Stepping away but for a second from all the excitement of theme parks on your holiday in Florida and you will realise that Florida is literally engulfed with magnificent and proud history; you just have to know where to find it. With so many cheap holidays in 2013 from online agents such as Florida for Less, there’s no excuse to go out there and discover it!

Indeed, upon the first European contact with the peoples of Florida in the early 16rh century, the land already had an estimated 350,000 people ranging from around one hundred different tribes.

With so much history around (the first natives appearing in Florida around 14,000 years ago), there’s a wonder why this isn’t one of the bigger focuses of tourism. With that in mind, here are five amazing historical sites found in and around the state:

Fort Barrancas – Penseacola

Located on the most Western tip of Florida, Fort Barrancas found in the Warrington area of Pensacola and is actually located on the Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Built in 1787 on the site of a previous Spanish fort and wasn’t decommissioned until 1947, enjoying over two hundred years of service.

The forts first battle saw an American victory at the Battle of Pensacola which saw the US Forces defeating the British and Spanish armies during the 1812 war. Though the battle was relatively small with only 15 British soldiers wounded or killed, it created a rift between the Spanish and British forces due to the rash fleeing of the British and left the county void of British forces.

Today tours are scheduled at 2:00pm every day around the Fort and being so close to the beach, it also provides many seashore programmes for kids!

Fort Mose – St Augustine

Located in the oldest city in the United States, Fort Mose represents the very first place where African Americans were able to live as free people.

Escaping violent slavery in the British Colonies, the Spanish Government offered asylum to slaves and was made official in 1693; citing that all runaway slaves would find asylum and freedom in the state of Florida.

In 1994, the site of Fort Mose was designated as a National Historical Landmark and in 2009 was cited as a precursor to the National Undergroud Railroad Network to Freedom. Today visitors are welcome to view the site and follow the learned boardwalk throughout the part. With a newly constructed visitor centre and museum, along with tours, and bird watching; you may wish to take the whole day out there!

Kennedy Space Centre – Cape Canaveral

Possibly the most obvious place in the three, though with the recent landing of the Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars, who wouldn’t want a visit to quite possibly the most important (and famous) air force stations in the world?

Used by the American Government since 1949 on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the site was chosen for the capability of launches over the Atlantic Ocean as well as being close to the equator, therefore allowing an easier passage into space for rockets needing that important boost from the planet’s rotation.

Allowing a full day to visit the centre, it is but a short drive away from the centre of Orlando and allows you to visit the complex, roughly eight times the size of Manhattan.

With an opportunity to meet a real astronaut, plus enough events to reach into forever; there really is no reason to visit one of the greatest, out-of-this-world attractions in the United States.