Exploring Florida

King Penguins, Seaworld Orlando

King Penguins are a big draw at Seaworld Orlando’s new attraction, Antarctica, which opened last spring. Temperatures drop to minus-one as visitors follow the story of Puck the plucky baby penguin in a virtual icy adventure before entering the penguin enclosure.

Manatee, Seaworld Orlando

These giants of the sea are just some of the marine life you can experience at Seaworld, along with bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, sting rays and turtle. Seaworld is keen to promote its conservation and education programme particularly in the light of the recent controversial documentary Blackfish about one of Seaworld’s killer whales.

Taumata Racer, Aquatica

The Taumata Racer is one of the more scary slides at this water park with a diverse range of water funnels, tunnels and slopes. Perfect for water babies, here you can while away hours splashing, diving, swimming or just floating.

Discovery Cove, dolphin interaction

Set up as a Caribbean-style resort and surrounded by tropical vegetation and bird life, Discovery Cove only allows in 1,300 visitors a day so is uncrowded and laid back. Swimming with dolphins is what most people come for, but there are plenty of other marine experiences as well as wildlife encounters to be enjoyed. We met one of the Cove’s land inhabitants, a charming anteater called Simon, and fed him gaucamole, his favourite delicacy.

Cheetah Hunt, Busch Gardens, Tampa

This theme park really does have something for everyone, from encounters with wild animals on a Florida “safari”, or in the zoo where you can feed kangaroos and meet orang-utans, to hair-raising roller coaster rides. Although not the park’s scariest rides – that accolade goes to SheiKra – Cheetah Hunt is one of its longest, and reaching speeds of 60mph not for the fainthearted.

Clearwater Beach

One of the most beautiful beaches in Florida is located on the beautiful peninsula on Florida’s West Coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the West and Tampa Bay to the East and has plenty to offer in terms of sparkling blue waters and fine white sand. With stunning views of the sea and sunsets, the Sandpearl Resort is conveniently located to take advantage of all the attractions and restaurants, including Frenchy’s Saltwater Grill, a popular seafood hangout which is a hit with both locals and holidaymakers. For great entertainment for the kids try Captain Memos Pirate Ship (www.captainmemo.com) which takes sailors on a fun-filled, two-hour cruise into the bay.