Where to Go in Florida

See Also

• Where to Lodge in Fort Lauderdale
• Where one can lay their head in Key West
• Locations for Lodging in Miami
• Accommodation recommendations in West Palm Beach
• Recommendations for Lodging in Orlando
• Recommended Locations in Tampa
• Best Walking Tour: Walkin’ Nashville

The Best Areas to Stay in Florida

Florida is one of the most visited holiday destinations in the US for good reason – stunning coastlines, delicious cuisine, charming small towns, wonderful weather all year round, lively nightlife, the Everglades, the Florida Keys, and South Beach. What else could someone desire?

All beaches in Florida are unique, wonderful, and worth exploring. But our favorites (particularly for initial visitors) are the South Walton beaches.

• Best Florida Destination for Couples and Honeymoon: Amelia Island
• Best Destination in Florida for Children and Families: Orlando
• Top Florida Destination for Evening Activities: Miami
• The top Florida coastal region renowned for beaches is the Emerald Coast.

The best Florida destination for food is considered to be Miami.

• Best Florida Destination for kayaking: Everglades National Park

Florida – The Highlights

Best Cities in Florida

• Miami
• Tampa
• St. Petersburg
• Fort Lauderdale
• Orlando
• Pensacola
• St Augustine

Best Beaches in Florida

• Johnson Beach National Seashore, Perdido Key
• Caladesi Island State Park
• South Beach, Miami Beach
• Delray Beach
• South Walton beaches
• Pensacola Beach
• Dry Tortugas – Garden Key
• St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
• Siesta Key
• Panama City Beach

Best Vacation Spots in Florida

• Orlando
• Florida Keys
• Miami Beach
• Emerald Coast
• Fort Lauderdale

Best Food Destinations in Florida

• Miami – Stone crab claws, Floribbean cuisine, and Cuban/Latin American
• Florida Keys & Key West – Fresh seafood, key lime pie, and conch fritters
• Jacksonville – Sandwiches with deli meats stuffed inside flatbread (pita)
• Orlando – Celebrity chefs
• Apalachicola – Local oysters and crabs
• Tampa – Cuban food
• Tarpon Springs – Greek food
• Pensacola – Southern cuisine and Grits à Ya Ya (at the Fish House)
• Everglades – Alligator dishes (gator tail), Indian fry bread, and frogs’ legs
• Monroe County – Annual spiny lobster harvest

Best Small Towns in Florida

• Micanopy (Alachua County)
• Apalachicola (Forgotten Coast)
• Defuniak Springs (Panhandle)
• Cedar Key
• Mt Dora
• Celebration
• New Smyrna Beach
• Tarpon Springs
• Flagler Beach
• Fernandina Beach

The 35 Best Places to Visit in Florida

1. Key West

Key West feels quite distant from the mainland of America. It is well known for its big-game fishing, small but tropical beaches, boisterous nightlife, and its widely publicized connection with Ernest Hemingway, Key West retains its relaxed, bohemian, and independent spirit despite the huge numbers of tourists that travel down US-1 every year. It boasts an especially vibrant LGBT community, brings in the New Year with flair, and celebrates the sunset every evening with street performers and stalls at the waterfront Mallory Square, effectively the center of town. From here, Duval Street has bars lined up – Captain Tony’s Saloon, Green Parrot Inn, Hog’s Breath Saloon, Margaritaville and Sloppy Joe’s. Other highlights include the Oldest House Museum,Key West Aquarium,Mel Fisher Maritime Museum,Truman Little White House,Audubon House & Tropical Gardens, and The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. There’s also the Tennessee Williams Museum – the famous playwright also lived in Key West as well.

2. South Beach, Miami Beach

• Public transportation: Santorini’s main bus hub is located here in Fira, just an 8 minute walk away. Direct routes to all of the island’s major towns, beaches, the airport, and ferry dock leave and return to this bus station. This is also where you`ll find the most recent bus timetables, as routes and times change throughout the season (or daily in the case of the port). There is also a closer bus stop only a 3-minute walk away with routes to Imerovigli village. Tickets are purchased on board the bus, and range from €1.80 to €2.50 per person during the day, depending on the route. Night buses (12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.) run less regularly and cost a little more, from €2.30 to €3.10. Buses can get very crowded, especially during high season, so much so that they often fill to maximum capacity and are unable to accept more passengers. There are only 23 public buses serving the island.

