By Phil Amato
OCALA, FL --  "Big Daddy" Don Garlits is known as the father of drag racing.  The Tampa native spent his 50-year career launching dragsters down quarter mile tracks at speeds reaching more than 320-miles an hour.  

Clermont, FL -- It's been a Florida attraction for almost a half century but doesn't get top billing. It's perfect to see right now since it's an election year. 

VALDOSTA, GA -- It's hard to believe that what started as a horse farm 10 years ago is now a multi million dollar theme park.  

By Phil Amato
SAVANNAH, GA -- Life is like a box of chocolates. Savannah, Georgia is where Forest Gump said that famous quote so many tears ago. Savannah, America's first planned city, is named after the river which is believed to be an Indian term translated as "grassy plain."  

By Phil Amato
AMELIA ISLAND, FL -- Amelia Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northeast Florida. Most Jacksonville residents are familiar with the area's sandy beaches and historic downtown shopping district. But what makes Ameila Island even more attractive this time of year is its ability to provide unique romantic getaways just in time for Valentine's Day. 

By Phil Amato
ST AUGUSTINE, FL -- When you think of a romantic getaway not far from Jacksonville the town of St. Augustine may be the first place that comes to mind. The nation's oldest city lures hundreds of thousands of folks every year to experience its great restaurants, bed and breakfasts and its history. 

By Phil Amato
The ORLANDO,FL -- Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center continues to amaze visitors this year with its annual ICE! attraction. 

By Phil Amato
LAKE COUNTY, FL -- It's an area of central Florida that calls itself "The New England of the South." 

By Phil Amato
The American Police Hall of Fame and Museum has something for the entire family. 

By Phil Amato
DELEON SPRINGS STATE PARK, FL -- There are more than 50 Florida State Parks within a one tank trip of Jacksonville but there's only one where you can flip flapjacks right at your own restaurant table. 

By Phil Amato
CASSADAGA, FL -- It's the oldest spiritualist camp in the Southeast. Cassadaga is a "new age", old town that dates back more than 100 years. Signs of mediums and healers advertising spiritual guidance stand at almost every street corner. 

By Phil Amato
ORLANDO, FL -- For most skydivers the freefall is the most exhilarating part of jumping out of an airplane.  

SILVER SPRINGS, FL -- Silver Springs bills itself as "Florida's Original Attraction." It got its start in the late 1800's and still attracts around a million visitors a year. 

FORT WHITE, FL -- Ichetucknee State Park is one of the top five most visited state parks in Florida. It has a natural resource that attracts more than 100,000 people a year. That resource is a river that you can float down on a tube. 

CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GA -- Cumberland Island harks back to an era when the pace was much slower. Leave your cell phones and blackberries behind, this is a getaway you'll want to enjoy unhurried and uninterrupted.