722 Best Sights in Florida, USA

To get a feel for local history, stroll the vignettes and temporary exhibits inside this museum, as well as the parklike displays outside it. A Seminole chickee village, native plant garden, swamp buggy, reconstructed 19th-century fort, steam logging locomotive, and more capture important Naples-area developments from prehistoric times to the World War II era. You can even pack a lunch and picnic in the shady backyard.

At Collier-Seminole State Park, opportunities to try biking, birding, hiking, camping, and canoeing in Everglades territory are plentiful. This makes the 7,000-plus-acre park a prime introduction to the elusive mangrove swampland. The campground sites come complete with electricity, water, a grill, and a picnic table. Leashed pets are allowed. Alternatively, there are "primitive" campsites accessible by foot or canoe. Of historical interest, a Seminole War blockhouse has been recreated to hold the interpretative center, and one of the "walking dredges"—a towering black machine invented to carve the Tamiami Trail out of the muck—stands silent on the grounds. Kayaks and canoes can be launched into the Blackwater River here. Bring your own, or rent a canoe from the park. The Friends of Collier-Seminole State Park organization offers guided canoe trips from December to March; reservations are recommended.

This 2-acre living-history museum with costumed re-enactors provides a vivid sense of life in St. Augustine from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The De Mesa–Sanchez House dates from the 1740s; though built on original foundations, other buildings—including a soldier's home, print shop, blacksmith's shop, and gunsmith—are replicas. Climb the 35-foot watchtower for a panoramic city view, dig for replica artifacts, create a leather medallion, take part in a musket drill, or watch a 16th-century ship being built. Tours start daily at 10:30, noon, 1:30, and 3. The complex also includes three restaurants: the Taberna del Caballo, St. Augustine Seafood Company, and Bull & Crown.

The chief landmark along Atlantic Avenue since 1926 is this sunny Mediterranean-revival-style building, which is a member of the National Trust's Historic Hotels of America. Stay a night here or simply walk through the lobby to the parking lot where original garages still stand—relics of the days when hotel guests would arrive via chauffeured cars and stay there the whole season. The bar is a locals' gathering spot.

Here you can connect with nature by taking a 45-minute boat tour (ages two-plus) along the Gordon River, renting a kayak, or going on a guided nature walk. The Dalton Discovery Center highlights six Florida ecosystems in its exhibits, which include a spectacular aquarium that's home to a loggerhead sea turtle and a touch tank where you can learn about the many animals found on local beaches. Preschoolers can have hands-on fun at the Little Explorer Play Zone. The on-site wildlife hospital's viewing area gives you a peek at staff working on any number of animals. Check out Cinema Sunday and other events in the Nature Center.

This is a great place to meet some of the park's animal handlers and to gather round for a critter encounter. You'll learn about the park's veterinary care, ongoing research, and food preparation for hundreds of animal inhabitants. Interactive exhibits are simple fun for younger children and have messages about worldwide efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Here, you also can find out how to connect with conservation efforts in your own community. At The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, a Disney artist leads a class in drawing a famous (animal) Disney character. For people with disabilities: Guest may remain in wheelchairs or ECVs. Begin a family conservation project here.

Singles and families flock to Coquina Beach, a wide swath of sand at the southern end of Anna Maria Island. Beach walkers love this stretch since it's Anna Maria's longest beach. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Driven by unrequited love, Latvian immigrant Ed Leedskalnin (1887–1951) fashioned this attraction along Dixie Highway in the early 1900s out of massive slabs of coral rock, a feat he likened to building the pyramids. You can learn how he populated this fantasy world on his property with an imaginary wife and three children, studied astronomy, and created a simple home and elaborate courtyard without formal engineering education and with mostly handmade tools. Highlights of this National Register of Historic Places site, originally named Rock Gate, include a working sundial, a banquet table shaped like Florida, and other quirky coral sculptures. Fun fact: Billy Idol wrote, recorded, and shot the video for his song “Sweet Sixteen” on the grounds of Coral Castle as a tribute to Ed. Candidly, among locals, it's known as a tourist trap.

