722 Best Sights in Florida, USA

Named Adams Key as early as the 1860s, the history of this minor key far exceeds its size. Roughly a century ago, as Miami began its transformation into a winter resort, some of the nation’s most noted figures looked down the coast and saw the strand of islands that made up the Upper Keys. Conveniently close to, but comfortably removed from, the busy pace of Miami, Adams Key became the home of the exclusive Cocolobo Cay Club, a private resort for the rich and famous that welcomed presidents Harding, Hoover, Johnson, and Nixon. It was an executive trend that might have continued had Hurricane Andrew not leveled what remained of the club in 1992.

The club relied on brothers Sir Lancelot and King Arthur Jones, who had developed a thriving pineapple and lime farm on adjacent Porgy Key and knew the bay’s best fishing spots. This inside information made the brothers indispensable to the club’s well-heeled guests.

Arguably less elegant today than in its heyday, the island has picnic areas with grills, restrooms, dockage, and a short trail running along the shore through a hardwood hammock. Accessible only by private boat, it’s fine for a day trip since no overnight docking is available—although that’s an option you’ll find at nearby Elliott and Boca Chita Keys.

Culture vultures and other artsy types are drawn to this stunning performing arts center, which includes the 2,400-seat Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the black-box Carnival Studio Theater, and the outdoor Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. Throughout the year, you'll find top-notch performances by local and national touring groups, including Broadway hits like Wicked and Hamilton, intimate music concerts, and showstopping ballet. Think of it as a sliver of savoir faire to temper Miami's often-over-the-top vibe. The massive development was designed by architect César Pelli. Complimentary one-hour tours of the Arsht Center, highlighting the architecture and its public art, are offered every Saturday and Monday at noon. Arrive early for your performance to dine at BRAVA, where a prix-fixe menu allows you to enjoy three courses with plenty of time to make it to your seats for the show.

From spring until fall, Busch Gardens' water park promises heat relief with rides like Vanish Point, Aruba Tuba, and Caribbean Corkscrew. Tampa's most popular "wet" park features waterslides and artificial wave pools, along with tranquil "beaches" in a 30-acre package. Try Colossal Curl, a massive thrill ride that's the tallest waterslide in the park. Another of the attraction's headliners, Riptide, challenges you to race three other riders on a sliding mat through twisting tubes and hairpin turns.

Planners of this park also took the younger kids into account, with offerings such as Fabian's Funport, which has a scaled-down pool and interactive water gym. Along with a volleyball complex and a rambling river, there are cafés, snack bars, picnic and sunbathing areas, changing rooms, and private cabanas. Good discounts are offered on the park's website.

Beyond the western suburbs of Broward County is Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, which means "a place to learn, a place to remember" in the Seminole language. This Smithsonian Affiliate documents the living history and culture of the Seminole Tribe of Florida through artifacts, exhibits, and experiential learning. There's a mile-long boardwalk above the swamplands (wheelchair-accessible) that leads you through the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. At the midpoint of the boardwalk, you can take a break at the re-created ceremonial grounds.

The collection at this museum just outside the Eglin Air Force Base's main gate contains interactive displays and more than 5,000 armaments from World Wars I and II and the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf wars. Included are uniforms, engines, weapons, aircraft, and flight simulators. You can't miss the museum: there's a squadron of aircraft—including a B-17 Flying Fortress, an SR-71 Blackbird, a B-52, and a B-25—on the grounds in front. A continuously playing 32-minute movie, Arming the Future, features current weapons and Eglin's history and its role in their development. You can take a self-guided tour, and you're allowed to take photos.

Stroll along on a guided tour through gardens showcasing the graceful sculptures created by internationally known Czech sculptor Albin Polasek (1879–1965). The late artist's home, studio, galleries, and private chapel are centered on 3 acres of exquisitely tended lawns, colorful flower beds, and tropical foliage at the edge of Lake Osceola. Paths and walkways lead past classical life-size figurative sculptures and whimsical mythological pieces. Inside the museum are works by Hawthorne, Chase, and Mucha. The Capen House, a historic 1885 building, has been moved to the grounds to be used for public events.

In this recreation area you'll find a campground, as well as a stream for swimming, canoeing, and kayaking. At a constant temperature of 72 degrees, the clear waters are popular for fishing, too.

Based on the toys Andy got from the Pizza Planet claw machine in the first Toy Story movie, this ride puts you on a rocket being driven by aliens in flying saucers, who are trying to have their rocket chosen by The Claw. Rather than just spinning, the cars swirl about in figure-eight formations, sending passengers back and forth within the car. Kids love the unexpected twist, making this a must-do for kids as young as 4. For people with disabilities: You must transfer from a wheelchair to ride.

