Places & Beaches in Florida
The places worth your time in Florida, from headline parks to the towns you will actually base in.
Everglades National Park
The largest tropical wilderness in the US and the only place where alligators and crocodiles live side by side. A slow-moving river of sawgrass with three separate entrances that do not connect inside the park: Homestead in the southeast for the main road to Flamingo, Shark Valley on the Tamiami Trail for the tram loop and observation tower, and Everglades City in the northwest for the Ten Thousand Islands. Go in the dry season, roughly November through April, when wildlife concentrates and the mosquitoes are bearable; summer is hot, wet, and buggy.
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Biscayne National Park
The national park that is 95 percent water, just south of Miami off Homestead. Living coral reefs, mangrove shoreline, the northern Florida Keys, and shipwrecks on the Maritime Heritage Trail, reached only by boat. Snorkel and dive trips run from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center; the water is clearest in summer, and winter cold fronts can cancel boats.
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Dry Tortugas National Park
Seven remote islands about 70 miles west of Key West, reached only by the Yankee Freedom ferry, a seaplane, or private boat. The huge 19th-century Fort Jefferson sits on Garden Key with some of the clearest snorkeling water in Florida right off the beach. Book the ferry weeks ahead in peak season; day trips run roughly 4.5 hours on the island.
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Key West
The end of the Overseas Highway and the southernmost city in the continental US, about 3.5 to 4 hours from Miami. The Mallory Square sunset celebration, Duval Street bars, the Hemingway Home and its six-toed cats, and the Southernmost Point buoy. Base here for Dry Tortugas and reef trips. Parking is tight, so many visitors go on foot, by bike, or by trolley.
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Key Largo
The first key south of the mainland, about an hour from Miami and billed as the diving capital of the world. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park protects the reef just offshore, with glass-bottom boat, snorkel, and scuba trips and the underwater Christ of the Abyss statue. The start of the drive down the chain.
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Islamorada
A string of islands in the middle Keys known as the sportfishing capital of the world, about two hours from Miami. Backcountry and offshore charters, the sandbar scene, Robbie's tarpon feeding, and some of the best waterfront dining in the chain. Calmer and more upscale than Key West.
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Miami Beach
The barrier island across the causeways from downtown Miami: the pastel Art Deco hotels of Ocean Drive and South Beach, wide sand, Lincoln Road shopping, and Miami's nightlife. Winter and spring are peak and priciest; summer is hot, humid, and cheaper with afternoon storms.
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Miami
The gateway city of South Florida and the launch point for the Everglades, Biscayne, and the Keys. The murals of Wynwood, the Cuban cafes of Little Havana, Vizcaya, and the beaches across the bay. Miami International (MIA) is the main airport for the whole southern half of the state.
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Fort Lauderdale
The boating capital just north of Miami, with a walkable beach promenade along A1A, the canals and water taxi of the Venice of America, and Las Olas Boulevard. A calmer, more family-friendly base than Miami Beach, with its own major airport (FLL).
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Palm Beach and West Palm Beach
The wealthy barrier-island resort of Palm Beach with the Worth Avenue shops and the Flagler Museum, paired with the restaurants, waterfront, and nightlife of West Palm Beach across the Intracoastal. About 70 minutes north of Miami with its own airport (PBI).
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Walt Disney World
The largest theme-park resort on earth near Orlando, with four parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom) and two water parks across 40 square miles. Date-based tickets and park reservations can apply, so check the current rules; go in the cooler, lower-crowd windows of January to early February or September to November and use early-morning rope drop to beat the heat and lines.
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Universal Orlando Resort
Orlando's other major resort: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Volcano Bay water park, and the new Epic Universe park. Express Pass cuts wait times for a price. Easily paired with Walt Disney World on a longer Orlando trip.
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Kennedy Space Center
NASA's launch complex on Merritt Island, about an hour east of Orlando. The Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, the Apollo/Saturn V Center, and the bus tour past the launch pads. Time a visit around a live rocket launch when the schedule lines up; the surrounding Merritt Island refuge is prime birdwatching.
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Cocoa Beach
The surf town on the Space Coast, about an hour from Orlando and the closest ocean beach to the theme parks. The 800-foot Cocoa Beach Pier, the giant Ron Jon Surf Shop, and rocket launches visible right from the sand. A popular add-on day or two after Orlando.
