East Coast
The Eastern Coast of Florida has some very nice beaches with moderately good surf on the Atlantic Ocean. They offer plenty of high rise hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and entertainment venues that cater to the beach loving tourists. The beaches near Saint Augustine and Melborne are a bit less commercial and tend to attract more family vacationers and local tourists.
Although Daytona Beach can be considered an all-year-round tourist destination, much of its tourist business revolves around three major events. The legendary Daytona 500 stock-car race in February, Bike week, in early March which sees thousands of leather-clad bikers converge on the city and the Full Cycle Scene, in October, which features amateur and pro races. For all the excitement that racing generates, the best thing about Daytona is the seemingly limitless beach; it’s 500 feet wide at low tide, and fades dreamily off into the heat haze.
Cocoa Beach is a residential community and a tourist destination. The normal population is approximately 13,0 00 and increases to as high as 30,000 during the peak tourist season when the hotels, motels, timeshares and condominium rentals are filled with vacationers. Cocoa Beach is an hour’s drive east of Orlando on Florida’s beautiful Space Coast and offers endless ways to enjoy recreation and leisure. On the Space Coast you can go deep sea fishing or parasailing, try your luck aboard a casino cruise ship, or take an eco-tour to get up close with Florida’s awesome wildlife.
Amelia Island is known as the “Isle of Eight Flags”, it has had the following flags flown over it since 1562: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. It is 13 miles (21 km) long and approximately 4 miles (6 km) wide at its widest point. It is host to the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, the Amelia Island Jazz Festival, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, the Amelia Island Film Festival, and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
