Independent guide and review of Florida as a holiday destination

The Eastern Region / Cape Canaveral

The eastern coast of Florida faces the Atlantic Ocean and stretches 350 miles (560 km) from Jacksonville in the north to Miami in the south.

All along its length holiday resorts have sprung up during the last 100 years. It is also the home to the NASA space complex at Cape Canaveral.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine's claim to fame is as the oldest town in North America though this is contested with Pensacola in some quarters. To emphasise its position in history the coastline is known as the 'First Coast'.

It was first inhabited in 1565 by the Spanish under the command of Admiral Pedro Menendez and today many 18th century Spanish style houses survive.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville, named after the American general Andrew Jackson, covers an area of 772 sq. miles and is the largest city in the whole of the USA and its port is a major trading centre with the Caribbean and South America.

It can also claim to have the largest brewery in the USA, namely the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, owners of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

Cape Canaveral

This part of the coast is known as the 'Space Coast' in recognition of the importance of the John F Kennedy Space Center, home to NASA's manned space programme. NASA hopes to restart the space shuttle programme in 2005 with the launch of Discovery STS-114.

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach has a long stretch of golden sands and refreshing sea breezes; a good place for a family beach holiday. No visit to this part of the coast would be complete without a visit to the world famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop, open 24 hours a day.

Daytona Beach

In the past, the long flat sands of Daytona have hosted car races and world land speed attempts. Today you can drive your own car along a 20 mile (35 km) stretch of the beach during the summer.