VISIT FLORIDA Invites Visitors - Past & Present - to Share in Quincentennial

Tallahassee, Florida, USA – Today, Florida commemorates the monumental moment in history when Juan Ponce de Leon’s explorations led him to discover the Sunshine State.

On the 500^th anniversary of that epic discovery -- the first European landing in the continental United States -- VISIT FLORIDA is making it easier for this century’s adventurers to explore Florida.

Starting this week, prospective travelers have chances to win 50 free vacations to Florida – adventures that evoke the state’s heritage of discovery and exploration.

Also, VISIT FLORIDA asks its past and present visitors to add their own Florida experiences to the state’s historical record. At “Share Your Florida Story,” visitors may post their remembrances on VISIT FLORIDA’s Facebook timeline, a record dating back to 1513.

WIN VACATIONS

“Florida’s 500 Years of Adventure” sweepstakes gives away 50 vacation prize packages, one per week through Dec. 29, featuring destinations around the state. Enter at win.VISITFLORIDA.com. Participants may enter every day for chances to win.

The vacation prizes, from nearly 100 Florida tourism partners, let travelers sun on the world’s most beautiful beaches, luxuriate in resorts, feast on fresh-caught seafood, find serenity in natural wilderness, fish, golf, zipline, dive, surf, paddle, race, explore world-renowned theme parks, and watch timeless Florida sunsets.

ADD TO THE TIMELINE

Millions of visitors already have glimpsed the marvels of Florida in the 500 years since Ponce de Leon of Spain landed here in 1513. Browse through photos, videos and stories depicting five centuries of visitors on VISIT FLORIDA’s new Viva Florida 500 facebook timeline, which is growing daily. After logging in, readers can scroll through the list of decades and centuries on the right side of the page to see a parade of historical milestones that have made Florida the culturally rich destination it is.

Enjoy a pictorial  tapestry that includes:

• the first human space launch at Kennedy Space Center
• filming of the Jackie Gleason Show in Miami Beach
• the origins of NASCAR, in Daytona
• the invention of air-conditioning, in Apalachicola
• the invention of the glass-bottom boat, at Silver River
• Florida’s “Tin Can Tourists”
• the winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, in Fort Myers
• the first overseas railroad, in the Florida Keys
• the first Underground Railroad, near St. Augustine
• the island prison of the infamous Dr. Mudd, in the Florida Keys
• the nation’s oldest schoolhouse, in St. Augustine
• the long-sought Fountain of Youth, in St. Augustine
• the nation’s First Thanksgiving and First Christmas
• and, of course, the discovery of Florida in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, the first European explorer to find the continental United States.

Then readers can leave their own mark on history by posting photos, videos and stories about their Florida adventures at Share Your Florida Story.

VISIT FLORIDA’s “500 Years of Adventure” sweepstakes and the Viva Florida 500 Facebook timeline provide ways for past and present visitors to add their personal touch in this quincentennial year to the nation’s oldest recorded history -- Florida’s.

GET QUINCENTENNIAL NEWS

For more news about Viva Florida 500, Florida’s quincentennial, including events, FAQ, and suggested story tracks, see the VISIT FLORIDA Viva Florida 500 Newsroom.  For more information about the sweepstakes and/or timeline, contact Laura Cassels, lcassels@VISITFLORIDA.org or (850) 205-3839.