Christmas time is special in Florida, without snow or cold weather we go all out to make sure Christmas is something to remember. Floridians deck the halls and we deck our boats too for holiday boat parades. We also love a good Christmas light display.

Other festivities we enjoy are Christmas at Disney World like Mickey’s Christmas Parade and Holidays around the world. Holiday events at Busch Gardens are always popular. Festive decorations, strolling carolers and classic holiday music always get us into the mood.

In January, Real Music kicks off classic sounds of the ‘30s and ‘40s big-band era:

Jan 19-22: THE TERRY MYERS ORCHESTRA with THE SWING SISTERS

Jan 26-29: THE TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA

Then, starting in February, relive some of rock ‘n roll and disco’s greatest moments with the artists who defined the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s:

Feb 2-5: DEBBIE REYNOLDS

Feb 9-12: PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS

Feb 16-19: THE VENTURES

Feb 23-26: HERMAN’S HERMITS starring PETER NOONE

Mar 2-5: THE 5TH DIMENSION

Mar 9-12: THE OSMOND BROTHERS

Mar 16-19: TONY ORLANDO

Mar 23-26: CHARO

Showtimes are 11:30 a.m. and 1 and 3:30 p.m., with the theater opening a half-hour prior to the show. Reservation tickets are required to guarantee a seat, and are available at the front gate until 11 a.m. each show date. The complimentary reservation tickets are also available near the Stanleyville Theater prior to each show.

The Real Music Concert Series is included with regular park admission or any valid Passport membership. Concert series dates and artists are subject to change. For more information, call 1-888-800-5447 or log onto www.BuschGardensTampaBay.com

Christmas time is special for Floridians, without snow or really cold weather we go all out to make sure we make the Holidays something to remember. Floridians deck the halls and we deck our boats too for holiday boat parades. We also go all out for Christmas light displays.

Other merry festivities we attend are Disney Christmas events like Mickey’s Christmas Parade and Holidays around the world. Holiday events at Busch Gardens are always popular. Strolling carolers, festive decorations and classic holiday music always get us into the mood.

Right after Christmas we plan for the New Year. Many Florida New Year’s Eve events include activities for the whole family like the Downtown Countdown in Fort Lauderdale. For the wild and loud crowd there’s the Big Night Miami in Miami Beach.

Southwest Airlines has honored the State of Florida with the unveiling of Florida One, a Boeing 737 emblazoned with an artist’s rendering of the state flag. Southwest Airlines’ top Leadership celebrated the high-flying tribute to the State of Florida.

“We are thrilled to honor Florida with this beautiful aircraft; it is truly a demonstration of our dedication to Florida and a tribute to our more than 2,500 hard-working Florida Employees,” said Southwest Airlines Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly. “Our pride for Florida will fly high over the 68 cities Southwest serves.”

Since beginning service to Florida in January of 1996, Southwest Airlines has grown from 17 daily nonstop departures to 284 daily nonstop departures. Southwest now carries 20 percent of all air traffic to the state of Florida. Southwest Airlines began service to the new Panama City Airport and its seventh Florida city, Panama City Beach, on May 23, 2010.

More than 200 Southwest Airlines Employees and community leaders celebrated the unveiling today at Tampa Airport. Following the unveiling event in Tampa, the aircraft began a tour of the airline’s Florida cities. At each stop, the airline will host a celebratory event in the Southwest gate area to display the aircraft to Employees and Customers.

“Florida is proud to have such a strong Southwest Airlines presence in Florida,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “Not only is Southwest employing thousands of talented Floridians, but is also making Florida more easily accessible and affordable for visitors. I am grateful for their continued commitment to Florida.”

Florida One joins thirteen other 737s in Southwest’s fleet that carry a unique paint scheme: Arizona One, California One, Illinois One, Lone Star One, Nevada One, New Mexico One, Maryland One, three Shamu aircraft, Silver One, Triple Crown One, and Slam Dunk One.

The newest aircraft in the Southwest Airlines fleet is truly a work of labor and art, requiring 32 people at the Boeing Company working three shifts over the course of eight days to paint. More than 46 gallons of paint and 16 different colors make up Florida One.

Southwest Airlines serves six airports in Florida, soon to be seven, and the airline is the largest intra-state carrier in Florida, carrying 46 percent of all intra-Florida airline traffic.