Towering Australian pines greet you at the entrance to this popular beach park, a favorite among locals and visitors alike. Amenities: showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Even timid youngsters love this stage show's wisecracking, cornpone, lovelorn Audio-Animatronics bears as they joke and sing. Check before visiting this attraction: although performances have featured country music and 1950s rock and roll, a new-in-2024 version will reportedly feature the bears belting out Disney showstoppers in a Nashville-style review. Regardless, the emcee, the massive but debonair Henry, will no doubt lead a stellar Grizzly Hall cast of characters like the robust Trixie; the harmonizing Bubbles, Bunny, and Beulah; and Big Al, the off-key cult figure who has inspired his own shopping kiosk.

For people with disabilities: Wheelchair accessible; reflective captioning provided; equipped for assisted-listening devices. If you lip-read, ask to sit up front.  Visit during an afternoon parade or late in the day. Stand to the far left in the anteroom for the front rows and to the far right for the last row, where small kids can perch atop seats to see better.

Both fresh- and saltwater aquariums greet the curious at this interactive, family-friendly science museum. Permanent exhibits of Moon and Mars rocks and meteorites, a giant sphere with global animation projection for Earth sciences, and an Everglades conservation exhibit teach while entertaining. A planetarium with daily theme shows and a conservation 9-hole minigolf course designed by Jim Fazio and Gary Nicklaus are popular with all ages; they are included with admission charges.

This sandbar in Destin's East Pass, just north of the Destin (aka Marler) Bridge, is favored by locals, who drop anchor or wade in by the hundreds on fair-weather days, especially weekends. Area businesses offer boat and other rentals. People are friendly, so it's a great place to make new buddies, and the shallow waters are good for families. A food barge as well as slides and other water activities are available seasonally. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.

This relaxing oasis in northern Key Biscayne offers renowned tennis facilities, a great golf course, a family amusement center, and 2 miles of beach dotted with palm trees. The park is divided by Key Biscayne's main road, with tennis and golf on the bay side, the beaches on the ocean side. Families really enjoy the beaches here—the sand is soft, there are no riptides, there's a great view of the Atlantic, and parking is both inexpensive and plentiful. Nevertheless, on weekends be prepared for a long hike from your car to the beach. There are bathrooms, outdoor showers, plenty of picnic tables, and concession stands. Kiteboard rentals and lessons are offered from the northern-end water-sports concessions, as are kayak rentals. Ecotours and nature trails showcase the myriad ecosystems of Key Biscayne, including mangroves, coastal hammock, and seagrass beds. Bird-watching is great at the southern end of the park. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Tucked away from the highway behind a stand of trees, Crane Point is part of a 63-acre tract that contains the last-known undisturbed thatch-palm hammock. The facility includes the Museum of Natural History of the Florida Keys, which has displays about local wildlife, a seashell exhibit, and a marine-life display that makes you feel like you're at the bottom of the sea. Kids love the replica 17th-century galleon; the pirate dress-up room; and the re-created Cracker House filled with insects, sea-turtle exhibits, and children's activities. On the 1-mile loop trail, visit the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Center and the remnants of a Bahamian village, site of the restored George Adderly House. It is the oldest surviving example of Bahamian tabby (a concrete-like material created from sand and seashells) construction outside Key West. A boardwalk crosses wetlands, rivers, and mangroves before ending at Adderly Village. From November to Easter, docent-led tours are available. Bring good walking shoes and bug repellent.

One of Crayola's five "experiences" in the country is a 70,000-square-foot haven of color at the Florida Mall. The two-floor center contains an overwhelming 27 interactive stations, including painting and modeling stations, where tykes can create animals out of clay and melted crayons. Don’t miss the younger set’s favorite: You Design, a virtual studio for coloring and digitally accessorizing a car or fashioning a wardrobe and then seeing the design projected on a large screen. Also be sure to check out the Crayon Factory, where live demonstrations show crayon creation—from wax to wrapper. Purchase tickets online and save $3.

