Palm Harbor Florida is a wonderful place to live with a population of approximately 80,000, and only a 15 to 30 minute drive to the beach. The beautiful, sunny weather makes it an attractive place to live for people of all ages. Palm Harbor is known for their outstanding, A-rated schools, and there are many activities available for people of all ages and interests. Real Estate in Palm Harbor has significantly increased in value over the past ten years. There are approximately 100 subdivisions in Palm Harbor, ranging from modest 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom ranch style homes in the low 300,000s to large executive style waterfront property on the Gulf of Mexico or Lake Tarpon. There are many gated subdivisions, golf course communities, condominium developments, and even active adult 55+ communities.

Recreation is very popular in the Palm Harbor area. Innisbrook Golf Course is a beautiful, five-time award winning club where the PGA Tour is held every fall. It has four courses with different difficulty and terrain. If you love to golf, this is the place to live. For the boating and fishing enthusiasts, John Chestnut Park is a beautiful park located on Lake Tarpon. It is a great place to have holiday picnics, birthday parties, or just relax. It offers boat docks, many picnic areas and pavilions, playgrounds, a softball field, and a large dog park. With its lush surroundings and lakeside benches, it is a great place to visit.

Palm Harbor is only a 15 to 30 minute drive to one of the top 10 beaches in the world, Clearwater Beach. Many restaurants are located along the beach, as well as volleyball nets, a playground, blown up water slide, bungee trampoline, and a beautiful pier. Other beaches around Palm Harbor include Dunedin Causeway, Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island State Park, Indian Rocks Beach, and Fred Howard Park. Sun worshipers will love these beaches covered with beautiful white sand.

On the first Friday of every month, Downtown Palm Harbor holds a block party with live music, childrens activities, vendors, food, and more. It is a great place to spend time with family and meet new friends. Held off of Alternate 19, the music is great and vendors offer many crafts and activities for everyone.

There are many fun places to dine in Palm Harbor. Molly Goodheads, located in Downtown Palm Harbor, is an American seafood and steakhouse restaurant with a sports bar atmosphere. It is a great place to go watch the game or for an evening out with others. Another favorite restaurant with the locals is Lucky Dill. With the New York feel and a slice of free cheesecake with every meal, Lucky Dill is the place to frequent.

Many of the schools in the Palm Harbor area are rated A by the Pinellas County Education Board. Cypress Woods Elementary, Lake St. George Elementary, Palm Harbor Middle School, and Palm Harbor University High School are recognized for their outstanding educational achievements and community involvement. Academics as well as athletics are very strong in all Palm Harbor area schools.

Palm Harbor is a great place to live because of its central location and outstanding climate. Only minutes from malls, the beach, and about a 45 minute drive to Busch Gardens, many people are proud to make Palm Harbor their home.

Caught in the rather long shadow cast by Walt Disney World, Universal
Studios have always been something of a scrappy younger sibling.
To make comparisons even more pronounced, the similarly themed
Disney-MGM Studios opened at the Mouse House around the same time.
But Universal Studios offers some tremendous attractions and has its own, unique rhythm to compel vacationers through its turnstiles.
Like its sister park, Islands of Adventure, nearly every major attraction features loud, kinetic, frantic action. It is one over-the-top moment after another.

Universal Studios Florida opened in May 1990 as Universal’s first park after the original Universal Studios in Hollywood and it is located in the Universal Orlando Resort, on the southeast side of Orlando, 10 minutes north of Walt Disney World.
The least crowded seasons are from Labor Day to Thanksgiving and from mid-February to mid-March.

Universal Orlando Resort is way more than a theme park.
The Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks are a world where every member of the family can choose their own perfect fun.
You can have the ultimate adventure, have fun with your kids, rejuvenate yourself, have a romantic dinner, challenge yourself on incredible theme park rides and relax by the pool in a beautiful Florida setting.

There is a wealth of dining options throughout the resort.
The dining options range from Bice Ristorante at Portofino Bay Hotel and the Palm Restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel, to Emeril Lagasses famous Emerils Restaurant Orlando in Universal CityWalk.

