Browse Florida-focused gifts and shop local this holiday season. Gifts may also support a good cause.
The Sunshine State is offering merchandise supporting the Save the Manatee Club, Surfing Santa T-shirts and hats, and ResortPass gift cards to sponsor your loved one’s sun-kissed vacation at a Florida hotel.
save the manatee club
Save the Manatee Club has worked tirelessly to protect Florida’s beloved sea cows since it was founded in 1981 by the late former Governor Bob Graham and the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.
This is manifested through manatee rescue and rehabilitation, public awareness and education, and manatee research, as well as advocacy efforts at the state, federal, and local levels that involve legal action. This is especially important because manatees face threats such as declining seagrass, collisions with boats, and cold stress.
You can support the club through volunteer work or other activities, donations, or through the Adopt a Manatee program, which allows you to symbolically sponsor an individual named Manatee with an adoption certificate and biography. Save the Manatee Club also offers an online shop to support the organization’s efforts.
Calendars are one of the most popular items in the store, as well as Manatee T-shirts, stickers, tote bags, puzzles, hats, children’s books, stuffed animals and more.
Other unique services include:
Hanging Manatee Wooden Suncatcher Handcrafted and Carved from Long Leaf Pine by Artist John Rumel – $55 SPF Performance Hooded Long Sleeve Shirt for Outdoor Activities – $45 Polished Sterling Silver Mom and Calf Necklace – $40 “God Bless You Little One…” Manatee Print 24” x 18” – $30 Pathfinder Porcelain Manatee Ornament – $17
Visit shop.savethemanatee.org to browse and purchase, or visit savethemanatee.org to learn more about the club, make a donation, or adopt a manatee.
surfing santa goods
Since 2009, Surfing Santa has brought festive surfers to Cocoa Beach on the morning of Dec. 24, giving festive Floridians a place to celebrate the Sunshine State’s mild winters during the holiday season.
With only a few relatives of founder George Trossett in attendance the first year, he continued the annual tradition and helped grow the event to include hundreds of surfers and spectators.
Through this event, Trossett and the Elf team raised tens of thousands of dollars for Grind for Life and the Florida Surf Museum, nonprofit organizations that provide financial assistance to cancer patients facing travel, lodging, and other costs.
The event returns to the shoreline directly behind Coconuts on the Beach on December 24th at 7:30am. For those who cannot attend the event, who want to prepare for the annual celebration, or who want to send a gift to an out-of-state friend or relative, Surfing Santa will provide T-shirts, hats and other merchandise.
Shirts are priced between $29.99 and $39.99, and hats are priced at $34.99 each. For kids, the Surfing Santa toy retails for $29.99.
Explore the shop at shopsurfingsantas.org and learn more about events at surfingsantas.org.
resort pass
Hotel spas, pools, and other amenities are typically reserved for hotel guests, but a resort pass gives you daytime access to more than 400 hotels and resorts in the Sunshine State.
Earlier this year, Miami became the company’s No. 1 market, and Orlando ranked No. 4 with about 80 hotels.
Resort Pass provides daytime access to pools, spas, and amenities at 400 Florida hotels
The most popular option on this platform is pool day passes, which start around $25 and can typically be found for less than $75 each. Many resorts around Orlando also offer family passes that include access for up to four people.
In addition to access to the pool, the Resort Pass also offers additional amenities over time, including reserved cabanas and daybeds, spa treatments, day rooms, a golf course, and pickleball courts.
Central Florida resorts include the Hilton Orlando, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, Sheraton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort, and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.
A ResortPass gift card can help you create a relaxing day for your loved one this holiday season. Gift cards are digital only, but can also be printed and have no expiration date. You can also book specific day passes and spa treatments for other people through ResortPass.
To see options and purchase gift cards, visit resortpass.com.
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