3. Everglades National Park

As Florida`s most unique natural characteristic, Everglades National Park is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and classified as a “Wetland of International Importance”. Encompassing much of the southern region of Florida, the Everglades consists of a bizarre, aquatic world of swamps and flat sawgrass plains punctuated by small pockets of trees known as “hammocks”. The area teems with wildlife, most conspicuously alligators, of which there are thousands; manatees and the elusive Florida panther also inhabit this location. The park has 3 main points of entry. The most popular section begins just south of Homestead, where Highway-9336 (Ingraham Highway) cuts across the plains to the Gulf sportsfishing and canoeing hub at Flamingo. Further north, Shark Valley can only be accessed from US-41 (the Tamiami Trail), while Everglades City on the far western side of the park serves as the gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands section of the Everglades, and the Wilderness Waterway, a marked kayak trail.

4. Walt Disney World Resort

Many of the visitors who travel to Orlando go to Walt Disney World. Located approximately 17 miles southwest of Downtown Orlando, the amusement park is vast in size and feels like an independent city. Since opening in 1971, it has expanded beyond the original Magic Kingdom theme park and renowned Cinderella Castle to four additional `worlds` – Epcot, Disney`s Animal Kingdom, and Disney`s Hollywood Studios (home of `Star Wars: Galaxy`s Edge`), each worthy of at least a full day`s exploration. Other attractions include Disney`s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney`s Blizzard Beach Water Parks, four golf courses, and Disney Springs, a commercial area with restaurants and shopping centers. With over 25 official hotel options within the Disney property, accommodation packages assist in lowering the significant costs involved and make it enticing to never leave the resort (vehicles are definitely not required).

5. Universal Orlando Resort

One of the crown jewels in Orlando’s theme park collection, and Disney’s primary competition, the Universal Orlando Resort comprises 3 main areas: Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure (with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter split between them), and Volcano Bay (an incredible waterpark), with CityWalk acting as a shopping and entertainment hub (somewhat like Disney Springs). Like Disney World, Universal encompasses several on-site hotels, but there are numerous places to stay nearby.

6. Kennedy Space Center, Space Coast

The family-friendly attractions at the Visitor Complex at the Kennedy Space Center can easily fill an entire day, providing an illuminating and fun introduction to the US space program. NASA’s space vehicles have been developed, tested, and launched into orbit from here on Merritt Island and the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station since 1958. The Visitor Complex is arranged similar to a theme park, with every aspect from exhibitions and displays on the moon landings to space shuttle launch simulations. Space Shuttle Atlantis is also here, one of merely three shuttles preserved in the US. To see the actual functioning base, the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour runs nearly continuously to the colossal Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), LC-39 Observation Gantry, and Apollo/Saturn V Center, which houses a 363-foot long Saturn V rocket.

7. St. Petersburg

Some 23 miles southwest of Tampa, on the opposite side of the bay, St. Petersburg is the region`s artistic and cultural heart, with a lineup of world-class museums and galleries topping the list. Including The Dalí, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Chihuly Collection, but St. Pete also hosts the more recent James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art and the Imagine Museum of Glass. Central Avenue is lined with independent galleries, posh boutiques, restaurants, and bars. The Florida Holocaust Museum is also here, as well as the freshly rebuilt St. Pete Pier, the center of a lively waterfront dining, shopping, and entertainment district

8. The Florida Keys via the Overseas Highway (US-1)

Traveling the 125-mile Overseas Highway (also known as US-1) through the Florida Keys is truly a remarkable experience, connecting the island chain with an engineering feat of bridges and causeways rising above deep turquoise channels and lagoons teeming with tropical marine life easily visible, including giant rays, sharks, and abundant tropical fish. The Keys themselves are best known for the offshore Florida Reef, home to a dazzling diversity of sea creatures best explored at John Pennekamp State Park or Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Other major attractions include enjoying locally-caught seafood, watersports, fishing, plus wildlife refuges sheltering dolphins, turtles, and the endearing Key deer roaming freely on Big Pine Key.

