Places to Explore

• Canaveral National Seashore

• 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. Cocoa... (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)

• DeLand

  The quiet town is home to Stetson University, established in 1886 by hat magnate John Stetson. Several inviting state parks are nearby, and as for activities, there's great manatee-watching during winter... (more)

• Gainesville

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

• Jacksonville

  One of Florida's oldest cities and at 841 square mi the largest city in the continental United States, Jacksonville makes for an underrated vacation spot. It offers appealing downtown riverside areas... (more)

• Melbourne

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

• Micanopy

  Though this was the state's oldest inland town, site of both a Timucuan Indian settlement and a Spanish mission, there are few traces left from before white settlement, which began in 1821. Micanopy (pronounced... (more)

• Ocala National Forest

• St. Augustine

  Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, St. Augustine is the nation's oldest city and has a wealth of historic buildings and attractions. In addition to the historic sites on the mainland, the city has 43... (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)