1 comments about Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids 2008 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids).

1. Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids is meant to be a companion to the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2008 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World). For a book like this to be useful, it needs to provide extensive information on things that would be of use to adults yet not was deemed unworthy of inclusion in the main guide. After all, if it's in the main guide already why do we need this book? The guide also needs genuine critiques of restaurants and hotels that would be most suitable for romantic (or at least quiet) outings. Detailed reviews of dinner shows would also be a plus. These are just a few examples that single adults and couples might find useful. The key is that readers need good details and honest evaluations for a book of this type to have any value. The only other guide of this type that I have read was The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Grown-Ups (Unofficial Guides) and it failed to offer enough of value to justify its purchase. Did Birnbaum's fare better?
   
   One undeniable strength is that this book retains the high production values of the Birnbaum's series. It's loaded with very nice photos. The writing is clear and concise making for a quick, easy read. In other words, the form is wonderful. But the substance, that's where we stumble. There are no real critiques or comparisons offered. The coverage is too shallow to allow you to truly discrimiate which places would be best suited to your needs. There is also too little material that isn't available in the standard guidebooks for the area. In the final analysis, there just isn't enough substance here to make it worth buying.
   
   If you're looking for a guide to Orlando primarily composed of photos and basic coverage of the area, then the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2008 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World) is by far the better choice. If you want a more substantial book that is packed with detailed information then the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) is your best bet. If you really want the full picture, buy both of them. But whatever approach you choose, save your money and skip this one.

No comments about Insight Guides Smart Guide Orlando (Smart Guides).

3 comments about Bicycling the Atlantic Coast: A Complete Route Guide, Florida to Maine.

1. Used this book for the DC to Boston stretch. Good information about campgrounds and sights to see along the way. Donna's route was good at keeping us off most of the main roads and taking us through the more scenic back roads, but sometimes it seemed we spent more time reading the map and looking for street signs than bicycling. Good orientation information about each stretch.



2. this book was recommended to me via a newsgroup posting back in 1997, during my planning for an east coast solo tour. while the author's itinerary took her all the way to maine, mine started in naples, FL, and ended in washington, d.c. i found the book to be most useful in planning my route and campground locations. i followed up my reading of this book with the acquisition of road maps and a AAA campground guide for my route. in and of itself, the book was more enlightening than a detailed touring planning guide, but this was not the author's intent; rather, this book is more of a diary, and certainly helped give the flavor of a day-to-day tour. other books which went into detail regarding the logistics of a loaded tour were essential as well. i would recommend this book to the newcomer to loaded touring.



3. I found the author's guide information to be easy to understand and use. I have ridden some of the areas discussed and would have benefitted from the information in the guide. Definately recommend anyone planning to cycle along any portion this route use "Bicycling the Atlantic Coast" as one of their planning tools.
   
   Win Allred

1 comments about Everglades National Park Florida: Trails Illustrated (National Geographic Maps: Trails Illustrated).

1. If you need a general overview of the area and the roads, this map is great. If you need a map of the small island keys, then this won't help much as the keys have changed a lot since the last two hurricanes. If you need a map of the island keys, I recommend getting the most recent navigational map that you can.

2 comments about Day Trips from Orlando, 2nd (Day Trips Series).

1. If you don't fall in love with the cute and charming little girl in the photo on the cover you will enjoy what's inside, a guide to great places to visit and fun things to do that are beyond the expected theme park experience in Orlando.
   
   Taking the points of the compass this book offers ten day trips that will take you as far as St. Augustine to see what else the center of Florida has to offer the visitor or resident with an itch to wander. Janet and Gordon Groene have traveled these roads before you and will take you there with just enough commentary to make the journey interesting. There is a good introductory chapter on travel tips--things that you should have thought about but haven't but no matter the authors have done that for you. From there, the day trips await. And truly there is more than one day's worth of things to do in each of them, so you can pick and choose based on what sounds appealing to you and your fellow travelers.
   
   Each trip also gives some hints about where to stay and where to eat along the way.
   
