In This Issue Welcome Harry Potter comes to Universal Top Beaches Book Review - Fodor's WDW with Kids 2008 Park Ride News Free Monthly Desktop Wallpaper Flying Fishes July events Weather forecast

Hi subscriber, welcome to the July newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide and a happy Independence Day to you all.

Firstly an apology - sorry for messing up the free June desktop calendar. The problem with the dates was spotted and corrected after a couple of days but apologies to anyone who downloaded the incorrect version.

Holyland Experience

The bible-based Holy Land Experience theme park in Orlando has been rescued from its financial difficulties by the Trinity Broadcasting Network as visitor numbers have continued to dwindle.

Trinity will be able to help promote the Holy Land Experience through its existing broadcasting channels and use some of the Holy Land Experience's land to build production studios.

Favourite American Holiday Destination

After a calm hurricane season in 2006, Florida has regained its place as America's favourite holiday destination after losing out to California last year.

Latest Books

Florida books published in July

Only one new book for July but plenty are on their way in August/September as all the major publishers start releasing their 2008 editions (more details next month):

• Caribbean By Cruise Ship : The Complete Guide To Cruising The Caribbean

All these books can be found in our new Florida book directories for US and UK visitors.

As mentioned last month, Universal announced at the end of May that they had signed a deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. to bring Harry Potter to Universal Orlando.

A new theme park within a theme park called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" will open inside Universal's Islands of Adventure some time in late 2009/early 2010.

Part of the existing Lost Continent will be re-themed and by extending into some currently undeveloped adjoining land, a 20 acre park dedicated to Harry Potter and his friends will be created.

There are not too many details yet but Universal promise that visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter and visit the village of Hogsmeade, the mysterious Forbidden Forest and parts of Hogwarts Castle and grounds.

Of course, the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter will also include what are described as "experiential shops and restaurants" which will allow guests to part with large sums of money on Harry Potter merchandise and sample food based on the J.K. Rowling's books and films !!   Read more...

This year, Florida can boast three beaches in the America's Best Beaches for 2007 survey carried out annually by Professor Stephen Leatherman (Dr Beach) from Florida International University.

Only swimming beaches are considered and previous winners are automatically excluded from the latest survey.

This year the top spot goes to Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, in North Carolina, with Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater ranked second, Lighthouse Point Park in Daytona Beach ranked ninth and Siesta Beach in Sarasota County 10th.

Previous Florida winners are Fort DeSoto Park, North Beach in St Petersburg in 2005, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in 2002, St. Andrews SRA (State Recreation Area) in 1995, Grayton Beach SRA in 1994 and Bahia Honda SRA in 1992.

Only Hawaii can boast more winners than Florida.

The 18th edition of Fodor's Walt Disney World with Kids is published in August 2007, the first edition being published way back in 1989.

Kim Wright Wiley is a veteran writer about Walt Disney World and she has visited the parks 50 times so she knows her way around.

As well as Walt Disney World, there are also details on Universal Orlando and SeaWorld plus Disney Cruise Lines so it covers all the major parks if you are planning a trip to the Orlando area.

The book is packed with tips to help you save both money and time plus opinions and reviews from over 500 other families who have visited Disney giving you a wealth of information including the the times and places to meet characters, the best locations for the parades, best rides and best places to eat.

The "don't miss lists" and favourite attractions by age group help you plan your visit according to the age and make up of your party.

There are charts in each chapter, giving useful statistics on each attraction and ride such as its rating in terms of age group suitability, fun and scare factors, length of ride and any minimum height requirements.   Read more...

Busch Gardens

Hold on to your Crocs, SheiKra has gone floorless. The SheiKra dive coaster first opened in 2005 and has recently been modified to remove its floor.

There is no longer a front rail so those riders in the first row will now have a clear unobstructed view of the 200 foot vertical drop.

Cypress Gardens

Traditional roller coaster fans will be disappointed that the re-opening of the famous "Starliner" 70 mph wooden roller coaster at the end of June has been delayed because of technical problems.

The Starliner which was first built in 1963 for the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach was rescued after the park closed in 2004 and has been painstakingly rebuilt at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park.

SeaWorld

There are three new rides at Shamu's Happy Harbor for children; Sea Carousel, a carousel type ride with 65 sea creatures, The Flying Fiddler which jumps up and down and Ocean Commotion, a 24 seater swinging boat ride.

These are in addition to three rides added last year - Shamu Express, Jazzy Jellies and Swishy Fishies.

Wet 'n Wild

The extreme multimillion-dollar Brain Wash has opened at Wet 'n Wild and features two and four person tubes with a 53 foot vertical drop.

Disney's Magic Kingdom

The Haunted Mansion will be closed for three months whilst Disney updates some of the technology and add a few new ghosts. It is expected to re-open in mid September.

Read more...

July and August 2007 desktop wallpaper calendars

Free desktop calendars for July 2007 (Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom) and August 2007 (Giant Panda topiary at the China Pavilion in Epcot) are ready to download now.

Note that some of the larger files can be 200-300k in size so if you are on a modem dialup line it will take a few minutes to download.

To view and then download the Florida free desktop wallpaper for July or August now, click here.

Also don't forget if you are looking for inspiration on what to do on your Florida vacation, why not take advantage of our collection of free brochures where you will find information on many activities including golfing vacations, eco-tours, scuba diving and Caribbean cruises.    Read more...

It could only happen in Florida. Most people going near water in Florida would be wary of alligators in rivers and lakes or sharks off the coast but what about flying fish?

In the last few months, several people have been injured while boating on the Suwannee River after being hit by leaping sturgeon fish. One woman was knocked unconscious, another suffered a ruptured spleen and lost a finger and in the latest incident a young girl had her leg broken by the fish whilst another passenger sustained cuts and bruises.

Sturgeon which have large bony plates along their backs, can grow to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 200 pounds and regularly jump out of the water. In 2006, 10 people were injured in similar incidents which is not helped by the increase in boating on Florida's rivers.

Back in late 2006, in an incident reminiscent of the tragic accident that killed the Australian wildlife presenter Steve Irwin, a sting ray jumped into a boat off Lighthouse Point, Miami and stung an 81 year old man in the heart, leaving him in a critical condition. Luckily surgeons were able to operate and he recovered.

The big event in July is of course Independence Day on July 4th. For details of many of the Independence Day celebrations throughout Florida including all the main theme parks, click here.

Other notable events in July include racing at the Daytona International Speedway including the Brumos Porsche 250, the Circle K Qualifying / Winn Dixie 250 and the Pepsi 400.

The Sounds Like Summer Concert Series continues in the open-air America Gardens Theatre at Epcot with a number of tribute bands including tributes to Garth Brooks, Aretha Franklin, ABBA, The Eagles, Billy Joel and Elton John.

For full coverage of July events throughout the State of Florida, click here.

Temperatures and rainfall in July are expected to be about average for the time of year with little difference in daytime temperatures throughout the State.

The month will start sunny with increasing thunderstorms and humidity, particularly in the North.

In the North, around Pensacola and Jacksonville, temperatures will be in the mid 80s to low 90s during the day with night-time temperatures in the high 60s to mid 70s.

Temperatures across the Central region will be similar to the North but slightly warmer at night.

Down South in Miami and the Keys, the temperatures will be up in the high 80s to low 90s during the day and high 70s over night.

To check out the rest of the weather for all of Florida including a live weather map, monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news, click here.

We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.

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