Places to Explore

• Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach

  At the northeastern-most reach of Florida, Amelia Island has beautiful beaches with enormous sand dunes along its eastern flank, a state park with a Civil War fort, sophisticated restaurants, interesting... (more)

• Cape Canaveral

  The once-bustling commercial fishing area of Cape Canaveral is still home to a small shrimping fleet, charter boats, and party fishing boats, but its main business these days is as a cruise-ship port... (more)

• Cocoa

  Not to be confused with the seaside community of Cocoa Beach, the small town of Cocoa sits smack-dab on mainland Florida and faces the Intracoastal Waterway, known locally as the Indian River. There's... (more)

• Cocoa Beach

  After crossing a long and high bridge just east of Cocoa Village, you'll drop down upon a barrier island. A few miles farther and you'll reach the Atlantic Ocean and picture-perfect Cocoa Beach at Route... (more)

• Daytona Beach

  Best known for the Daytona 500, Daytona has been the center of automobile racing since cars were first raced along the beach here in 1902. February is the biggest month for race enthusiasts, and there... (more)

• Fort George Island

  One of the oldest inhabited areas of Florida, Fort George Island is lush with foliage, natural vegetation, and wildlife. A 4-mi nature and bike trail meanders across the island, revealing shell mounds... (more)

• Gainesville

  The University of Florida (UF) anchors this sprawling town. Visitors are mostly Gator football fans and parents of students, so the styles and costs of accommodations are aimed at budget-minded travelers... (more)

• Jacksonville

  Jacksonville is an underrated vacation spot. It offers appealing downtown riverside areas, handsome residential neighborhoods, a thriving arts scene, and, for football fans, the NFL's Jaguars and the NCAA... (more)

• Jacksonville Beaches

  Perhaps because the Intracoastal Waterway isn't all that wide where it separates the mainland from the beaches, people here aren't likely to think of themselves as "islanders." But they are, indeed, living... (more)

• Mayport

  Dating back more than 300 years, this is one of the oldest fishing communities in the United States. It has several excellent and very casual seafood restaurants and a commercial shrimp-boat fleet. It's... (more)

• Melbourne

  Despite its dependence on the high-tech space industry, this town is decidedly laid-back. Most of the city is on the mainland, but a small portion trickles onto a barrier island, separated by the Indian... (more)

• New Smyrna Beach

  The long, dune-lined beach of this small town abuts the Canaveral National Seashore. Behind the dunes sit beach houses, small motels, and an occasional high-rise (except at the extreme northern tip, where... (more)

• Ocala

  This is horse country: here at the forest's western edge are dozens of horse farms with grassy paddocks and white-wooden fences. Hills and sweeping fields of bluegrass make the area feel more like Kentucky... (more)

• Ocala National Forest

• St. Augustine

  Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, St. Augustine is the nation's oldest city. In addition to having many historic sites on the mainland, the city has 43 mi of beaches on two barrier islands to the east... (more)

• Titusville

  It's unusual that such a small, easily overlooked community of Titusville could accommodate what it does, namely the magnificent Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the entrance to the Kennedy... (more)