Grab an inner tube, hop on, and circle the entire park on a leisurely 25-minute float on this 3,000-foot-long creek. Along the way, you'll get doused with frigid water in an ice cave—wonderful on a steamy Florida day. Tubes are provided at seven launch sites, but they're not required. Kids soon discover that the fastest and most enjoyable way to get around the park is to glide with the current and hop off at whichever landing they wish. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to inner tubes. There are landings near most thrill rides, and moving through the park this way is oodles more fun than walking.

Four blocks in the heart of Little Havana are filled with monuments to Cuba's freedom fighters. South of Calle Ocho (8th Street), Southwest 13th Avenue becomes a ceiba tree–lined parkway known as Cuban Memorial Boulevard, divided at the center by a narrow grassy mall with a walking path through the various memorials. Among them is the Eternal Torch of the Brigade 2506, blazing with an endless flame and commemorating those who were killed in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. Another is a bas-relief map of Cuba depicting each of its municipios. There's also a bronze statue in honor of Nestor (Tony) Izquierdo, who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion and served in Nicaragua's Somozan forces.

Frequent weekend festivals, including an annual celebration of seafood, take place at this scenic city park next to the Intracoastal Waterway. Sit on one of the piers and watch the yachts and fishing boats pass by. Put on your jogging shoes—the park is at the north end of a 6.3-mile waterfront biking-jogging-skating path. Tennis courts, a boat ramp, and a playground are here, along with the Maritime Museum. DivaDuck tours launch from this park.

American crocodiles, mangrove cuckoos, white-crowned pigeons, mahogany mistletoe, wild cotton, and 100 other rare critters and plants inhabit these 2,400 acres, between Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the waters of Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park is also a user-friendly place to explore the largest remaining stand of the vast West Indian tropical hardwood hammock and mangrove wetland that once covered most of the Keys.

Parents looking for a nonsandy way to occupy the kids for a few hours or a whole day may find their salvation at this colorful complex that features go-kart racing, an 18-hole miniature golf course; a 3,000-square-foot laser tag arena; a 25-foot rock wall; the Sky Maze ropes course and zip line; a video arcade with 80 games; and a water park featuring slides galore, a lazy river, and seven different water attractions. There's a bar for adults as well as two eateries, Wave Grill and Paradise Grill. Poolside cabanas are available for rent.

Hernando de Soto, one of the first Spanish explorers to land in North America, came ashore with his men and 200 horses near what is now Bradenton in 1539. This federal park commemorates De Soto's expedition and the Native Americans he and his crew encountered.

During the height of tourist season, from mid-December to late April, park staff and volunteers dress in period costumes at Camp Uzita, demonstrate the use of 16th-century weapons, and show how European explorers prepared and preserved food for their overland journeys. The season ends with a reenactment of the explorer's landing. The site also offers a film and short nature trail through the mangroves.

You can reach this officially designated Urban Wilderness Area only by boat on the weekends. The coastal hammock island contains a mangrove swamp that provides a critical habitat for manatees, gopher tortoises, gray foxes, raccoons, and armadillos. County-operated free boat shuttles run on the hour from 10 am to 3 pm Friday and weekends. The last shuttle departs for the mainland at 4 pm. The ride is five minutes each way. Amenities within the 53.3-acre park include nature trails, a butterfly garden, kayaks and paddleboards, and picnic areas. Pets and fishing are prohibited on the island.

The spring water at this lovely park 15 minutes north of the city, constantly at 72°F, might make swimming here a bit chilly, but there are plenty of other attractions if you're not up for it. The 4-mile Wild Persimmon Hiking Trail cuts through areas inhabited by deer, turkey, wild boar, and Florida black bears. You can take a 50-minute eco-history boat tour, walk through a butterfly garden, and rent canoes and kayaks. Need some fuel for all these activities? Start the day at the on-site Sugar Mill Restaurant, where you make your own pancakes on a table-top griddle.

