Village Squire, 1977-12, Page 42TRAVEL
I4
„411* 1134 • >s' / iir 04,1 ‘ 1 11tH -- , � ”
dril7
a
sPe
1
'Canadhn families visit Florida's beaches in ever increasing numbers each year.
Florida offers beach variety
With almost 1,200 miles of shoreline,
Florida offers the ultimate beach exper-
ience for the Canadian vacationer.
Whether you wish to build castles in the
sand, lazily soak up Vitamin D in a
secluded cove or drive a dune buggy along
a motoring beach, visitors are no more than
60 breezy miles from a costal vacation
anywhere in the Sunshine State.
More and more beach buffs are
discovering that the contrasting coasts of
Florida have something for everyone.
The northeastern shore of the Sunshine
State presents a vista of wind-swept tan
dunes held in place by patches of sea oats,
while its endless waters beckon for a picnic
or swim.
Farther south, the exciting surfy coast in
and around Daytona offers vacationers one
of the few beaches in the world on which
cars may be safely driven, and its
40. VILLAGE SQUIRE/DECEMBER 1977.
world-famous boardwalk bustles with
concessionaires eager to serve.
The stretch of beach along the Central
Atlantic Coast holds secluded surprises for
those who opt for privacy. From Daytona
down to Jensen Beach, shady pines, sea
grapes and palmettos shelter approaches
to inviting coves where a darting ghost
crab or a lumbering sea turtle may greet
you on a summer's night.
The Cannes -like atmosphere of Fort
Lauderdale has mesmerized young sophis-
ticates and thousands of vacationing
college students who flock to the accessible
golden beach lining its Atlantic shore.
Farther south, glittery Miami Beach lives
up to its reputation as the playground
capital of the world.
In contrast to the splashing seas of the
Atlantic, the Gulf Coast shoreline offers
the pleasures of more calming waters.
A glorious bright white beach edged
with palms and Australian pines shelters
Sanibel Island. one of the best shelling
areas of the western hemisphere. Pelicans,
herons. spoonhills, sandpipers, gulls and
snakenecked anhingas make this a special
island for bird watchers and shell collectors
alike.
The soft, wave -lapped sands of seaside
resorts sprinkled along the Central Gulf
Coast magnetically draw visitors to the
shore. Miles of powdery beaches shelve
gently into the temperate waters of the
Gulf, offering safe swimming for the entire
family.
Calmness is the key here and the
leisurely pace gives the vacationer plenty
of unwinding time. Just watching others
play. while comfortably settle under a
shadowy palm, is a popular Gulfside
pastime. And it only takes a flip of the wrist
to feed a tidbit to the ever-present hovering
seagull.
A treat is in store for the beach lover who
has not discovered the pleasures of the
more than 100 miles of sugary white sands
that edge the turquoise waters of Florida's
panhandle from Panama City to Pensacola.
Gulf breezes spark another kind of holiday
, not found at more metropolitan resorts.
Vacationers enjoy basking and bathing
throughout the lengths of Santa Rosa
Island and in all the other polished but
unpretentious resorts that ribbon this
portion of the Gulf.
Tourist boards
big help
Over one hundred foreign Tourist
Boards service the Canadian public. Most
of them have rather "swish" offices in
either Toronto or Montreal with the odd
country servicing Canada out of New York.
Why are they here. and what do they do?
Canadians travel more frequently and
more imaginatively than most other
nationals. We issue more passports per
capita than any other country in the world.
With the possible exception of the
Australians, we spend more money and
travel more often! So. in a round about
way, that certainly answers why there are
so many Tourist Boards here in Canada.
What they do is to promote travel to their
particular country or island extolling the
virtues of their destination as being the
sunniest "snowyest." cheapest, most
interesting or relaxing vacation place!
It's a fact of life these days that tourist
dollars can have an enormous effect upon a
national economy.
Tourist Boards spend countless millions
of their government funds to produce