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Daytona Beach
The wide hard-packed Atlantic beach where you can still drive on the sand in marked zones, home to the Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500. About an hour northeast of Orlando, busiest around race weeks and spring break.
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St. Augustine
The oldest continuously occupied European-founded city in the US, settled in 1565, on the First Coast south of Jacksonville. The Castillo de San Marcos stone fort, the cobblestone Colonial Quarter, Flagler College, and the Anastasia Island beaches. About two hours from Orlando and walkable at its core.
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Amelia Island
A barrier island at the far northeast corner near the Georgia line, with the Victorian seaport of Fernandina Beach, 13 miles of Atlantic sand, Fort Clinch State Park, and resort golf. A quieter, historic alternative to the busier central beaches, about 45 minutes from Jacksonville.
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Crystal River and the Nature Coast
On the Gulf Nature Coast about 90 minutes north of Tampa, the one place in the US where you can legally swim and snorkel with wild manatees. They gather by the hundreds in the 72-degree spring water at Three Sisters Springs in winter, roughly November through March. Guided in-water tours run from local operators.
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Silver Springs and Ocala
One of the largest artesian spring formations in the world, near Ocala about 90 minutes from Orlando, famous for its glass-bottom boats over clear water and resident wild monkeys. The surrounding Ocala National Forest holds more swimming springs like Juniper and Silver Glen.
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Clearwater Beach
A wide, consistently top-ranked barrier-island beach on the Gulf about 40 minutes west of Tampa. Soft white sand, the nightly Pier 60 sunset market, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Family-friendly and busy; parking fills early on weekends and in spring.
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St. Pete Beach
The barrier-island beach town just south of St. Petersburg, anchored by the pink Don CeSar hotel, with calm Gulf water and easy access to the arts and the Dali Museum in downtown St. Pete. About 30 minutes from Tampa.
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Tampa
The big city on the central Gulf coast, home to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park, the Riverwalk, the Cuban heritage of Ybor City, and a major airport (TPA). The mainland base for the Tampa Bay beaches 30 to 45 minutes west.
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Siesta Key
The barrier island off Sarasota with famously cool, powder-soft quartz sand that stays comfortable underfoot in the sun, regularly ranked among the best beaches in the country. Siesta Village for food and drinks, calm Gulf swimming, and about an hour south of Tampa.
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Sarasota
The cultural anchor of the southwest coast: the Ringling Museum and its circus and art collection, St. Armands Circle, the Marie Selby botanical gardens, and the barrier-island beaches of Siesta, Lido, and Longboat Key. About an hour south of Tampa.
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Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Barrier islands off Fort Myers known worldwide for shelling, thanks to an east-west orientation that catches shells on the tide. The J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, lighthouse beach, and a low-key, no-high-rise feel. The islands were hit hard by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and have been rebuilding, so check current access and openings.
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Naples
The upscale beach city at the southwest corner, with a historic fishing pier, the Fifth Avenue South dining and shops, championship golf, and calm Gulf sunsets. The western gateway to the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands, about two hours from Miami across Alligator Alley.
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Marco Island
The largest of the Ten Thousand Islands, just south of Naples, with a long crescent Gulf beach, resort hotels, shelling, and boat tours into the mangrove backwaters. A quieter family-and-golf resort base for the far southwest coast.
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Destin
The heart of the Emerald Coast, famous for its clear green water, sugar-white quartz sand, and a huge charter fishing fleet billed as the luckiest fishing village in the world. HarborWalk Village, the outlet shopping, and the crowds peak in summer, the Panhandle's high season.
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30A and South Walton
The 24-mile scenic Highway 30A along South Walton, strung with distinct beach towns: the New Urbanist Seaside, upscale Rosemary Beach, Grayton Beach and its state park, and the rare coastal dune lakes. Bike paths, boutique rentals, and a slower, design-forward feel than Destin next door.
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Panama City Beach
27 miles of white-sand Gulf beach in the central Panhandle, with St. Andrews State Park, Shell Island, Pier Park, and a lively, value-focused resort strip. Popular with families and, in March, spring breakers; the water is emerald-clear in calm summer weather.
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Pensacola and Pensacola Beach
The westernmost city, out near the Alabama line, with the white sand of Pensacola Beach and Gulf Islands National Seashore, the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Blue Angels home base, and a walkable historic downtown. About three hours west of Tallahassee.
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