Orlando is also home to some of the best shopping in the States.
From the new Millenia mega-mall, to the extremely popular designer outlet malls featuring all the latest designer fashions at fantastic prices. For many tourists, shopping is one of the many great reasons to visit Orlando often.

Shrek 4-D
Join Princess Fiona and our heroes on an all new honeymoon adventure picking up where the Oscar-winning movie “Shrek” left off.

Revenge of the Mummy
Plunge into total darkness as you face fireballs, scarab beetles, and an army of warrior mummies on a psychological thrill ride.
If you love roller coasters, you are in for a truly unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else.

TWISTER…Ride It Out
Apart from an amazing ride, this set includes parks and a network of alleyways that you can explore.

MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
There are 120 different alien species, many created specifically for this thrill ride.

Back To the Future the Ride
You’ll fly from 2015 Hill Valley through an Ice Age avalanche and into the clutches of a dinosaur and back to the future all to stop Biff from altering the future.

Terminator 2:3-D
This ride features live-action stunts, special effects, and amazing 3-D film come together.

Motorcycle Road Trips In North Florida: Jax Beach To Fernandina

With bike week just around the corner, bikers from all over the country are pulling their motorcycles out of winter storage and cleaning up their leathers in anticipation of a motorcycle rally like no other. While Daytona is definitely the place to be the week of March 5th, Florida offers some great stretches of road through pristine landscapes to some great biker destinations.

About an hour and a half north of Daytona on A1A lies the bustling beach community of Jacksonville Beach, which is where we will meet for the start of our road trip- because, well, thats where Im from! On any given day youll find bikes and bikers parked and hanging out at the Jax Beach Pier parking lot. Just across the street is the famed biker bar Mangos, a great place for bikers to meet, have some good home cooking and shoot some pool. Summer weekends will generally find some heavy metal band performing outside on the covered deck. So put on your best leather motorcycle jacket and come on out to Mango’s to start our first north Florida road trip.

Our first day trip will start from Jax Beach and head north on A1A to Fernandina Beach, a quaint little island town with its own unique attitude. If you follow A1A north, after bearing left at Mayport Naval Station, you will be cruising through the marshlands at the mouth of the St. Johns River and come to a dead end at the ferry in Mayport Village. A traditional fishing village, this is where most of north Florida gets their seafood. Shrimp boats, party boats, and deep sea charters line the docks, and you can even take a gambling cruise from here. If youre hungry, theres an old wooden shack sitting on the water that serves some of the best seafood available. Singletons is not much to look at, but its been there forever and people drive for miles to sit on the water enjoying the freshest of Florida seafood, while watching the pelicans scrounge for theirs.

Taking the ferry across the river, youll once again pick up A1A heading north. To your right youll soon see a huge barren sandbar that was formed by the northern jetties at the mouth of the St. Johns. On the eastern edge are the jetties, the Atlantic Ocean, and a beach that is packed with babes of all shapes and sizes. The western side has a lagoon and the Fort George River inlet. A very wide beach at low tide, vehicles have been swallowed up and swept away by the Atlantic because of people parking just a little too close to the water, and taking a walk in the dunes. A great place for jet skiing, swimming, fishing and surfing, Huguenot Park also has a campground with primitive and RV camp sites and showers.

For the next several miles, you will be cruising through some of the most pristine and unspoiled wetlands in Florida. Island hopping through little and big Talbot Islands and the Timacuan Preserve, this coastal area is one of the few in Florida untouched by development, and will theoretically remain that way. Flora and Fauna abound, and nature lovers flock to the area in kayaks and flatboats to navigate the waterways in search of trout and redfish.

Heading across the Nassau Sound Bridge to Floridas northern most barrier island, the developments once again start to pop up. World renowned resort Amelia Island Plantation has vast acreages of condos, single family houses, an Inn rivaled by none, and a huge convention center that draws business from all over the world. A community within itself, the Plantation strives, and has done a good job, of preserving the natural habitat.

