Fort De Soto Park's beach near St. Petersburg, Fla., was chosen as the best beach in the state of Florida on Dr. Beach's 2005 America's Best Beaches list. -- Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB.

Hurricanes or no hurricanes, Florida is still a major attraction for Canadians.

The big resort parks get most of the attention, but new attractions are popping up in less-visited areas.

The Butterfly Rainforest, a four-storey, outdoor screened enclosure containing 2,000 living butterflies, has opened at The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. The main gallery has a Wall of Wings more than six metres high and 61 metres long containing thousands of scanned images and actual specimens. For details visit flmnh.ufl.edu.

Splash Island, at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, is a Polynesian-themed water park with a wave pool, tube slides and a play structure accommodating more than 500 people. Visit cypressgardens.com for details.

Three Florida beaches made the top 10 in the 2005 America's Best Beaches list compiled by coastal expert Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach. Fort De Soto Park's North Beach, near St. Petersburg, Fla., took top spot; Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, and Cape Florida State Park, on Key Biscayne, near Miami, were also cited. full list at nhbc.fiu.edu. Many Florida beaches lend beach wheelchairs to visitors. Visit wheelchairsonthego.com/ pages/events.html.

More leisure travel news:

- Bookings are being taken for a new Whistler Mountaineer rail trip that will begin in May. The three-hour trip from Vancouver promises breathtaking views of the Sea to Sky corridor, and a look at old-growth forests, deep valleys and snow-capped mountains. The daily service from Vancouver will include breakfast; the return trip will include afternoon tea. One-way fares start at $99. Visit whistlermountaineer.com.

- Detours, a touring company based in Tempe, Ariz., has created a five-day tour linking some of the intriguing settings of Tony Hillerman's novels. The tour also includes a stop in Grand Canyon National Park, where participants meet a Navajo elder whose name appears in Hillerman's The Wailing Wind.

Visit detoursaz.com.

- The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge's Fuel Up with Fairmont package features $50 in Esso coupons per reservation. It's available for stays through Dec. 19.

Rates start at $109 per person, based on double occupancy. Visit fairmont.com.

- The Church of Our Lady, destroyed when the German city of Dresden was fire-bombed in 1945, has been rebuilt and will be re-consecrated on Oct. 30. Visit dresden-tourist.de.

- A five-day bus tour visits the places in Germany where the new pope, Benedict XVI, spent his childhood and formative years. Visit bayern.by for details.

TRAVELLERS' TIPS

Grand River Guesthouse in Elora gets a thumbs up for its food, view and amenities. "Well worth $100," say guests who chose the River Room, one of three rooms available, which has "a fantastic bathroom" and private balcony. Call 1-519-846-5980 or see grandriverguesthose.com.

They also liked Maryhill Inn, near Kitchener, which has five en-suite rooms ranging from $100-$195 a night, with "gourmet breakfast."

Call 519-648-3098 or visit maryhillinn.com.

Write Doug English c/o London Free Press, P.O. Box 2280, London, Ont. N6A 4G1; or fax 519-667-4528.