Instrumental in the revitalization of Delray Beach circa 1995, this cluster of galleries and event spaces was established in restored school buildings dating from 1913 and 1925. The Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture offers ever-changing exhibits on fine arts, crafts, and pop culture, plus a hands-on children's gallery. From November to April, the 323-seat Crest Theatre showcases national-touring Broadway musicals, cabaret concerts, dance performances, and lectures.

Though access is typically reserved strictly to those in the design biz, the Design Center of the Americas still permits visitors to browse the myriad showrooms, which parade the latest and greatest in home furnishings and interior design. Note, however, that this is purely for inspiration, as direct consumer sales are not permitted.

Even if you've never seen the hit animated films, it doesn't take long to fall for Gru, the Scourge of Humanity, in this wild virtual-reality chase through the movie. Two extremely funny (and cute) preshow rooms—Gru's living room and laboratory—set the stage for the 3-D ride. With help from his adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes (and ever-so-anxious minions), Gru reviews everyone to make sure they're ready to become minions. Next, sporting your "minion goggles" (aka 3-D glasses) you are transformed into minions for the rollicking ride, which is filled with close calls and colorful characters as you pursue the ever-elusive prize: the girls' gift for their dad on the one-year anniversary of their adoption. To celebrate, the ride exits into a minion disco (of course).

This attraction is not recommended for expectant mothers or anyone with motion sickness or back, neck, or heart problems. For people with disabilities: Closed-captioned devices are available; those in wheelchairs may remain in them. Go for the stationary seats if you think you'll suffer from motion sickness.

To understand why Destin calls itself the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village," visit this museum, and meet the descendants of the 19th-century New England families who transformed the land from winter fishing ground to major tourist attraction. In addition to historic and genealogical data on Destin's founding families, there are displays of antique boats and tackle and an impressive gallery of fish mounts. Knowledgeable guides can explain to everyone from small children to science scholars why the sand on Florida's Emerald Coast is so white.

Scientists surmise that, thousands of years ago, an underground cavern collapsed and created this park's most noteworthy geological wonder: a 500-foot-wide, 120-foot-deep sinkhole that's a designated National Natural Landmark. You can pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the park's picnic areas, and hike its nature trails. Guided walks typically take place on Saturday at 10 am. And you can bring Spot on a visit here, too; just keep him on a leash.

The only theme park in Orlando that can be called "exclusive" offers relaxing swims and uncrowded, daylong encounters with dolphins, otters, sharks, and rays—all located right in the heart of Orlando. You can enjoy resort-style amenities amid tropical landscaping, white-sand beaches, waterfalls, and vast freshwater pools. Lockers, wet suits, parking, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks are included in the regular admission price, as are snorkeling with tropical fish and rays in the Grand Reef, hand-feeding exotic birds in the Explorer's Aviary, or just floating on the Wind Away lazy river.

Add-ons—such as using a diving helmet in the Grand Reef, swimming with the sharks, or Atlantic bottlenose dolphin swim experiences—are available for an additional cost and often sell out, requiring reservations to be booked well in advance. Note that there are ticket options that get you into this park as well as SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens in Tampa (and varying combos of the four). Ticket prices vary wildly depending on day, the season, and the package options (there are many).

This is one of Walt Disney World's best shows for tots and preschoolers. Throughout the show, kids are encouraged to sing and dance along with Doc McStuffins, Timon, and Vampirina as the characters cha-cha-cha their way through the fun. Special effects further inspire kids to participate. The entire event is capped off with Mickey appearing in his racing gear from Mickey and the Roadster Racers. For people with disabilities: Wheelchair and ECV accessible, equipped with preshow-area TV monitors with closed-captioning, and equipped for assisted-listening, audio-description, and video- and handheld-captioning devices. Come early, when your child is most alert and lines are shorter. Be prepared to sit on the carpet. Don't miss character meet and greets before or after the show.