Not to be outdone, the Ritz Carlton is just a few miles north and is also a magnet for the well to do, with a golf course and all the pampering the Ritz is known for!

Almost there, we take A1A into downtown Fernandina Beach. An old fishing village like Mayport, Fernandina is much larger and has many unique and historical buildings. The waterfront is speckled with shrimp boats and deep sea charters, and Brents is the restaurant on the docks. Fernandina Beach also hosts an annual shrimp festival on the first weekend in May.

Ending our motorcycle excursion from Jacksonville Beach (about an hour non stop), our last stop is a very popular watering hole for bikers and locals alike. The Palace Saloon has been there since 1878, and although it burned in 1999, it has been restored to its original 18th century wooden dcor. More of a bar than a restaurant, this is where you get to know the locals, many of which are in the hospitality industry and definitely know how to party hardy! With live bands, dancing, flirting and drinking, the Palace Saloon is the place to party in Fernandina Beach!

In my next road trip article well head south on A1A to our nations oldest city. Founded by Ponce de Leon in 1513 and home of the fountain of youth, this place is just a tiny little drinking town with a fishing problem!

They say that there are more pink flamingoes made in plastic then there are in reality. And where does one find the plastic ones the most? Miami. Welcome to Miami. Will smith sing all the way? They say that party never ends on the Miami beaches. Being on the southern most tip of America it enjoys the maritime climate. So very fit for the other wise cold country. The golden sands on Miami beaches attract millions and you find yourself among the most number of people if you decide to go in the fall. The year was 1895 when the Americans realized that to save the travelers from the intense cold they must move to the southern tip of Florida. And thus came up the biggest state of Florida- Miami.

Known for not only its beaches, it has the biggest of the universities. The city finds its Latin roots come handy when it comes to hospitality. It has finest hotels of whole America and the best beaches too. The American holiday cannot be defined with out the Miami factor. It has reached deep in to the Hollywood and the glory runs too deep. Even the hurricane and the shark threats do not falter the tourists faith and no body wants to miss the chance to go to Miami, Florida. The place has wonders in store for the gourmet. The food styles expand from the continental to the seafood extravagance. The effect of the Caribbean food is too extensively seen in the menu cards. The Cuban and the Latin food are also very famous in the city. Mangoes, coconut, rice, fish, crabs and oysters all form important ingredients in the food list.

The beaches give ample space and opportunity for the sports enthusiasts. The beach volleyball events as well as the water sports are found all over the place. The clubs and small set pups provide many options for people to enjoy. The Para-sailing is also picking up at a fast pace. The water scooter is very popular among the youngsters. For the not-so-sporty types the beach is full of serene places to bask in the sunny sands. The tan is lasting and the experience is magical. Apart from these the place is known for its football, baseball, hockey and basketball teams. Major players of these teams come from the universities.

The art and culture of Miami is one of its kinds and is rich with artifacts and regional styles. Apart from these the pop culture has come in a big way for the place by the infusion of many films and television feature shootings in and around the beaches. The regional art too is picking pace and the local museums and art galleries are encouraging the locals to show their talents. These art galleries too form an important part of the Miami travel schedule. The lively nightlife of the place is just electrifying and the people enjoy their lives out on the beaches in the nighttime. Sitting around slowing fires they have the time of their lives.

Miami Schools Expands And Prepares For The 2006-2007 School Year

This school year Miami Schools is opening four new schools and several new facilities to cope with increased student enrollment for the 2006-2007 school year. The new schools will cater to elementary, middle and high school students.

Miami Schools has added the Ronald W. Reagan High School in the northwestern part of the district. This is an area that is expanding rapidly. The new high school will cover about 20 acres and house extremely modern facilities. The Ronald W. Reagan High School will have 250,000 square feet of classrooms, computer lab, an 800 seat auditorium, a 700 seat cafeteria, a Media Center and a gymnasium. Also on campus there will be a number of outdoor areas: fields for football, soccer, softball and baseball as well as basketball, tennis and racquetball courts.

