United States
Florida
About
The Sunshine State won’t disappoint with its warmer climates, beautiful beaches, a vibrant nightlife, delicious food, theme parks and endless roads taking you on a perfect disc golf vacation.
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Why Visit?
Who doesn’t like a bit of warm sunshine when the winter starts to bite? Whether it’s a family trip, a couples getaway or a roadie with some disc golf friends, there’s plenty of ways to holiday in Florida. The state’s national parks like Everglades showcases Florida’s huge biodiversity where you can see hundreds of bird and animal species in the subtropical wetlands. Florida’s geography means you can enjoy the different coastlines and all they offer like diving off the Florida Keys, enjoying the calm waters of the Gulf or venturing up the Atlantic Coast from Miami past Daytona Beach on to St Augustine, the oldest settlement in the USA.
Because of its location, Florida has pulled in all the best of Spanish, Caribbean and Latin American foods along with the local seafood. Florida is famous for its huge theme parks in Orlando and Tampa like Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld and Legoland.
Of course the beaches are one of its big drawcards, with popular stretches like Miami’s South Beach and Fort Lauderdale - famous for sunbathers and spring breakers.
Things to Do
If space is your thing then a visit to the Kennedy Space Museum is must at Cape Canaveral, but be ready to brave the crowds. Try the Pirate & Treasure Museum in St Augustine or if you like art, the Salvador Dali Museum in St Petersburg.
And if you’re in Key West, indulge in a big old slice of Key Lime pie, a famous sweet that originated in the area. And if you’re feeling like getting off the gringo tourist trail, try Dry Tortugas National Park - a group of remote islands off Key West famous for the sea turtles and sunken treasures from the hundreds of shipwrecks off the islands.
If you’re heading into the Everglades National Park , try a kayak trip through the maze of Ten Thousand Islands or join an airboat tour.
You can swim and snorkel with manatees at Crystal River or catch a very weird mermaid show at Weeki Wachee. Shopping for that special someone? Call in to the Cigar Capital of the World in Ybor City, Tampa where you'll find out about the cigar industry, indulge in Cuban and Latin American food and watch the wild chickens roam the streets.
The Florida Panhandle has some beautiful pristine white beaches including Panama City Beach and Pensacola.
There are wild monkeys in Florida (watch out for them stealing your disc on some courses). A little mini monkey alcatraz has been created in Homosassa called Monkey Island, south of Crystal River and home to a lively group of Spider Monkeys.
Where to Play
This could be the state where it might not be wise to jump into a dirty pond to retrieve your favourite disc. Alligators love disc golfers! Actually, most disc golfers in this part of the world complain incessantly about mosquitos and bugs rather than anything that will outright kill you. The best course in the state, Olympus Disc Golf Course in Brooksville, also features on the world’s best courses list. It gets rave reviews constantly for its great scenery but is hard, extremely hilly and touts hole 17 as one of the highest points in Florida. Also in Brooksville, about an hour north of Tampa, is a popular private course that’s free to use and can be played day and night, Moonlight Meadows disc golf with LED lit tee signs, lit baskets and UV lights to charge your glow disc. In the Florida Panhandle in the state capital Tallahassee, Tom Brown Disc Golf Park is the next highest rated course behind Olympus.
If you’re heading to Orlando for the theme parks, there’s a few courses to definitely play including; Bill Fredrick Park that doubles as a Gopher Tortoise habitat so you might see wild tortoises while playing. Hole 16 features gator-infested waters, so you'd be wise to throw your sacrificial disc on this one. Just over 30 minutes drive west of Orlando is Clermont and Champions Pointe Disc Golf, third rated course in the state. And about 50 minutes northwest of Orlando in Eustis is The Green Gauntlet course.
In Fort Lauderdale is a popular course, Snyder Park Disc Golf where you can spot a lot of wildlife on your round including iguanas and possibly the odd wild monkey. North of Fort Lauderdale is Tradewinds Park at Coconut Creek which has a butterfly park, horse riding and the wooded course Tradewoods disc golf.
In Tampa, there’s notable mentions like Cliff Stephens disc golf in Clearwater which on the pro side is one of the oldest courses in Florida, but on the con side has had gator attacks! For a circus-themed round of disc golf, try Showmen’s disc golf course in Riverview that features a lot of reused old carney paraphernalia. And Picnic Island disc golf has great views over Tampa Bay.