Beautiful Tampa and Tampa Bay are located on the west coast of Florida and about an hour and a half from Orlando. Every time we go over there I discover something new and different, this time it was Channelside and the Port of Tampa. Of course the Tampa Port Authority is there and cruise or cargo ships can be seen coming and going at various times. There is the Florida Aquarium with several exhibits showing the different kinds of Florida water ways and what lives in them. They have a great little ‘water park’ area for the kids that has giant moray eels for kids to battle with water guns and a pirate ship they can explore. Channelside itself is an entertainment complex that has great nightlife, shopping, dinning and a movie theater. The Towers of Channelside are brand new, just completed in 2007, they are twin 30 story upscale condos, not a bad place to live if you like a lot of action.

Ybor City is also a place I’ve always wanted to go and got the chance to visit this time. It’s a great little section of the city that steeped in tradition of old world Europe. Ybor City was founded in the 1880’s by Vicente Martinez. Here you’ll find spectacular buildings, quaint shops, fabulous food, delicious coffee and hand rolled cigars and the nightlife? Don’t get me started. There are clubs every few feet, along with several entertainment venues, it’s a great place to spend a day walking around and a night dancing and parting with friends. There is a place for everyone to party no matter what you’re into. Coyote Ugly is a place where you can dance on the bar and chat up the lady bar keeps, they always have something to say. Club Prana has five different levels with different dance club styles on each for maximum nighttime enjoyment.

Another popular reason to visit Tampa is the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. They have many gaming tables and slot machines the décor itself is worth the trip. Downtown Tampa is a beautiful place itself; the buildings alone are great works of architecture. They have many fine hotels with conference centers for corporate meetings and an international airport which makes it convenient for out of country guests to visit.

If you’re looking for even more things to do in Tampa, you won’t be disappointed on that front either. Everyone knows Tampa is home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This city takes their team VERY seriously, you can take a pirate ship cruise on any night of the week and there are as many pirate flags as there are stars and stripe flying around the city, all in good fun mind you.

As I said Orlando is nearby and many people visiting there hear about fabulous Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, so they come over. That’s great if that’s what it takes to get you to visit but once you do plan to stay a day or two, if you don’t you’ll wish you had. Tampa is so much fun, even if you’ve been there a few times as I have, go again I promise you’ll find something new to love about it as I always do.

Florida is a great place to take a vacation, so to see where to go and what to do, view our pictures of Central Florida, with many of Orlando’s popular destinations and a few off the beaten path.

So gather your family and friends and savor the fresh taste of local fare while enjoying the Florida sunshine. From mullet to crawfish, frog legs to sausage, mangos to kumquats, garlic to swamp cabbage, flap jacks to chocolate, and anything and everything in between, there’s a festival for every taste.

Food festivals are ideal entertainment for the whole family. Besides the main attraction — delicious food — these festivals feature a variety of amusements (musical entertainment, off-beat competitions, arts and crafts, car shows, children’s activities, and much more).

Are you a food-lover who enjoys sampling new and different foods and beverages?
Would you like to find affordable ways to entertain the kids or out-of-town guests?
Do you enjoy planning day trips or weekend getaways?
Are you a vendor looking for events where you can sell your products?

Florida’s food festivals can meet your every need. So whether you’re a longtime Florida resident or a visitor to the state, if you enjoy travel, outdoor activities, or good food — don’t miss out on another fun Florida food event. Here’s a sampling of what’s coming to Florida.

August:

Fort Lauderdale – Taste of Weston
Key West – Lobsterfest
Kissimmee – Old Town Chili Cookoff
Port St. Joe – Gulf County Scallop Festival
Tampa – WaZoo

September:

Clearwater – Taste of Clearwater
Crystal River – Florida Barbecue Association Funcook
Green Cove Springs – First Coast Ham Jam
Hollywood – Hollywood Beach Clambake
Pensacola – Emerald Coast Brew Fest & Beach Party
Pensacola – Seafood Festiva
Sandestin – Seafood & Mini Wine Fest

October:

Bradenton – Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
Brooksville – Hernando County BBQ & Rodeo Festival
Cedar Key – Seafood Festival
De Land – Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cookoff
Destin – Seafood Festival
Jay – Gabbert Farm Peanut Festival
Niceville – Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival

November:

Apalachicola – Florida Seafood Festival
Fort Myers – Taste of the Town
Jensen Beach – Pineapple Festival
Land O’ Lakes – Flapjack Festival
Safety Harbor – Wine Festival
St. Petersburg – Ribfest
Sebastian – Clambake Lagoon Festival

Visit the “Food Fest!” companion website, www.FoodFestGuide.com, for exciting details and free festival information. The website offers many interesting features that complement the hardcopy book, such as upcoming food festivals and a list of the Florida Chambers of Commerce. If you register on the website, additional bonus features are available including a yearly calendar of events. Registration is free.