The most innovative part of Miami Schools Ronald W. Reagan High School is that it is an academy based design. This means that ninth grade students will be tested and surveyed to discover their interests and areas of strengths and then be encouraged to select from three academies. The three academies on campus will be Cambridge Academy, Information and Communications Technology Academy, and the Classical Arts Academy. These academies will both have separate facilities and share common school facilities. This is part of Miami Schools continuing educational reform plan.

In the southern part of the district, Miami Schools will open the new Norma Butler Bossard Elementary School. The campus will cover 7.5 acres. The school will be equipped with a Media Center, music and art centers, a cafeteria that will accommodate nearly all the students, a three story classroom building, bilingual rooms, a well equipped science laboratory, and a Wellness Center. The Wellness Center will be available for staff and student use. This school is named for Norma Butler Bossard, who had served as the Miami Schools language arts division head for many years.

Another innovation for the Miami Schools is the newly constructed David Lawrence, Jr. K-8 Center. The K-8 Center will be a world class facility that is adjacent to Florida International University. Miami Schools will work in conjunction with Florida International University to provide professional development for Miami Schools teachers and Florida International Universitys education majors. The K-8 Center will be able to house nearly 1,600 students. The state of the art facility will include a Media Center, computer labs, art labs, and music centers. The K-8 Center will be home to the Johnson and Wales University nutrition and cooking workshops. These workshops are part of Healthy EatingHealthy Choices, a grant the school received from Health Foundation of South Florida. The cooking workshops will be open to staff and parents.

The last addition Miami Schools is the Young Womens Preparatory Academy. This is the first all female school to be operated by Miami Schools. The Young Womens Preparatory Academy will accommodate 450 girls in grades 6-12. The Young Womens Preparatory Academy will have a thorough educational curriculum that will develop the academic, personal and social skills of the students. The school aims to prepare its students for postsecondary education and the world.

Ah, beautiful Miami! Sun, sand, and palm trees. Its also the town of opportunities for most students in Kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade who attend Miami Schools. Magnet programs are abundant, and surrounding communities like Coral Gables and Aventura teem with innovative and exciting schools. Of course, Miami Schools also have their fair share of problems, as well. Budget concerns and dropout rates continue to burden the district.

One of Miami Schools success stories is Coral Gables. The town has a highly respected magnet program, which resides at Coral Gables High School. It received a Magnet School of Distinction Award at the 24th Annual Magnet Schools of America Conference in Omaha, Nebraska.

Also on the horizon for Miami Schools is a new International Studies Magnet High School, which will open near Coral Gables High School. It will offer intensive study in foreign languages and culture. Seven hundred of Miami Schools students will spend half of each day learning the history and cultures of Europe entirely in a foreign language. It will be the first and only high school of its kind in the country! The curriculum will be based on the successful international education programs already in place at Miami Schools like Carver Elementary, Sunset Elementary, and Ponce de Leon Middle School, all of which teach French, German, and Spanish. Not only are students immersed in a foreign language, they are instructed in a foreign culture; just as other students in France, Germany, or Spain would be. English isnt spoken at all during the foreign language part of the day. Its as if schools from those countries have been scooped up and set back down into the Miami Schools district of Miami-Dade. The goal of the program is to produce students who are proficient in a foreign language.

Another success story for Miami Schools, at least so far, is the new ACES charter school, located in Aventura. The schools student body population began at 425. The city also has constructed a 300-seat middle school expansion of ACES. The charter school is managed under contract by Charter Schools USA. ACES boasts gifted teachers at each grade level, personalized assessment and objectives, a character building curriculum, four computers installed in every classroom, a full-time ESOL teacher, a science lab, and specialty classes not only in music, art, P.E., and media, but in computers, Spanish, and science.

Its not all roses for Miami Schools, however. 40 percent of students dont graduate from high school. An influx of younger families over the past ten years requires more classrooms to serve the new large-scale residential projects that are popping up. Rising housing prices in the Miami Schools area force many young families to move into older condos. This triggers a demographic shift and effects what each school system receives from property taxes.
Also, the statewide classroom reduction amendment, passed by voters in 2002 has become a challenge for Miami Schools’ administrators, as they must rely more and more on portable classrooms. Miami Schools face many challenges, yet are still able to create and maintain some exciting and innovation school choices.