9. St Augustine

The village considered to be the earliest settlement in the region located in Spanish Florida, originated in 1565 by those from Spain, St Augustine is one of the state’s most fascinating historic enclaves from long ago. Remnants still existing from the colonial time period – it was at times ruled by the peoples from Spain and Britain – include the 17th-century Castillo de San Marcos, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, the Colonial Quarter,Peña Peck House,Ximenez-Fatio House Museum, and Oldest House Museum. In the later 19th century, businessman Henry Flagler developed the town as his first Florida winter resort, leading to a boom in Spanish Revival buildings: Flagler College, the Lightner Museum, and Villa Zorayda Museum are the finest examples. On the edge of town stands the Fountain of Youth, an archeological site and tribute to the legend pursued by the Spanish conquistadors.

10. Pensacola

This former Spanish colony boasts a beautifully preserved historic center, with around 28 properties and museums comprising Historic Pensacola. Chief among them is the T.T. Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum, Julee Cottage, and the Museum of Commerce and Museum of Industry. Around six miles westward, the vast Naval Air Station Pensacola includes the outstanding National Naval Aviation Museum, considered one of the largest and finest air museums in the country, and the Pensacola Lighthouse & Museum. The powdery sands of Pensacola Beach lie around five miles from Downtown Pensacola on Santa Rosa Island (connected to the mainland by a couple of bridges). The central built-up region near the 1471ft-long Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier features 2 beaches: the expansive, Gulf-facing Casino Beach and the calmer, narrower strip along the bay side Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. On the Gulf side, undeveloped stretches extend along the coast for miles either side of the pier – Santa Rosa Island is 40-miles long. Because it’s composed of tiny quartz granules, the sand always stays cool in spite of the sun, and the emerald-hued water tends to be warm and shallow, perfect for swimming.

11. Dry Tortugas National Park

Located some 70 miles west of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park is expensive to reach – it can only be accessed by high-speed catamaran or seaplane – but it possesses the state`s most exotic location. Its main feature is the immense red-brick Fort Jefferson, a long-abandoned 19th century defensive structure that looms out of the ocean like a fantasy castle. The park comprises seven small islands, but the fort stands on Garden Key, surrounded by small yet pristine beaches and crystalline waters rich in marine life – it is best known for exceptional snorkeling and the flocks of nesting Sooty Terns and Brown Noddys on neighboring Bush Key.

12. Wynwood and the Design District, Miami

Approximately 2 miles north of Downtown Miami, the former warehouse area of Wynwood has changed into the art center of South Florida. It began with the Wynwood Walls, an open-air graffiti museum, with murals and street art now covering the entire neighborhood. Today, there are over 70 art galleries here as well as trendy restaurants and bars. Other attractions include the Miami Selfie Museum, the Museum of Graffiti,Rubell Museum and Margulies Collection at the Warehouse. Across I-195 from Wynwood, the compact Miami Design District is home to over 130 art galleries, upscale shops, antiques dealers, restaurants, and bars gathered around the main road, NE 40th Street. Other attractions include the Haitian Heritage Museum, the De la Cruz Collection, and Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami.

13. Crystal River – Swimming with Manatees

Manatees, the gentle, marine mammals known as “sea cows” that are endangered, are one of Florida’s most endearing natural attributes, frequently visible in numerous parks, rivers, and lakes around the state. Our favorite place to see them is Crystal River, some 75 miles north from Tampa. Here the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge attracts manatees year-round, with the additional benefit that it is the only place in Florida where it is allowed to swim with manatees – a magical experience. The Three Sisters Springs is a popular spot to get in the water, but there’s also a boardwalk. Captain Mike’s Swimming with the Manatees and Fun2Dive offer tours.

14. South Walton beaches

Much of Northwest Florida’s renowned Emerald Coast lies within Walton County, with the pristine white-sand beaches of South Walton forming a continuous 26-mile long coastal strip. It provides a safe and family-friendly destination, experiencing less crowds than nearby Panama City Beach and Destin resorts. Notable spots include Santa Rosa Beach and its upscale cuisine and Gulf Place artist community, in addition to the nearby Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, an entirely undeveloped area featuring 25-foot high dunes and coastal lakes. We also appreciate Blue Mountain Beach (named after indigenous blue lupine flowers), offering the added attractions of Big Redfish Lake, ice cream from Blue Mountain Creamery and Blue Mabel Smokehouse. Finally, Grayton Beach State Park presents another unspoiled shore backed by a coastal woodland of scrub oaks and magnolias.

