Florida GuideFlorida regions, islands, and historic-city planning
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Florida statewide visitor guide

Florida Guide

Compare the Atlantic coast, Gulf coast and Keys. Choose one main base, then plan the beaches, historic towns and drives around it.

Arrival and getting aroundSearch the guide
Regions
11
Planning guides
4
Checked places
32

Image: Miami skyline from Biscayne Bay | Photo by Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain

Plan your stay

Choose a Florida coast before the hotel

Use these filters to find a starting guide. The guide explains the practical limits and alternatives.

Choose a coastAtlantic, Gulf or Keys

Compare the three coastal trips before adding a second overnight base.

Pick a Gulf baseNaples, Sarasota or Sanibel

Choose town life, culture or island time, with current access checks in the guide.

Route the KeysDrive to Key West

Plan the drive, stops and overnight choice along the Overseas Highway.

Explore historic Atlantic Florida

Compare historic places and overnight stops on the Atlantic side.

Region map

Read the Florida map before choosing a base

Florida is easier to plan as island, historic-city, Everglades, and Gulf-versus-Atlantic-coast decisions before it becomes a list of individual places.

Loading the visitor map…The complete lane list remains available below.

Florida regions
1MiamiBeach-area choices, Brickell and downtown, Little Havana, Wynwood, cruise and airport bases on Biscayne Bay.2Key WestThe end of the Overseas Highway: walkable Old Town, Hemingway's house, the lighthouse, and sunset at the island's edge.3St. AugustineThe oldest city: the coquina Castillo, St. George Street, and the Flagler-era Gilded Age buildings.4Ybor CityTampa's historic Latin cigar quarter on 7th Avenue - the Columbia Restaurant, Cuban bakeries, and social clubs.5NaplesOld Naples, the pier, the Fifth Avenue South shops and dining, gardens, and the Gulf-coast beaches.6St. ArmandsRingling's St. Armands Circle, Lido and Longboat beaches, the Ringling museum, and Selby Gardens.7Worth AvenuePalm Beach's luxury Worth Avenue promenade, the Flagler Museum, and the historic Breakers oceanfront resort.8Las OlasFort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard, the Riverwalk museums, the Bonnet House, and the beach strip.9Amelia IslandThe northeast barrier island: Victorian Fernandina Beach downtown, Fort Clinch, and Atlantic resorts.10EvergladesThe river of grass: the Homestead, Shark Valley, and Gulf Coast gateways to Everglades National Park.11SanibelThe shelling islands: the Sanibel lighthouse, the Ding Darling wildlife refuge, and the Shell Museum.
Florida region mapFlorida region pins stay primary; small dots mark checked places within each region.

Planning guides

Start with the trip constraint

Region decisionFlorida by region: the Atlantic coast vs the Gulf coast vs the KeysFlorida is too spread out to see in one trip, so pick a region and base, not a statewide loop. The Atlantic coast is about surf, historic St.Keys route plannerDriving the Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West through the KeysThe Overseas Highway (US-1) runs about 160 miles from Miami to Key West on a single road, crossing the Seven Mile Bridge and a chain of islands to mile marker zero in Old Town.Gulf-coast base plannerWhere to base on Florida's Gulf coast: Naples vs Sarasota vs SanibelFlorida's Gulf coast often has gentler surf than the Atlantic and offers three distinct bases. Naples is the walkable, upscale town base — Fifth Avenue South, a botanical garden, and a zoo, though the historic pier…Historic coast plannerHistoric Atlantic Florida: St. Augustine, Amelia Island, and Palm BeachFlorida's Atlantic coast holds the state's deepest history. St. Augustine is the old Spanish city — the Castillo de San Marcos, the Lightner Museum, and Flagler College — best based in the walkable historic district.