We all know that buying real estate but especially in hot markets like Miami, is one of the biggest personal investments you can make. When you are buying in a competitive market, like the Miami real estate market, it’s important not to allow yourself to be pushed or cajoled into making a fast decision. The “fear of loss” factor is used very effectively by many real estate agents and is a popular ploy in the hotter markets.

The first thing you need to do is to understand that the market is cyclical. That is, it won’t keep going in any one direction permanently. OK, so over a long term of 5, 10 or more years, there will be a definite trend but don’t expect a year over year equity increase.

This fact free you from another popular real estate agent strategy… the “buy now because the price is going up” plan. Honest agents will show you market profiles that justify the asking price of any property. These profiles should include not only the asking the selling price also. There are agents that make statement like; “the market will go up 10% this year,” or “that you will make your investment up in 2-3 years.” Now unless they have a crystal ball or can see into the future, these are fluff statements that should raise a red flag in you mind.

Never buy real estate and base the purchase on something happening in the future. If it’s a “good deal” it’s a good deal NOW not in 10 years. A lot can happen during this waiting period.

This doesn’t mean that the market doesn’t get red hot or that if you don’t jump onto something immediately, it ends up sold. These things do happen. But it’s important to remember that there are other factors at work in any real estate market but especially evident in a robust or seller market.

These include the GREED FACTOR. People look back several years and then use that information to decide that the market will continue to go up in the future. “Previous returns are not indicative of future results” is a popular statement on many investments but some people don’t seem to believe it when it comes to real estate.

Next up is the GREATER FOOL THEORY. This is one that even bankers use to justify lending to some people who can barely qualify. The theory is that once the property is sold and the loan closed, the increase in appreciation will give the bank – or owner better protection. The idea is that the owner can sell it for more money to the next person willing to pay to get into the market. The problem is that once again, is assumes a continued positive appreciation in property values.

People seem to forget that it wasn’t that many years ago that property in much of Florida was sold off very inexpensively. There was little to no appreciation in many real estate markets throughout the country for years. A normal market will return sooner or later.

By buying into the hurry up and purchase strategy, you run the risk of buying at the top of any real estate market. This is especially true however when talking about a hot market like Miami Real Estate.

Purchase wisely as a good investment continues to be a good investment no matter what the market.

Many cruise companies leave from the Port of Miami to go to the Caribbean or to the Bahamas, which brings many tourists to south Florida. But these tourists are not looking to explore the city. They are simply looking for a place to sleep that is near the harbor, so that they can catch their cruise ship bright and early in the morning. Whether you want to see some of the city or not, finding the best Miami hotels to suit your travel needs can be done online. Many websites give travelers the distances between accommodations listings and common landmarks so that it is easy for travelers to chose rooms that not only have the right price but that are also in the right neighborhood.

Taking a cruise from this city on the southern tip of Florida has become more and more common ever since the demand for cruises has more or less overwhelmed the Cape Canaveral area. Going on a cruise has slowly won over Americans as one of their favorite ways to travel. With all of these people wanting to go on cruises, the boats have to find a place where they can dock long enough to board all of their passengers.

For many travelers, finding Miami hotels where they will be comfortable and get a good nights rest is important. When it comes to certain amenities, the choices become more unique based on each travelers preferences. As such, the only way for you to find accommodations that are ideally suited to you personally is for you to get involved in the search. Travel websites have made this easier and easier to do, because they offer a long list of accommodations on one website. Instead of visiting each lodgings website, you can look at a list of results on a travel website to get an idea of what each place is like. Then, once you have narrowed it down to one or two possible places, you can visit the websites of these few places and make your final decision. It is in this way that travel websites are saving travelers not only money but also time.

Miami hotels vary quite a bit in price, so if the cost of your cruise is wiping out your travel budget, be sure to check out the discount prices listed on travel websites. If price is the most important element for you, this will allow you to see where the cheapest accommodations can be found. Take a look at the rating for quality as well, if offered. While it is possible to find decent and affordable accommodations, it is also possible to end up in below-average accommodations when booking based only on price.