15. Tampa

One of Florida`s great cities, Tampa is best known for the beaches across the bay, but it also has a lively Downtown area packed with attractions. In addition to the Amalie Arena (home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team) and several theaters, there is the Tampa Museum of Art,Glazer Children’s Museum,Florida Aquarium,Tampa Bay History Center, and the American Victory Ship & Museum. The Henry B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa lies across the Hillsborough River. Tampa`s historic Latin quarter, Ybor City, is home to excellent museums and famous Cuban restaurants such as Columbia, but is best known today for its nightlife, especially along 7th Avenue. North Tampa includes attractions like the Busch Gardens theme park, Adventure Island waterpark, the Museum of Science and Industry, and ZooTampa at Lowry Park.

16. Forgotten Coast

“Old Florida” spirit remains along the Forgotten Coast, a stretch of sparsely populated towns and barrier islands at the eastern end of the Panhandle. It’s the most unspoiled, undeveloped portion of the state, an enticing blend of empty beaches, pristine woodlands, and excellent seafood – Apalachicola oysters and smoked fish spread are specialties. Highlights involve the 27 miles of powdery white sands on St George Island, the sensational beaches on 15-mile St Joseph Peninsula, the charming small towns of Port St Joe and Apalachicola (and its seafood restaurants), and the trails of Apalachicola National Forest.

17. Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island, situated 20 miles southwest of Fort Myers, is renowned for the array of seashells found on its 15-mile Gulf coast. Connected to the mainland by a causeway, the island (and neighboring Captiva Island), offers incredible sunsets, a historic lighthouse, and accommodations ranging from luxurious resorts to inexpensive rentals. Approximately 250 types of shells have been recorded on the island’s beaches, which are protected from overdevelopment by local policies.

18. Cedar Key

Situated as an isolated island connected to the mainland solely by causeway, Cedar Key, Florida provides a genuine sample of original Florida with its weathered cottages and shacks, loosely organized galleries, and beautifully rustic old wooden homes. Once a thriving transportation center and port in the late 1800s, the forest on the island was completely removed, and after the devastating Cedar Keys hurricane of 1896, it entered a steep decline. Now the tiny population survives primarily on clam fishing and tourism, with several excellent seafood restaurants (such as Steamers) and the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge offering boating, kayaking, and wildlife viewing chances.

19. Fort Lauderdale

Just north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale is most renowned for its remarkable beaches – a stretched coastal line of the Atlantic Ocean principally composed of islands set apart from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway. The main attraction during inclement weather is the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The primary attractions away from the beach lie in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the region’s commercial and cultural nucleus. Las Olas Boulevard is the city’s preeminent shopping and entertainment roadway, while the Riverwalk makes a pleasant waterside promenade between several museums and arts venues: Broward Center for the Performing Arts,History Fort Lauderdale, the Museum of Discovery and Science,NSU Art Museum and Historic Stranahan House Museum. Thanks to its kilometers of canals, Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America”, best experienced by Water Taxi or cruise boats such as the Jungle Queen.

20. The Ringling and Cà d’Zan

The Ringling in Sarasota is the legacy of John and Mable Ringling and the Ringling circus empire, which established its winter quarters here in 1927. Today the museum complex comprises several properties, most notably the Cà d’Zan, built for the Ringlings in the style of a Venetian Gothic palace in 1926. The Museum of Art, with its priceless collection of European paintings, opened in 1931. The Circus Museum followed in 1948, and soon after, the Ringlings purchased the 18th-century Asolo Theater in Italy and reassembled it in Sarasota. The stunning Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art and the Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art, opened in 2016, while the Kotler-Colville Glass Pavilion debuted in 2018. Today, the whole complex is managed by Florida State University.

21. St Andrews State Park/Shell Island (Panama City Beach)

With miles of white chalky sand along the Gulf coast and many child-friendly attractions, Panama City Beach is one of Florida`s most popular resort destinations. Its best stretch of beach lies at the very southern end. The untouched wilderness at St Andrews State Park highlights Florida with fantastic white sand beaches and pontoon boats transporting visitors to even more pristine Shell Island, boasting an almost empty 7-mile strip of sand and shells.

