efforts of tree-bedazzling around.
The friendly holiday competition doesn’t stop there, Sarasota joins in on the fun with CYD’s Gingerbread Festival. With over 150 outstanding entries to enjoy, picking your favorite confectionary delight may be a bit of a challenge. Enjoy taking on the task and possibly even take your favorite creation home for your own holiday decoration.