On the edge of the lagoon, directly opposite Disney's magnificent bit of colonial imagery, is this open-air, partially tree-shaded venue for concerts and shows. Most performances are hot tickets with themes tied to EPCOT events, such as Disney On Broadway during the International Festival of the Arts in the winter, Garden Rocks concerts with pop legends during the March through July EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, and Eat to the Beat concerts during the late July through mid-November EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival. Check the festival schedules before your trip, and plan to visit EPCOT on an evening with a musical guest you'll enjoy.

This is also the setting for the annual yuletide Candlelight Processional—a not-to-be-missed event if you're visiting during the holidays. The Candlelight Dinner Package (available through Disney's dining reservations hotline) includes lunch or dinner in a select World Showcase restaurant and preferred seating for the moving performance. Roomy restrooms are behind the Kidcot Fun Stop. Arrive more than an hour ahead of time for holiday and celebrity performances, though the first show is always the least crowded.

In 1935, at a time when segregation laws banned African Americans from Florida beaches, this historic beach was founded as a safe haven for people of color. It's the first stop on Florida's Black Heritage Trail, and the nearby A.L. Lewis Museum has exhibits that explore both segregation and the history of the beach. Although parking is limited, this historic beach is a prime spot for quiet walks, sunbathing, and searching for shells. Amenities: parking. Best for: solitude; walking.

This intriguing attraction honors police officers. In addition to movie memorabilia like the Robocop costume and Blade Runner car, informative displays offer insight into the dangers officers face every day: drug dealers, homicides, and criminals who can create knives from dental putty and guns from a bicycle spoke. Other exhibits spotlight the gory history of capital punishment (from hangings to the guillotine to the electric chair) and crime scene investigation, terrorism, and a poignant memorial rotunda where more than 10,000 names are etched in marble to honor police officers who have died in the line of duty. A 24-stall shooting range provides rental guns.

If you don't mind paying a modest entrance fee for beach access, this park offers some outstanding choices. At one end of the beach, there's a playground and snack bar, where you can order sandwiches and cold drinks or rent a beach chair, umbrella, surfboard, or other beach paraphernalia. If you walk north along the beach, however, all traces of civilization seem to vanish. An offshore break makes the park a good surfing spot, there's a boat launch, and canoes and kayaks can be rented. The campgrounds are very popular, too. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: solitude; surfing; swimming; walking.

The racing legend lent his name to this entertainment facility that offers boutique bowling on black-lit lanes, a video game and pinball arcade, virtual reality attractions, a shoot-em-up 7-D dark ride, and, naturally, racing. Pro-racing simulators add motion, vibrations, sound effects, and even add tension in the seatbelt so you feel as if you're on an actual racetrack. When you're ready to actually race, three indoor tracks let you whip around corners, change elevation, and zip into banked curves on small, high-torque karts. Add laser tag, a restaurant, and more than 100 screens tuned into the day's top sporting events, and you have a lot of entertainment packed into one exciting complex.

The tricks (or, rather, "behaviors") that the arkful of live animal stars perform are mostly audience-participation segments, which makes this show entertaining for young and old alike. Birds, cats, pigs, parrots, otters, ducks, dogs, hawks, and a skunk have been trained to portray a range of thespian actions that are woven into a series of vignettes, from a clever parrot that has a knack for plucking cash from the outstretched hand of an audience member to a dog that is a convincing actor in a melodrama.

Although the line-up of animals and the scenes they perform might vary, the show's fast pacing and variety make it seem that you're watching several shows in one. Enjoy it! These are some of the cutest actors ever to hit the stage. For people with disabilities: The theater is equipped for assisted-listening devices and is wheelchair accessible. Some shows include a sign language interpreter. There's plenty of seating, but come early for a good spot.

This landmarked complex is a testament to the creative genius of the late American sculptor Ann Weaver Norton (1905–82), who was the second wife of Norton Museum founder, the industrialist Ralph H. Norton. A set of art galleries in the studio and main house where she lived is surrounded by 2 acres of gardens with 300 species of rare palm trees, eight brick megaliths, a monumental figure in Norwegian granite, and plantings designed to attract native birds.

This narrow yet secluded beach fronts Tampa Bay at Passage Key Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico. It's also situated between two fishing piers. Don't forget to bring the picnic gear to this unforgettably scenic stretch of shoreline. Amenities: showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset.

On Lower Matecumbe Key this popular village park is named for a local environmental activist. Its "beach" (really a typical Keys-style sand flat with a gentle slope) is best enjoyed at low tide. The nicest feature here is the elevated, wooden, ½-mile boardwalk that meanders through a natural wetland hammock. Covered picnic areas along the way give you places to linger and enjoy the view. Restrooms are at the north end. Weekends are packed with Miami day-trippers as it's the only public beach until you reach Marathon. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming; windsurfing.

