Reply #30: Born and raised...

[floridadem27]

in Daytona Beach myself and am proud to live in a blue city with a Dem mayor in a blue county. There are not many of those in Florida. And although I don't have kids myself I turned out well (I think) and my siblings' kids are happily normal, intelligent and well adjusted too. :)

Since others have talked up Tampa/St. Pete and S. Florida, I'll tell you about my area - St. Augustine, Daytona Beach and the Space Coast. If you get time to travel down from Jacksonville, take a daytrip down I-95 to St. Augustine to visit the Old City. It's a great American history lesson. Next is Flagler County. Since you're living on an intern's salary, in Flagler I recommend stopping in at one of Florida's first theme parks, Marineland, for practically nothing (maybe $5-$10 tops) you can visit the dolphins there (you can swim with them too, but that is much more expensive). One, I believe her name is Nelly, is one of the oldest dolphins in captivity. She's been there for decades and they sell watercolor tees that she's painted (don't ask, would take too much time to explain). Head down A1A from Marineland and The Daytona area is next, specifically Ormond Beach. If you like desolate beach you should try Ormond by the Sea. Beautiful uninterrupted coastline there. Daytona has alot of good cultural offerings like theater, music festivals and a great small museum in the Museum of Arts & Sciences, it's one of the best museums in Florida, I think, and it's Smithsonian-affiliated. Further south in Port Orange you can go kayaking and canoeing on Spruce Creek. You can do the same at Tomoka State Park too. Further south you can climb the tallest lighthouse in Florida (second tallest in U.S.) or visit the Marine Science Center which specializes in sea turtle and seabird rehab. There are some great seafood restaurants in Daytona and Ponce Inlet too. If you prefer southern style seafood there are a couple of good eateries in Port Orange as well. And you can't forget to check out New Smyrna. There is a new water taxi that will take you from Ponce Inlet to New Smyrna Beach. It's a nice two hour scenic cruise. On the west side of Volusia County is Cassadaga, its a little spirtualist community (one of the last in the U.S.) that's filled with psychics. They perform free readings on Sundays during the message service -- and yes, they are certified (again, don't ask). Also at Old Spanish Mill Griddle House at DeLeon Springs you can griddle your own pancakes. And they have the best hot chocolate! Of course the next county south of the Daytona/Volusia area is Brevard and it's home to Kennedy Space Center. They have a "lunch with an astronaut" program now that I've heard is pretty cool. That pretty much covers the St. Augustine/ Daytona Beach/Space Coast areas.