   Some people are under the impression that there is not much "there there" beyond the theme parks. But the reality of Central Florida is there is way more to do than time to do it in. You could spend an entire year in the Orlando area eating in a different restaurant each night and you would have only begun to scratch the surface. And some of those "hidden" eateries are included in this guidebook. The maps are clear and easy to read as is the typeface.
   
   Happy wandering!



2. I purchased the book as a gift to my boys' grandparents who moved to Florida last year. They have had a grand time investigating some of the day trips.

No comments about The Unofficial Guide to South Florida including Miami & the Keys (Unofficial Guides).

No comments about Dozier's Waterway Guide Southern 2008: Florida, the Gulfof Mexico and Bahamas (Waterway Guide Southern Edition).

1 comments about Travellers' Wildlife Guides Florida (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

1. This book is a must for every Flordian and Florda visitor who wants to explore the "inside" of a fascinating state. The authors provide a short, but very interesting summary of the geography and geology of the state as well as of the biology of plants and animals and their habitat.
   I personnally liked the section on "parks and reserves" which provides insider recommendation which are not found in any other Florida tourist guide. My family and I have explored several of the recommended sites and have truly found some of Florida's gems. The book is full of links to other interesting web-sites and provides telephone numbers for many information sites.
   About 400 pages are dedicated to the identification of plants and animals in Florida. The plants and animals are classified as "native" and "non-native" ("native" and "introduced"), which I found very interesting. Further information about clasification, ecology and behavior and conservation status is provided for each organisms. The habitat and the region of occurance is clearly described.
   This is the best book about Flroda's nature I ever came across and I would like to highly recommend this volume of the "Ecotraveller" to anyone coming to visit or live in Florida. - This book truly highlights the gems of wild Florida.

3 comments about Moon Florida Beaches: The Best Places to Swim, Play, Eat, and Stay (Moon Handbooks).

1. This book goes well beyond just the facts and figures. It gives the author's analysis, opinions, and very good advice. In-depth, detailed. Even discusses damage to each beach area caused by the recent busy hurricane seasons. Don't waste your vacation going to the wrong beach -- get help choosing the right beach from this book.



2. I reluctantly travelled to Florida recently (cheapest place I could go last minute to escape our -5 weather). I am not a big Florida fan and have seen some fantastic beaches all over the world; however, these guys' descriptions, analysis, and candor really nailed it! I read the entire book even though I only went to one beach. I will definitely use Moon books again.



3. This book has the title Florida Beaches, and we bought it thinking it would be about, I don't know, maybe Florida Beaches? It isn't. Or at least, it mostly isn't. The book offers the author's opinions on everything from voting to condo development to nightlife. Of beaches, however, you'll learn very little. You will NOT find answers to the questions you may have about the beaches, such as: Is the beach a good one for snorkeling? Where can you park? How much parking is available and what time does it fill up? What is a good time of year to go? When is it crowded? Is it clean? What else is nearby after visiting the beach? And so on.
   
   If you want to learn about Florida Beaches, look for another book.

3 comments about Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers (Florida History and Culture).

1. This book is a fascinating study of fishing, hunting, and working in the Florida Everglades. Most of the activities that are described are set in the 1930s. Most of the book consists of stories and descriptions of live from Glen Simmons, a boat builder who has lived in the Everglades region all his life. The stories are intriguing accounts of the everyday events and the extraordinary happenings that form the stuff of history. Readers of this book will find interesting encounters with a colorful cast of characters, learn about Florida wildlife, and discover how a unique style of boat is built. This book is annotated with well-written introductions by Laura Ogden and illustrated with a wide variety of period photographs that make the rich descriptions even more vivid.



2. it is with great honor that i speak of this book that was wrote by my friend, who lived all his life in the glades. his grandfather was ducan brady the founder of flamingo and his parents were the keepers at waddell grove on cape sable. this book is testimony to the hardships that our pioneer familys endured in a land all but gone.hell westerneralvin in naples



3. I highly recommend this interesting book. The details about Florida history are fascinating as Ogden presents some terrific stories told by Simmons. There is rich information about alligator hunting, bootlegging, and boat building. I am especially interested in Simmons' boats as the type of skiff that he makes is characteristic, if not unique, to the 'glades.
   This portrait of Florida is vivid and harsh, and the book provides a richer, more nuanced, view of the state than most imagine.