The Sunshine State

WHEN TO GO: December through May are the most popular months for beach vacations; most families travel July and August to enjoy the major theme parks.

*Miami Beach-Vizacaya Museum and Gardens (a 34-room Italian Renaissance-style villa built on Biscayne Bay); Bayside Marketplace (a recreational and sports complex featuring a marina, shops, cafes, and gondola and boat rides).

*Other popular beaches-Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale

*Tampa-the sunny and cosmopolitan city; Bush Gardens

*St. Petersburg and Sarasota-famous beach resorts

*Florida Keys-a chain of 32 small islands connected by 42 bridges

*Key West-Ernest Hemingway's house and gardens; the Audubon house and gardens; the Conch Tour Train

*Orlando-Walt Disney World; Magic Kingdom; EPCOT Center; Disney-MGM Studios; Animal Kingdom; Sea World; Cypress Gardens; Universal Studios; Kennedy Space Center

*Miami and Ft. Lauderdale-both considered the hot spot of Florida with jazzy beach resorts, low-key Caribbean-style accommodations, nightclubs, and the largest cruise ship port in the world

*St. Augustine-Florida's oldest city; a playground for the wealthy