Florida is far from a Mickey Mouse destination

There’s much more to a holiday in Florida than shaking hands with Mickey Mouse in front of the Magic Kingdom or lazing on the beach in Miami, it has been claimed.

According Jo Eckersley, UK public relations for Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau, the ‘Sunshine State’ offers an American experience and is littered with cultural gems which many visitors neglect to see.

"There are some very authentic American experiences that can still be found, like the small downtown communities, the art galleries and museums,” she said.

“There's even an authentic courthouse from [the past] in one of the museums where children can actually be put in the dock. Then there's Silver Moon Drive-In, which was set up in the 1940s and is still very popular today, and the thrilling 2,000 plus seater rodeo.”

But if that’s not for you then there’s still the more mainstream visitor parks to see. Busch Gardens in Tampa in particular has something for animal lovers as this month it launches the world's first interactive animal hospital.

Posted by Jamie Manterfield