Northeast Florida:

Jacksonville

• Jacksonville has been chosen to host the first annual Florida Country SuperFest on June 14 and 15, 2014. The two-day music festival will bring some of the biggest names in country music to the “River City by the Sea,” including Eric Church, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and Florida Georgia Line.
• The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will celebrate its 100th anniversary on May 12, 2014. A new state-of-the-art exhibit featuring Asian Tigers is under construction and will be ready to mark the big birthday in March 2014.

St. Augustine

• Opening in March 2014, the St. Augustine Distilleryis housed in Florida's first ice manufacturing plant, built in 1917. The Distillery will offer free tours and tastings 7 days a week from 11am-6pm. The tour experience includes a museum, theatre, working distillery and tasting room.
• One of St. Augustine's newest attractions, the Colonial Quarter, is an immersive, captivating journey through three centuries of St. Augustine's rich history. Interactive exhibits, a 35 foot watchtower, two restaurants and pubs, and live evening performances can be enjoyed by all.
• Artifacts from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha shipwreck have been added to the already impressive collection at St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum. The new collection from one of history's most notable shipwrecks includes silver coins, an iron musket, musket balls, ceramics and more, all dating back to the 1600's.

Daytona Beach

• Daytona Beach's first oceanfront rollercoaster, The Sand Blaster, opened in August 2013, at the Boardwalk & Pier. Measuring 80' tall, 212' long and racing passengers at speeds of up to 50 mph, this exciting new ride is surprisingly affordable at just $6. Join in the fun along the oceanfront Boardwalk where outdoor and indoor attractions flank the classic arcade built in 1938 and if you're hungry, stop in the latest addition, Joe's Crab Shack.
• Race fans will rejoice over the DAYTONA Rising Project – a $400 million overhaul at Daytona International Speedway that will create a world-class facility with premium amenities and unparalleled conveniences and experiences when it opens in January 2016.
• The world's first oceanfront Hyatt Place opened in October 2013, offering direct beach access for 143 rooms, and an expansive oceanfront pool and spa with pool bar.

Central Florida

Space Coast

• Guests continue to flock to Kennedy Space Center to witness rocket launches, as private companies with NASA contracts now take to the sky with commercial launches throughout the year.  And guests can get a first-hand look at the retired Atlantis shuttle, which will be on permanent display at the KSC Visitor Complex.
• Families will enjoy an array of activities for the kids, from the expansive “Paws On” exhibit at the Brevard Zoo to hands-on discovery at The Dinosaur Store, complete with an Egyptian-themed dig site.

Bradenton

• The third largest Da Vinci exhibition in the world, on loan from the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, is on display at the Bradenton Municipal Auditorium through May 18. It features 60 inventions handcrafted from Leonardo Da Vinci's designs by third-generation Florentine artisans, many of which are interactive.
• The Bradenton Area partners with Southern Living Magazine for Harvest and Harmony (May 17, 2014) at King Family Farm where visitors can enjoy cooking seminars with Southern Living's Test Kitchen Chefs, a sustainable dinner among the Peach Orchards and concert with Southern Livings up and coming country song-writers

Orlando/Kissimmee

• Building on the popularity of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort will bring to life some of the experiences and places found in and around London in the Harry Potter books and films. Diagon Alley and 'London' will be located within Universal Studios Florida, where guests now experience Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. When complete, Diagon Alley will feature shops, a restaurant and an innovative, marquee attraction based on Gringotts bank. Guests will be able to travel between 'London' and Hogsmeade aboard the Hogwarts Express.
• Walt Disney World Resort will complete the final phase of New Fantasyland – the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history – with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster. This family coaster will transport guests on a musical ride into the mine "where a million diamonds shine."
• Orlando's tallest and steepest free-fall water slide is coming to Aquatica – SeaWorld's Waterpark. Ihu's Breakway Falls will be the only multi-slide of its kind in Orlando.

St. Petersburg/Clearwater

•  St. Pete/Clearwater is enjoying an unprecedented craft beer boom, with 14 craft breweries, the most in the entire state of Florida---from the oldest in Dunedin to the smallest microbrewery on Treasure Island, the R Bar. Brew masters at 7venth Sun Brewery, one of Florida's newest breweries, are adding their own twist to their beer---fermenting it with fresh Florida fruit.
• Dolphin Tale 2, the sequel to the Warner Bros. blockbuster, just finished filming in Clearwater and is scheduled for release this fall. The list of movies, commercials and music videos shot in St. Pete/Clearwater, is booming.
• Now in its 10th year, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will return to the streets of St. Pete to kick off the 2014 IndyCar season March 28-30.

South Florida

Tampa

• In spring 2014 Busch Gardens Tampa is taking guests' experiences to new heights with Falcon's  Fury, the first drop tower of its kind in the world. Additionally, with no connecting structures, it will be the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America.

Sarasota

• Famously renowned as the historical winter home for the Ringling Bros. Circus, visitors can check out The Ringling Circus Museum, and for live circus entertainment they can head to Circus Sarasota and Sailor Circus performances at select times throughout the year.
• Two new children's gardens opened to the squeal of children's laughter. Marie Selby Botanical Garden's opened their Children's Rainforest Garden in November 2013 and The Ringling Museum installed outdoor the David F. Bolger Playspace designed by a German-based architect on its 66-acre estate in January 2014.
• The annual Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week brings the masses out for special prix-fixe menus with new restaurant and bars also offer craft cocktails and live music in Sarasota County.

Charlotte Harbor

• Port Charlotte, Fla., has been named the top U.S. Best Value Destinations for 2014 by trivago.com, the world's largest online hotel search site. Port Charlotte offers “the biggest bang for your buck on vacation,” trivago stated in a release.
• This April is the inauguralCharlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix powerboat race along Manasota Key. Similar to Formula One car racing, Super Boat racing is the highest class of powerboat racing in the world, with competitors' speeds reaching up to 180 mph.

Naples

• The chic new signature restaurant at the newly expanded and renovated Inn on Fifth in downtown Naples, Avenue5, opened January 2014 with executive chef John Welch supervising the creation of cutting edge American cuisine.
• Artis—Naples invites everyone to celebrate the best of music and performing arts during the 25th Anniversary season. Formerly known as the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, Artis—Naples features world-class artists and conductors along with the acclaimed Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.