If you think a Florida vacation only means Mickey Mouse and Shamu, you've never been to the real Florida. The Sunshine State has over 58,000 square miles of unique vacation land wrapped around the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle south to Naples, and down the eastern coast where the sparkling blue Atlantic Ocean laps the beach from Jacksonville to Biscayne Bay. Travel to Florida and discover two thousand plus miles of tidal shoreline, over 600 miles of which is devoted to beach-including some of the most pristine seashores in the world.

In Florida, the beach is sacred real estate. Of course there are hotels, luxury homes, condos, and timeshares built to maximize the ocean views. But human occupants have to politely share this beauty with the original shoreline inhabitants. Sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins are among the highly protected species along Florida's coastlines, as are the living coral reefs off the Florida Keys.

Whether you choose to vacation inland or on the beach, Florida is a paradise for fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, water skiing, and all manner of water sports. Besides excellent places for ocean kayaking, Florida boasts over eleven thousand miles of rivers, streams, and waterways, as well as over seven thousand lakes, including Lake Okeechobee. This massive freshwater lake, just north of Miami, is the second largest lake in the United States.

And of course there's all the fun things you can do at Panama City Beach. Waterparks, charter fishing, and some of the best fine dining options in Florida await you. The truly adventurous may wish to try parasailing, or bungee jumping. Maybe some time spent in a Panama City Beach rental condo is just what the doctor ordered?

When you vacation in Florida, you vacation in the glorious sunshine. Tour the horse farms in Ocala, the theme parks in Orlando, the look-to-the-future Space Coast at Cape Canaveral, the tropical Florida Keys, or the glitter and glitz of Miami-but you'll only just be getting started. Rent a timeshare or a vacation cottage because you can't see all there is to see in Florida in only one holiday.

Visit Tampa, home to the fabulous beaches of Fort Desoto Park and the barrier islands along Tampa Bay. But Tampa is also the place to catch the NFL action of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Year's college football bowl games, and the amazing month-long festivities of the Gasparilla Pirates Fest.

During your Florida vacation, schedule time to wander the shops of St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Here cobblestone streets meander through historic neighborhoods and lead visitors to the amazing Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish fort constructed in the 1600's.

Plan several days in St. Augustine; there is ambiance to savor here. Schedule a timeshare vacation or stay in vacation homes or cottage rentals. You'll want to be a 'resident' of this historic and charming town, even if it is only for a little while.

Florida is also home to the PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Golf Tours; the LPGA and Futures Tours; as well as dozens of professional golf mini tours. Each year Miami hosts the Ford Championship at Doral, Palm Beach Gardens hosts the Honda Classic, and the Players Championship is a battle to the finish in Ponte Vedra Beach.

In the spring, Orlando welcomes the Bay Hill Invitational and in the fall, the Funaii Classic, while Palm Harbor is home base for the Chrysler Championship and Naples for the Franklin Templeton Shootout at the end of the professional golfing season. With this type of play, do you think the golf courses in Florida are anything less than spectacular?

Not a chance.

Sports happen in Florida. The Sunshine State is the home of the Association of Tennis Professionals; NASCAR's Daytona USA; the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins; the NBA's Miami Heat and Orlando Magic; Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins; several dozen MBL teams that travel to Florida for the winter; and hundreds of semi-pro and amateur events in all range of sports. You could find yourself wanting to buy real estate in Florida for the sporting events alone.

But in case owning vacation homes in not in your budget, consider owning a vacation home ONLY for the time you actual spend there. Invest in a timeshare or timeshare resales. Timeshares are the perfect way to holiday in spacious, luxurious accommodations, without the need for a second mortgage or a jumbo loan.

Time share owners never have to worry about the security or upkeep of property when they are not at their timeshare. These concerns are managed and administered by professionals and cost the time share owner only a nominal annual maintenance fee.

In a few short years after investing in a timeshare, owners recoup their initial timeshare investment. From that point forward we're talking no-cost holiday accommodations.

And here's the best part about enjoying a Florida timeshare or timeshare resales vacation, owners can trade their timeshares week or weeks and venue for other desirable destinations in Florida, the US, or around the globe, as often as they like. They can holiday in the Florida Keys this year, Las Vegas next year, and Cape Town, South Africa, or Paris, France the year after that. Owning a timeshare or timeshare resales means a fabulous Florida vacation-only better!