Essen Travel provides efficient search engines that narrow your results with filters such as price and major landmarks. Visit the website at http:www.essentravel.com to find Miami hotels to stay before and after your cruise. They also offer airfare and car rental arrangements, to conveniently take care of all travel needs in one site.

As a holiday getaway, Florida attracts more than its fair share of tourists. Over 1.5 million Britons, for example, traveled to Florida in 2005, a staggering number when you think that the feelings towards the US throughout Europe have not been as positive as it was before 911.

Florida boasts some of most beautiful beaches around notwithstanding the obvious popularity of our theme parks in and around Orlando. Miami in particular with its rich diversity of people from Latin America, the Caribbean Islands, Europe and elsewhere is a unique melting post of cultures and languages.

If you travel to Miami with your family, then you will know that staying in crammed hotels, however luxurious or fancy they might be, may not be the solution for you and your family.

Miami Vacation Apartments are an ideal alternative for you and your family. They may not provide room service although some hotels have suites that are equipped with the usual amenities provided by conventional apartments, but they provide more room for your money.

Miami Holiday Apartments come in all regular combination of sizes, number of room (from one bedroom to 3 bedrooms and sometimes even more). They are fully furnished and equipped and boast the usual kitchen, lounge and dining room available in any home.

They are truly your home away from home, and with the additional space they provide, they will also most likely enable you to save a whole bunch of money on nightly rates when compared to hotel accommodation but also savings on meals taken at home rather than hotels for example.

Families can travel and explore their holiday destination and then come home to relax and rest in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

One last thing to consider when searching for a holiday apartments is that they are also called Vacation Condos, Miami Holiday Accommodation or even Vacation Apartments.

Miami Holiday Apartments: Dont travel without them!

Known to be the most populous county in Florida, Miami-Dade County was formerly called Dade County and is now referred to as only Miami by most. It is located in the southeastern part of Florida and has a population of more than 2,400,000 making it occupy more than half of the South Florida metropolitan area. The city of Miami is its county seat. The eastern portion of the county is greatly urbanized with several towering structures and the eastern part is still underdeveloped and consists of the Everglades National Park. Miami-Dade County was created on January 18, 1836 and was named after Major Francis Dade, a soldier who was killed in the Second Seminole War.

The total area of Miami Dade County is around 2,400 square miles. It is bordered by Broward County to the north, Collier County to the northwest and Monroe County to the south and west. A decade ago the population density was about 1,150 per square mile. In the last few years though the state of affairs has improved much and is expected to get better with time. Real Estate prices have more than double in recent years. Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Ventura, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, BAL Harbour, Homestead, Doral are part of Miami Dade County.

Infrastructural facilities in this county are extremely advanced and the proof of this can be had if one looks at the education and transportation systems. In Florida each county also acts as a school district and in the county of Miami-Dade is served by several schools. Higher education is served by various colleges and universities including University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida Memorial University and St. Thomas University. In terms of transportation, the number of expressways Miami-Dade County has, very few counties have and this factor leads to heightened connectivity with the other states. Apart from this, a street grid stretches from downtown Miami throughout the country. Since World War I this grid has been there.

Miami Dade County Real Estate in Florida has grown tremendously in the real estate market boom. As an economy, this place is severely dependant on the agricultural sector. Proof to this fact can be found in the massive amounts of traditional and tropical vegetables the county produces along with tropical fruits and other greenhouse products. In the domestic market local produce competes with imports from other countries in Central America, South America and Europe.

With all modern amenities acting to peoples benefit, the county of Miami Dade has a thriving real estate market. Excellent places to live in this county include, Miami, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach. Most of the constructions are extremely picturesque and is one of the reasons why people want to settle here. There are currently 16,185 single family homes and 25,537 condos and townhouses listed in the MLS in Miami Dade County. This record high of homes available for sale is unprecedented and is a clear opportunity to purchase now a home or condo at the right price before this buyers market is over in 2008.