A family enjoys a ride on a rollercoaster.

Tourism in the Sunshine State is on a roll. Nowhere is that more evident than in Orlando. Throughout the Christmas holiday season theme park guests were doing something they haven't done in a while -- complaining about lineups. Walt Disney World had its best day ever, it's best week ever, and the EPCOT theme park set an all-time attendance record on New Year's eve. Given the recent weather conditions here, and barring something unforeseen, expect more of the same during March Break.

If you're heading South to Florida, here are a few suggestions:

THEME PARKS

The biggest mistake first-time Canadian travellers make when they plan a visit to Orlando is in thinking they can see Walt Disney World in a day or two. There are four theme parks -- Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Disney MGM Studios. To give you an idea of the scope of the area, there are 17 major resorts with more than 25,000 rooms and suites, 99 holes of golf at five courses, and 90 dining spots in the parks (excluding restaurants in the hotels).

If you spend just a day at each park starting on a Monday, you'll be exhausted by Thursday and you will have only just scratched the surface. Before making your reservations, spend some time on the Web at www.disneyworld.ca.

TIGHT BUDGET

Travelling on a tight budget? Take advantage of Disney's value resorts such as All-Star and the brand new Pop Century. Nightly rates start at $77 US (depending on season). There are attractive hotel deals "off property" on the nearby U.S. 192 (Kissimmee) and International Drive (Orlando) hotel strips.

However, the advantage of staying at a Disney hotel is you can park the car and use the complimentary transportation.

Hot new attractions at Disney include Mission Space at EPCOT, a simulated flight to Mars and Mickey's Philharmagic, a 3-D wraparound movie spectacular at Magic Kingdom.

Father and son enjoy some quality time in the pool at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort.

Universal Orlando and SeaWorld are just a short drive away. Both parks can be toured comfortably in two days. Universal's movie-based thrill rides rank among the best anywhere. Sample Back to the Future: The Ride, Terminator 2:3-D and Men in Black: Alien Attack.

New this winter are Shrek 4-D and the Jimmy Neutron Adventure. If you're not familiar with these two shows, just ask for advice from anyone under 15 years of age. CAA members can take advantage of Universal's "3-Day Tickets AT PAR." A great spot for dinner at Universal is The Palm at Hard Rock Hotel.

At SeaWorld the key attraction is -- and always has been -- Shamu the killer whale. But the park has gone through the biggest expansion in its history with a new waterfront attraction of shops and restaurants (the best of which is Sharks Underwater Grill).

Again this winter, take advantage of Canadian dollars at par at both SeaWorld and its sister park, Busch Gardens in Tampa. Just show Canadian ID at the gate. Print tickets from your home computer before you head south by visiting www.atpar.ca.

OTHER DIVERSIONS

Bottlenose dolphins frolic at SeaWorld, Orlando.

Dolly Parton has two-stepped her way into Orlando with her recently opened dinner/show called Dixie Stampede. As you might expect, the dinner is down-home country cookin'. For reservations call 1-866-443-4943. Dixie Stampede is on I-4, halfway between SeaWorld and Walt Disney World.

The Orlando area sports a new restaurant district that's popped up near Universal at Sand Lake Rd. and I-4, minutes from the International Drive hotel strip.

Popular spots include Roy's (Hawaiian fusion cuisine), Seasons 52 (all healthy choices), Morton's and Ruth's Chris (steaks), Samba Room (Cuban fusion) and the Bonefish Grill (seafood).

If you stay in the Orlando area, consider a day trip to the Atlantic Coast. Visit the original Ron Jon surf shop in Cocoa Beach. A must-see is the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex located in the middle of an island nature preserve off the coast from Titusville. For lunch or dinner, try Titusville's Dixie Crossroads, one of my favourite seafood restaurants.

If you haven't been to Miami recently, spend one day touring the renovated Art Deco hotels, one evening checking out the nightlife on South Beach, and one evening at trendy CocoWalk in Coconut Grove. This is where the word "cool" really fits. Time your visit to take in the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, March 5-7 (www.sobewineandfoodfest.com).

The newest and trendiest of the restored hotels on South Beach is the Clinton Hotel (clintonsouthbeach.com). This spring The Victor Hotel, a decades-old classic next to the Versace Mansion, reopens. It's the last of the big old hotels to be restored in the heart of South Beach.

A traditional Canadian destination between Miami and Fort Lauderdale is Sunny Isles. The district is undergoing quite a transformation (www.miamiandbeaches. com).

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL

A longtime Canadian favourite, the Newport Beachside Resort is still there (still affordable and better than ever) but all around it are spectacular new upscale resorts including the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort (www.trumpsonesta.com). A must for lunch or dinner is Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House, one of the oldest and probably the busiest deli/restaurants in Florida.

Want to get away from it all, yet still be close to everything? Consider a few days in New Smyrna Beach. NASCAR action in Daytona Beach is just minutes away and Orlando is less than one hour. Have lunch or dinner at Norwood's.

On the baseball front, check out the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Their spring schedule runs from March 5 to April 3 (bluejays.ca). The Expos hold what will likely be their last spring training as the Montreal Expos at Space Coast Stadium in Viera (near Melbourne, an hour from Orlando). Just a short drive south on I-95 at Vero Beach is Dodgertown, perhaps the best of all the spring training sites in Florida.

Finally, getting back to nature is as easy as driving from Naples, Miami or Fort Lauderdale through Everglades National park until you run out of road. State Road 9336 runs south from Homestead/Florida City and is the only road that runs through the park. The scenery remains unchanged from the way it was thousands of years ago.