Dear Travel Friends, if you have been following my blog for a while you know that every year I prepare a cool Christmas travel itinerary or a Christmas activities guide for you. This time won’t be an exception – let us talk about Christmas in Florida.
If you are tired of freezing temperatures, snowstorms and icy roads Christmas in Florida is the perfect answer to your “what to do for the holidays” dilemma. Christmas in Florida is splendid not just because of the gorgeous weather and beautiful nature. There are Christmas events and activities in Florida that you can only experience in the Sunshine State.
Below is a list of my absolute favorite and unique Christmas events and activities in Florida.
Christmas in Florida #1: Holiday Boat Parades
Christmas boat parades is a very much a Floridian thing. There is a handful of Christmas boat parades that traditionally take place in California and a couple other coastal states, but it is what it is – just a handful. In Florida there are DOZENS of them happening the whole month of December, all over the State. If you are staying in Florida, say, for a week, you may be able to see not just one but a couple! Check out this detailed list of all Holiday Boat Parades in Florida.
Christmas in Florida #2: Grand Mansions
Florida has several grand historic mansions, some of them turned into museums. Each of these destinations will do some sort of a holiday celebration on a grand scale. And the opulent decorations are always fabulous! Here are just a couple examples:
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Vizcaya in Miami organizes Vizcaya Late Holiday Evenings where you can enjoy Christmas décor in the mansion and the gardens.
The Ringling
The Ringling in Sarasota hosts its annual Holiday Splendor event 3 subsequent weekends in December and it is one of my most favorite Floridian attractions, not just at Christmas time.
Christmas in Florida #3: Holiday Cruises
Florida is one of best places to take a short holiday themed cruise. If you only have a week of vacation and you don’t want to spend all of it on a boat, no worries. There are many 3 and 4 nights holiday cruises departing Florida’s Port Canaveral and Miami. These cruises typically sail to the Bahamas with a couple of stops. So you will have an opportunity to both enjoy the festive cruise AND fun Christmas events in Florida and in the Bahamas, on land.
Christmas in Florida #4: Holidays at the Theme Parks
For the most people Florida is associated with theme parks, and it is true, the Sunshine State has LOTS of them: Disney World, Legoland, Universal, Busch Gardens and more. And every park will try to outdo the others with weeks’ long holidays celebrations, typically from mid-November to early January.
Of course, Disney World is the most popular, but it is also the most crowded. My personal preference is Christmas Town in Busch Gardens in Tampa. It has beautiful decorations, holiday shows and activities but deffinitely less people than Disney parks.
Christmas in Florida #5: Holidays at the Zoos and Botanical Gardens
If you come from a big city you would probably say that you have some sort of Zoo holiday lights back home. That’s true, but how much of it would you be able to see in subfreezing nighttime temperatures before you decide to go home to warm up? A half? A third? In Florida, on the other hand, you can enjoy a pleasant leisurely stroll and see it all without a frostbite on your nose and your toes. And heck, you paid for it ALL so you should be able to see it all!
Most of Floridian big zoos and botanical gardens will have special holiday displays during the month of December and early January. Check out Zoo Tampa, Zoo Miami, Jacksonville Zoo and other big zoos in the State which all have Zoo Lights tradition. In some zoos you will see festive decorations in animals’ enclosures as well during day time, not just the lights in the evening.
Many botanical gardens will have holiday lights displays too, such as Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami and others.
Christmas in Florida #6: Florida Christmas Markets
Florida also has a fair share of Christmas markets and fairs in different towns around the State. If you are a fan of Christmas markets, please, check out the complete list of locations HERE. I personally love visiting Christmas markets in different states because you can buy unique local goodies there that you won’t be able to buy in other states or back home and they make perfect, one of a kind Christmas gifts.
Christmas in Florida #7: Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center is not a Christmas destination per say BUT it is a very popular attraction in Florida which is always crowded with long lines to all attractions. The docents at the Center told me that the least crowded time at the Space Center is during the winter holidays so it is a unique opportunity for you to enjoy Kennedy Space Center rather than wasting your time waiting in lines if you visit any other time. I would strongly suggest taking this opportunity if you are visiting Florida in December because Kennedy Space Center is truly amazing.
The Logistics of Christmas in Florida
If you are flying to Florida, the biggest airline hubs in the State are Miami and Orlando. It is pretty easy to obtain an affordable car hire in Orlando or Miami and then just drive around and explore various regions of Florida. The roads will be clear – no snow storms expected here. 🙂
There are also lots of lodging options for all budgets in Florida since the Sunshine State is truly a traveler’s paradise.
Conclusion
If you like vacationing in Florida, I have lots of different Florida travel itineraries on my blog.
If you need more ideas in terms of Christmas vacation planning, check out my other Christmas itineraries.
I hope you have a great winter holiday vacation and if you found this article useful, please, share it with others as it may help them in their travel plans too.
Happy travels!