22. Palm Beach

The island of Palm Beach has been an affluent enclave since businessman and railway tycoon Henry Flagler founded famous hotels there in the 1890s (The Breakers still stands today). At present, its attractive beaches are backed by some of the most expensive real estate in the US (featuring the Mediterranean-influenced architectural “Palm Beach Style”), yet there are also several attractions. Flagler’s former grand residence, “Whitehall”, is now the Flagler Museum, while the Society of the Four Arts hosts concerts, films, and art exhibitions. Lined with palm trees, the main avenue of Worth is filled with designer stores and upscale art galleries ideal for touring on foot. The city’s culinary scene is showcased at the annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival each winter.

23. Naples

One of Southern Florida`s wealthiest cities additionally boasts a beautiful 10 mile stretch of white sand lined with palms and anchored by the 19th century Naples Municipal Beach & Fishing Pier. The real highlights here are the sunsets, some of the most spectacular in the state. Away from the coast, the main attraction is Naples Botanical Garden, a 170 acre nature reserve that includes plants from worldwide. Downtown Naples features boutiques and eateries on Naples Bay (such as the Tin City Waterfront Shops), while the Naples Depot Museum discusses the history of transportation in the city. Other highlights include the vintage cars at the Revs Institute and Naples Zoo.

24. Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach, Florida is an exceptional beach city that is ideal for families, with a extensive shoreline, ample lodging options, beach activities, and plenty to do inland. Sections of the beach allow vehicles like cars to directly access designated areas. Top attractions beyond the coast include the amusement park-like Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Boardwalk Amusements, the educational Marine Science Center, the culturally-rich Museum of Arts & Sciences, and scenic Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum. The city is also renowned for auto racing, hosting the iconic Daytona 500 annually in mid-February at the historical Daytona International Speedway since 1959. Now, visitors can take tours of the stadium and even drive vehicles on the legendary circuit.

25. Johnson Beach National Seashore, Perdido Key

One of our perennial favorite beaches in Florida is on Perdido Key, in the farthest western corner of the state’s Panhandle – the island is shared with Alabama. The Johnson Beach National Seashore encompasses the eastern part of the island, an astounding strip of bone-white sand stretching for miles. Protected as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, there are restrooms, outdoor showers, and picnic pavilions yet little else here, and no shade. Lifeguards are usually on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and it’s an excellent place to swim.

26. Tallahassee

The state capital of Florida has more in common with the Deep South than South Beach, but it’s crammed with historic attractions and boasts a youthful population thanks to Florida State University (FSU) and Florida A&M University (FAMU). Get to grips with Florida history at the Knott House Museum,Museum of Florida History, and the John G. Riley Center & Museum. Just outside the city stands one of the most impressive reconstructions of a Native American village in the country, the Mission San Luis as well as the Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park,Tallahassee Automobile Museum, and the Tallahassee Museum, which showcases everything from a small zoo to a re-creation of a rural Floridian farm.

27. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

One of the country’s best beaches lies in St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, another Gulf coast favorite (though the park suffered significant damage from Hurricane Michael in October 2018). As there is little construction in the area, the 20 miles of pristine, white sand beaches and sand dunes are often vacant, with stretches encompassing the entire peninsula beyond the park down to the Cape San Blas lighthouse. Sea turtles nest here from May to October.

28. Amelia Island

Right along Florida`s northeastern border with Georgia, Amelia Island boasts a stretch of 13 beautiful beach miles and a lovely main town from the 19th century, Fernandina Beach. The historic downtown section is packed with various independent and unique shops that extend from the harborfront to Centre Street, as well as the Amelia Island Museum of History and The Maritime Museum of Amelia Island. Other attractions involve Fort Clinch State Park and American Beach Museum, which commemorates one of the sole non-segregated beaches in the South.

29. Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach, some 25 miles west of Downtown Tampa, offers a lively coastal community that is immensely popular with families. In addition to various lodging options, visitors can enjoy activities like volleyball, parasailing, and jet skiing, as well as the nightly Pier 60 sunset celebration. For nonstop entertainment and a beautiful white sand beach, it`s difficult to surpass. Just south, Sand Key Park presents a less developed seaside experience, while the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is notably known for its dolphin program (featuring Winter, star of A Dolphin`s Tale).

30. Siesta Key

One of our favorite family-friendly beaches lies around 7 miles south of downtown Sarasota in Siesta Key. The primary Gulf-facing strands here – Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach, and Turtle Beach – offer calm, clear, and warm water perfect for swimming as well as that fine, white quartz sand that stays cool in the hot sun. It’s also renowned for its mesmerizing sunsets. There are numerous lodging options near the beach (Siesta Key Village) along with dining choices. Youngsters love the Siesta Key Drum Circle (with music and dancers) held at sunset every Sunday. Another bonus is the Siesta Key trolley bus, which shuttles up and down the island for free (there’s also Johnny’s Original Free Ride and Siesta Key Frog Hop).

