Sometimes you just need to get away to "The Happiest Place on Earth." And lucky for us, it's not that long of a drive.
DisneyWorld is made up of four distinct parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. Each one offers thrills, shows, dining and a place to just be a kid again. All four parks offer discounts to Florida residents.
Magic Kingdom is what you think of when you think Disney. Cinderella's castle, parades and Space Mountain. But don't overlook the joy of just strolling along Main Street, smelling the cookies bake and listening to a barbershop quartet.
EPCOT is a hands-on exploration of tomorrow's technology, as well as the only place where you can walk (and dine) around the world in a matter of hours. Be sure not to miss the food and wine festival that usually runs from late September through early November.
MGM Studios is all about the lights, camera and action of old Hollywood. Get caught up in a street performance or be a part of the action by riding the Tower of Terror.
Animal Kingdom is the newest park and also home to Disney's newest thrill ride, Exploration Everest.
-Jennifer A. Conklin, presentation editor
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
XX miles
One of the best places I know in Florida to "get away from it all" is on the barrier islands just west of Fort Myers. Sanibel and Captiva Islands are full of natural beauty, preserved in part by the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
The first time I went to Sanibel Island I was as a very green tourist, ogling the lush green foliage and the amazing shells on the beaches. At the end of my weekend, I realized I could spend a full week there and still have places on my "to explore" list. You can scuba dive and snorkel, hunt for sunken treasure, visit historical museums, enjoy music from opera to jazz and rent bicycles to see the islands up-close-and-personal.
There is a high concentration of the arts on the islands, offering both community and professional theater, music and dance. I like to take my time wandering the art galleries.
But in the end, it's the wildlife refuge that calls to me. I can sit quietly in one place and observe a slice of Florida I couldn't experience anywhere else. It's no wonder the Calusa tribes fought so hard to protect their homes against Ponce de Leon's forces, and why settlers tried and tried again to make a life on these incredible islands.
-Willa Haynes, features editor
Bok Tower, Lake Wales
XX miles
I saw the very first pictures of Bok Tower in a magazine (Southern Living) just when I moved to Sarasota. The tower and surrounding sanctuary were created by editor and writer Edward Willem Bok, born in Den Helder, The Netherlands, in gratitude for the opportunities he found in the United States. President Calvin Coolidge dedicated Bok Sanctuary in 1929, just a year before Bok died within sight of his tower.
Of course, when my mom and stepfather visited from The Netherlands, we made the trek to Lake Wales (about a 90-minute drive from Bradenton) to see the azaleas (millions of them) bloom in February 2002. But most of all, I was struck by the beauty of this tall pink tower sitting in the middle of a beautiful park with its carillon that played typical sounds so familiar to me when I was growing up in The Netherlands. Specifically, one church tower resounded with almost exactly the same sound: the Wester Toren in Amsterdam. Yes, the same tower that Anne Frank saw from her little attic while in hiding from the Germans during the occupation of The Netherlands 1940-1945.
