Winters in Florida | Living in Paradise

Winter is an amazing time to be in Florida. Even when the cold snaps come, they leave just as fast as they rolled in.

In fact, Florida doesn’t just attract short-term visitors hoping to soak in some sunshine. Florida also attracts “snowbirds” – people from up north who choose to move down to Florida and escape the nasty weather.

If you’re not a “let it snow, let it snow” fan and hate the approach of cold, snowy weather, you may be dreaming of becoming a snowbird. Lying on the beach, soaking up the sun’s warm rays while the sound of waves chases stress from your brain and puts you into deep relaxation…

But is this how it really is? Today I wanna talk about winters in Florida – what are the pros and cons of spending winter in a Sunshine state? Wait, are there any cons?! Make read to watch until the end to find out!

Typically, January is the coldest month in Florida. Temperatures range from 64 F to 74 F for the highs and 43 F to 65 F for the lows.

The weather truly is warm and sunny in winter. Plus,  humming of air conditioning units 24 hours a day for most of the year in Florida are gone, so winter in Florida is about the best you can experience anywhere in the US. You won’t need either heat or air conditioning most of the time.

It even rains less in Florida during the winter months, while the water off of Florida’s coast is no longer in the ninety-degree plus range, so the hurricanes and the damage they cause are gone too.

Oh right – bugs, snakes, alligators, and other people’s friends that can plague residents other times of the year, are less active during winters.

While real birds, not the human-type snowbirds, come to escape cold northern winters and help lower the bug problem.

You can enjoy all the outdoor activities in Florida during the winter that you could usually do only during the summer. Golf, swim, bike, boat, go to the beach – do everything you love to do that requires being outdoors.

Actually, there’s more to do in Florida during the winter than during summer! Florida’s winter weather draws people outside into the warm, low humidity, sunshine. All kinds of outdoor markets, food, festivals, and events are held throughout Florida during the winter. I’ll cover more winter activities later, so keep watching.

Now, when we’ve covered the pros, it’s time to talk about the few cons of spending winter in Florida.

Today, Florida is the 3rd most populated state, thanks to all people leaving being able to work remotely and moving to Florida. Boasting a population of over 20 million people now, Florida is pretty crowded. Now add over 110 million tourists yearly mainly coming to enjoy the warm winter months, and you’ll get it all – traffic jams, car accidents, parking hunting, and long lines to do anything.

Even golf is so crowded that the play is painfully slow! Oh yes, you can golf during the winter in Florida, but it will cost you far more than the price when it’s hot.

Talking about costs, the cost of hotel rooms and home rentals get higher, too. It’s just business – huge demand plus limited supply equals the luxurious weather in Florida during January, February, or March.

Of course, as a snowbird, you’ll be sitting at the bar and enjoying drinks with an umbrella most of the time until you become a Florida resident with a status.

Now, let’s talk about everything you can do in winter.

To be honest, winter is the best time for almost everything.

You can visit Magic Kingdom at Christmas or spend some time fighting the dark wizards at Universal Studios – the winter is a great time to visit Florida’s theme parks.

You have the legendary Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld in Orlando. Still, you don’t forget about gems like Busch Gardens in Tampa or the incredible LEGOLand Florida – perfect for the kids.

It can be tough to sustain yourself walking around at the theme parks all day in the summer months. Hence, a winter theme park visit is much more comfortable. You can see plenty of decorations and festive things to do – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Grinchmas at Universal should be definitely on your TO DO list.

If you’re nature-loving samaritans, wetlands and swamps are much more comfortable to explore in the winter months, with a significant decrease in mosquito and other insect populations while on the airboat rides. As we already know, some of the wildlife, like alligators, prefer warmer weather; you’ll still spot plenty of birds, fish, and other mystic creatures that come out and about in the winter months.

If you’re up to learning some history, St. Augustine and Gainesville are the ultimate historic cities. Florida does have some cities to explore, and it’s enjoyable to do it in the winter when you won’t be running from one AC to another.

St. Augustine usually holds a fantastic lights display. All other cities also try to get in the joyful spirit and put on outdoor caroling, farmer’s markets, and other family activities to spend time learning about Florida’s heritage and still enjoying the sunshine.

Sports enthusiasts will find all the activities the world can offer – from paddleboarding to kayaking or spotting manatees at Blue Springs State Park.

It’s the best time to go camping, hiking, and overall the best time to get outdoors. And, of course, golfing. But make sure you don’t get in those lines I’ve mentioned before.

Oh wait, I’ve come up with so many activities and almost forgot about the most passive activity – beaches. Of course, you can hit the beaches in Florida’s winter!

There will be plenty of warm days, warm enough to lie out in the sun and do your favorite beach activities. However, the water will be much colder than the summer, so get your swim top or water shoes to keep yourself a bit warmer. Some even consider the winter beach time walks the reason for the season!

With the ocean breeze blowing, your feet squishing the sand between your toes, and not even a snowflake in sight, it can be easy to forget that other parts of the world are plunged in darkness and frost!

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