Daytona resident Gary Rosier has had a passion for automobiles for as long as he can remember, and meets every week with fellow enthusiasts to cruise to car shows in their classic cars. In Daytona, you can even drive your car onto the beach!

Leaving behind the orange groves and retirement settlements of southern Florida, we travel on northwards, passing Pelican Island, America’s first ever nature reserve, and the historic rocket launch site at Cape Canaveral. Then we come to Daytona, which is popular with partying students and motorsport fanatics alike.

As well as attracting the rich and famous to its golden beaches, Florida’s great climate is also perfect for growing fruit, making the sunshine state one of the biggest producers of oranges in the world. We meet a citrus farmer who shows us some of the harvesting process.

By the beaches of South Florida the lifestyle is relaxed, with plenty of time for outdoor activities. We meet Sean Reyngoudt, whose life changed when he lost a leg in an accident as a teenager. But that didn’t stop him becoming a wakeboarding champion and enjoying life to the fullest.

Jesse Kennon’s family are the only permanent residents of Coopertown, and he takes on responsibilities as town mayor. A short way further up the coast lies Miami, once another small town, which underwent an almost miraculous growth to become the vibrant tourism, relaxation, and business hub we know today.

We head northward into the great swampy wilderness of the Florida Everglades. Airboat Captain Jesse Kennon knows his way around these marshes and where to find their most well-known and well-feared inhabitant: the alligator!

The only coral barrier reef in the United States surrounds the Florida Keys archipelago, and has been badly damaged by environmental pressures including ocean warming. The Coral Restoration Foundation is dedicated to its salvation, and in underwater nurseries, new coral is being grown to replenish the reef.

The town of Marathon in the Florida Keys is home to a unique hospital dedicated solely to caring for sea turtles. Marine biologist Bette Zirkelbach tells us about the dangers that sea turtles face in the wild. A lifesaving operation takes place, and a turtle is treated for a mysterious viral infection.

When the Fisher family of treasure seekers finally struck it rich, the local authorities tried to claim the bounty for themselves, and the case went to the Supreme Court. We learn how the “Florida Keys” got their name, and how these small outlying islands are linked to the mainland.

The East Coast of the United States of America stretches from the tropical blue seas and white sand of Florida’s Sunshine State to the Canadian border in the North. We begin our journey in the warm and relaxed islands of the Florida Keys, where modern-day treasure hunters are still at work, hunting for sunken Spanish gold.

Jasmin spends a good deal of her time studying in front of a screen, so when she gets away from her work, she likes to relax by connecting with friends and with nature.

Jasmin reveals some Christmas traditions in the UK, including exactly which day they celebrate, and more importantly, what’s on the Christmas menu!

Jasmin feels lucky to belong to two very different countries and cultures, and enjoys telling us some interesting facts about India and England.

In Grand Lake, not far from the Rocky Mountains National Park, it has become a tradition for people to get together and play ice hockey on the frozen lake in the middle of winter. Kate introduces us to some of her friends there and also to a very American snack, the s’more!

This Australian report highlights the damage done to coral by rising water temperatures. Local authorities and residents of the Marine Park area and beyond have seen the devastating effects of bleaching and are involved in efforts to understand the issue.