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The Discovery Continues
There's much to see and do as Florida commemorates the 500-year anniversary of Ponce de León arriving on its eastern shore.
Historic, Romantic St. Augustine - St. Augustine, Jacksonville
St. Augustine's rich heritage makes the city and its surroundings a unique getaway for visitors. Founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés of Spain, St. Augustine is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States — more commonly called the “Nation's Oldest City.” Stroll the narrow lanes, enter the many museums and visit landmarks such as Castillo de San Marcos and the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse.
The Romanza Festivale, May 10-19, is a multi-arts celebration centered in historic downtown St. Augustine. More than three-dozen cultural organizations will collaborate to produce 60-plus shows and exhibits. In October, Spanish wine distributors as well as local and regional restaurants will provide a celebration of heritage foods, wine, dance and culture during the city's Spanish Wine and Food Festival.
On Independence Day, the city of Jacksonville welcomes Expedition Florida 500 participants who set out from Pensacola in January on a mission to circumnavigate coastal Florida via paddleboards.
The Wonders of Tampa Bay - St. Petersburg · Clearwater · Tampa
Spanish masterpieces, sea monsters and more
Surrounded by glistening salt water on three sides, St. Pete/Clearwater is an area of big-city attractions mixed with cultural charms and miles of white sand beaches. Visit from Memorial Day through Labor Day and you'll find a calendar packed with cool ideas for things to do during its “100 Days of Summer.”
No visit to the Tampa Bay area is complete without a visit to The Dalí Museum in downtown St. Petersburg. Dalí's great masterpiece “The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus” is one of the most inspiring pieces for visitors. The title is also a reference to the artist's own discovery of America — the place where he found fame. At the Dalí museum, the convergence of art and science stimulates the senses for a taste of both.
Across the bay in Tampa, children of all ages can quench their thirst for the fun of science and whet their appetite for future adventures at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).
MOSI offers a comprehensive overview of science and technology with more than 450 interpretive science exhibits and visual displays on natural disasters, physics, astronomy and more.
MOSI makes a great daytime excursion for children and adults. Experience what it's like to pedal a bicycle on a 1-inch cable suspended 30 feet above the ground or lie on a bed-of-nails in MOSI's Kids In Charge exhibit! Enjoy an adrenaline rush like no other on MOSI's Sky Trail® Ropes Course and brand new Zip Line. Daring riders will soar more than 700 feet over MOSI and then return to the Ropes Course to conquer 35 elements with high-energy feats ideal for all ages.
Add to your MOSI experience with tickets to the world premiere of “Sea Monsters Revealed,” now open for a limited time. Visitors will descend to the depths to explore the sea floor and see not only the outside but also the inside of more than 200 of the most elusive aquatic lifeforms ever discovered, including a 15-foot-long mako shark, a giant squid, and an 18-foot-long, 3,000-pound whale shark. “Sea Monsters Revealed” takes visitors on a journey of exploration in search of something so massive and magical, you truly have to experience it to grasp its impact and importance.