In addition to typical beach activities, visitors to this beach on the northern end of Canaveral National Seashore can also ride horses here (with a permit), hike self-guided trails, and tour the historic Eldora Statehouse. From I–95, take Exit 220 and head east. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

In terms of water thrills, SeaWorld's 59-acre Aquatica holds its own against the water parks at Disney and Universal. It offers more than 40 waterslides, from the gentle Kata's Kookaburra Cove to the free-fall experience of Ihu's Breakaway Falls, as well as beaches and lagoons, fast and slow rivers, and massive wave pools. Younger children are attracted to Walkabout Waters, a 60-foot-tall water-soaking jungle gym, where they can climb, slide, and get soaked. Teens and adults flock to the Dolphin Plunge, where two side-by-side, transparent tubes allow riders to join a pod of black-and-white dolphins underwater. The Ray Rush family raft ride offers multiple high-speed paths through enclosed tubes and transparent spheres. There are height requirements of at least 42 inches for some rides, and all visitors need to know how to swim.

Every mermaid princess should have a giant seashell throne, and that's where Ariel fans can meet the fashionably finned, redheaded beauty. Built into the rock work of Prince Eric's castle, the grotto provides shade for those waiting in the queue and a more secluded experience for families who want to photograph or record the royal meet-up.

Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939, this art deco facility is now a nonprofit art school hosting rotating exhibitions and art classes throughout the year. The Armory Art Center became an institution for art instruction when the Norton Museum Gallery and School of Art dropped the latter part of its name in 1986 and discontinued art-instruction classes.

This group of museums, divided into two campuses a block apart, includes the Maitland Art Center, the Maitland Historical Museum, the Waterhouse Residence Museum, and the quirky Telephone Museum. Hidden down a tree-lined side street, the Maitland Art Center is a collection of 23 buildings in the Maya Revival style—with Mesoamerican motifs—that contain an art gallery and artists’ studios. The restored Waterhouse museum reflects the life of a middle-class Victorian family during the early days of the City of Maitland. Recognized by Florida as a historic site and on the National Register of Historic Places, the center was founded as an art colony in 1937 by American artist and architect André Smith (1880–1959). It continues his tradition of art instruction and houses a major collection of his works.

Run by the Miami Design Preservation League, the center provides information about the buildings in the district. There's also an official Art Deco Museum within the center, as well as a gift shop that sells art deco memorabilia and posters from the 1930s through '50s, as well as books on Miami's history. Several tours also start here, including a self-guided audio tour and regular morning walking tours at 10:30 daily (excluding Tuesday and Wednesday).

The most robust part of the northern Everglades, this 221-square-mile refuge is one of two huge water-retention areas accounting for much of the "River of Grass" outside the national park near Miami. Start at the visitor center, which has fantastic interactive exhibits and videos like Night Sounds of the Everglades and an airboat simulator. From there, you can take a marsh trail to a 20-foot-high observation tower, or stroll a half-mile boardwalk lined with educational signage through a dense cypress swamp. There are also guided nature walks (including some specifically for bird-watching), and there's great bass fishing (bring your own poles and bait) and a 5½-mile canoe and kayak trail loop (both can be rented from a kiosk by the fishing pier).

In a warehouse that has been converted into a stunning 5,000-square-foot, high-ceiling art gallery, Arts on Douglas has a new exhibit of works by a Florida artist every month. Representing more than 50 Florida artists, the gallery holds an opening reception every first Saturday of the month from 4 to 7 pm.

In the center of downtown Hollywood, this 10-acre urban park has promenades and green spaces, public art, a huge playground for kids, a state-of-the-art amphitheater, and spaces for educational workshops like weekly glassblowing and jewelry making. There are food trucks and movie nights as well.

This gleaming superstructure of revolving planets has come to symbolize Tomorrowland as much as Dumbo represents Fantasyland. Passenger vehicles, on arms projecting from a central column, sail past whirling planets, and you control your car's altitude but not its velocity. The line is directly across from the entrance to the TTA PeopleMover. For people with disabilities: You must be able to walk several steps and transfer to the vehicle. The line moves slowly; skip this attraction on your first visit if time is limited.

If you're looking for sun-soaked relaxation, head for Atlantic Beach, where you can sink your feet into white, sugary sands or catch some waves in the warm surf. Beachgoers with canine companions are welcome during the day and evening as long as the dog is leashed. Atlantic Beach and next-door Neptune Beach share the trendy Town Center, which has lots of tempting dining and shopping within a block of the shore. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); showers; water sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

With exhibits that change every two months, the Atlantic Center for the Arts has works of internationally known artists. Mediums include sculpture, mixed materials, video, drawings, prints, and paintings. Intensive three-week residencies are periodically run by visual-, literary-, and performing-master artists.

Quiet and green, this has the opposite vibe of the main beach a few miles up. What it also has are lush pine trees under which are picnic tables, nature trails through the dunes, and a boardwalk that takes you to the shore—in addition to restrooms and showers conveniently located on the ocean side of A1A (rather than across the street in the parking lot). Chair rentals are available, and as at the municipal beach, all lifeguards are certified EMTs. A surf wheelchair is on hand for first-come-first-served use, with a limit of two hours per person. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; showers. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.