SHOW TIME!

Performance is part of the everyday in Florida and not just in its theme parks and glamorous major cities. The state’s attention-grabbing wildlife, including turtles, dolphins and one of the world’s rarest plants, demand centre stage, too

- ADRIAN PHILLIPS

He’s shirtless and lean, and he’s got them hooked. “Remember, I’m 65 years old, but I’m gonna dive through that hoop straight onto the hard concrete!” A lady he’s selected from the crowd stands with the hoop at the end of her outstretched arms. “And guess what you all gonna do?,” the street performer continues with gusto, patrolling like a ringmaster. “You gonna put money in this bucket!” He selects another victim and shakes a red bucket playfully under his nose. “Don’t worry if you ain’t got a 20-buck note, mister. Two tens will do!”

There’s performance everywhere in Florida, from street artists ducking and diving as the sun sets over Key West to giant cartoon characters congo-dancing their way around the Disney castle in the Magic Kingdom. Drive south from Miami into the Keys and you enter a hall of mirrors, the world stretched and magnified into something familiar but different.

Roll up, roll up and test your stamina at the Home of the Stone Crab Eating Contest! Stop for the Best Roadside BBQ on the Planet, drink the Coldest Beer in the US, watch the Greatest Show on Earth. Head to Mattheessen’s on Duval Street for a cookie that weighs half a pound. Everything is bigger, better, colder, faster. “Don’t worry about calories,” the lady at Mattheessen’s will reassure you as she wraps up your cookie. “We burn them off before we sell ’em.” Immerse yourself, forget yourself, come and jump right in. Out here, the show never stops — that’s why we love it.