31. Ocala National Forest

Renowned for its clear lakes, natural springs, canoeing prospects and a 66-mile stretch of the Florida National Scenic Trail, the sand pine scrub woodlands of the Ocala National Forest remain surprisingly undiscovered for most visitors to Florida. The true highlights here are the reserve`s 4 beautiful freshwater spring recreation zones, all including natural swimming basins of transparent, azure waters – particularly refreshing in the hot summer months. Our preferred area is rustic Juniper Springs, showcasing a relatively compact bathing hole under a canopy of live oaks. Alexander Springs offers a larger, lake-like spot for swimming or snorkeling, where the swimming vicinity has a fine sandy bottom; Silver Glen Springs receives the most sunlight, while at Salt Springs, the springs are distinctly visible bubbling up under the surface amidst a semitropical landscape.

32. Caladesi Island State Park

Another well-liked Gulf coast destination, the powdery white sands of Caladesi Island State Park can solely be accessed by boat (the 15-minute ferry departs from nearby Honeymoon Island State Park, also boasting fantastic beaches). The entire protective barrier island remains untouched, much of it smothered in mangrove forests, ancient slash pines, and live oaks. The soft white sands of the 3-mile Caladesi beach are rarely crowded, though there are restrooms, picnic tables, and snacks available at Café Caladesi, which rents beach chairs and umbrellas.

33. Juno Beach

The sleepy beach of Juno Beach, 12 miles north of Downtown West Palm Beach, is best known for its long stretch of (usually empty) sand, protected dunes, and family-friendly attractions. Juno Beach Park (which offers ample free parking) includes the 990-foot Juno Beach Pier, a popular spot for strolls, sunrise viewing, and fishing. The pier is managed by the nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center, a sea turtle conservation center and sea life hospital open to the public.

34. Micanopy

Northern Florida is dotted with small hamlets reminiscent of the Deep South, but our favorite is Micanopy, just off I-75. Its quiet downtown – along Cholokka Boulevard – features mossed-covered live oaks and 19th-century red brick structures transformed into antique and craft emporiums, hotels, and eateries. Highlights include the Gallery Under the Oaks, located in a historic log cabin from the 1930s, the enlightening Micanopy Historical Society Museum, and 10 miles east in Cross Creek, the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. The latter commemorates beloved local writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953), author of the hugely popular novel The Yearling (1937). The nearby Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is also worth exploring, with 8 hiking paths, a 50-foot tall observation tower, and plenty of wildlife – including freely roaming bison and equines.

35. Blackwater River State Forest

Known for being the “the canoe capital of Florida”, Blackwater River State Forest encompasses land bordering the Blackwater River, which gently flows 30 miles south from Alabama to Blackwater Bay. It additionally includes Blackwater River State Park, where canoeing and kayaking can be enjoyed alongside 30 magnificent sand beaches lining the river`s length.

Florida Travel Itinerary

Florida isn`t massive by North American standards, but it has considerable length, meaning that driving from Miami to Pensacola (675 miles) can take a couple of days. With limited time, focusing on either the south/central or north/Panhandle sections of the state is best, as they are quite different in any case.

The fare for a bus ticket is the same as that for the subway (€2.10). Tickets can be purchased through the RATP app or from any location selling subway tickets. Tickets can also be purchased by SMS by texting “BUS+NUMBER” (for example: “BUS60”) to the number 93100.

• Florida Itinerary for 10 days: 3 days in Miami, 2 days in the Everglades, 3 days on the Gold Coast, 2 days in Florida Keys; OR 3 days in Miami, 3 days on the Gold Coast, 2 days in Orlando, 2 days in Tampa Bay.
• Florida Itinerary for 14 days: 3 days in Miami, 3 days in the Florida Keys, 1 day in the Everglades, 2 days on the Gold Coast, 2 days in Orlando, 3 days in Tampa Bay OR 3 days in Tampa, 2 days Orlando, 3 days South Walton Beaches, 1 day Tallahassee, 1 day Blackwater State River Park, 4 days Pensacola.