Checked visitor places

Checked landmark places by region

Brick ramparts and entrance of Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, FloridaExperiencesAmelia Island Museum of HistoryA spoken-history museum in the old Nassau County jail in downtown Fernandina Beach, telling the story of the only U.S. location to have flown eight different flags.The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, FloridaExperiencesBailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & AquariumThe only U.S. museum devoted entirely to shells and mollusks, with a living aquarium, explaining why Sanibel's east-west orientation makes it one of the world's great shelling beaches.Palm trees along Las Olas Beach on the oceanfront in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaExperiencesBonnet House Museum & GardensA 1920s winter home and 35-acre subtropical estate between the beach and the Intracoastal, a rare undeveloped barrier-island property with gardens, wildlife, and art-filled rooms.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaExperiencesCastillo de San Marcos National MonumentThe oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, a 17th-century Spanish coquina stronghold on Matanzas Bay that anchors the story of St. Augustine and the Spanish colony.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaExperiencesErnest Hemingway Home & MuseumThe Spanish Colonial house on Whitehead Street where Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in the 1930s, now a walkable Old Town museum famous for its gardens and six-toed cats.Sunset over the sawgrass marsh at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, FloridaExperiencesEverglades National Park - Ernest F. Coe Visitor CenterThe main southern gateway to Everglades National Park near Homestead, and the entrance for the Royal Palm and Anhinga Trail, the Flamingo road, and the deepest drive into the park.
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Sunset over the sawgrass marsh at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, FloridaExperiencesEverglades National Park - Shark Valley Visitor CenterThe Tamiami Trail entrance to Everglades National Park, built around a 15-mile loop road to a concrete observation tower, reachable by tram, bike, or on foot for close alligator viewing.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaExperiencesFlagler College Historic Tours (Hotel Ponce de Leon)Guided tours of Henry Flagler's 1888 Hotel Ponce de Leon, now Flagler College, showing the Tiffany stained glass and Gilded Age interiors that launched Florida's east-coast resort era.The Worth Avenue clock tower at the ocean end of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, FloridaExperiencesFlagler Museum (Whitehall)Whitehall, Henry Flagler's 1902 Gilded Age mansion on Palm Beach, now a museum that tells how Flagler's railroad and hotels created Palm Beach and pushed development toward Miami.Brick ramparts and entrance of Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, FloridaExperiencesFort Clinch State ParkA 1,400-acre state park at the northern tip of Amelia Island wrapping a well-preserved 19th-century brick fort, with beaches, maritime hammock trails, and living-history programs.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaExperiencesFort Zachary Taylor Historic State ParkThe southernmost state park in the continental United States, wrapping a pre-Civil War brick fort with the best swimming beach and sunset vantage in Key West, just west of Old Town.The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, FloridaExperiencesJ.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife RefugeA 6,400-acre mangrove refuge covering much of Sanibel, best known for the Wildlife Drive where low tide brings wading birds, roseate spoonbills, and alligators close to the road.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaExperiencesKey West Butterfly & Nature ConservatoryA climate-controlled glass conservatory at the south end of Duval Street with hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds, a reliable indoor stop when Key West heat or rain interrupts a walk.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaExperiencesKey West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters MuseumAn 1847 lighthouse and restored keeper's quarters run by the Key West Art & Historical Society, climbable for a rooftop view over Old Town directly across from the Hemingway Home.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaExperiencesLightner MuseumA Gilded Age collection of decorative arts housed in Henry Flagler's former Hotel Alcazar, a Spanish Renaissance building that helps explain how Flagler turned St. Augustine into a resort.Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, FloridaExperiencesMarie Selby Botanical GardensA bayfront botanical garden downtown famous for its living collection of orchids and air plants, a compact, shaded stop across the bay from St. Armands and Lido Key.The Naples fishing pier reaching into the Gulf of Mexico at Naples, FloridaExperiencesNaples Botanical GardenA 170-acre garden of tropical and subtropical plant collections south of downtown Naples, organized into Brazilian, Caribbean, and Asian gardens with wetland preserve trails.The Naples fishing pier reaching into the Gulf of Mexico at Naples, FloridaExperiencesNaples Zoo at Caribbean GardensA 43-acre zoo and historic botanical garden with a boat ride past primate islands, a family-friendly stop just north of downtown when the beach and shops need a break.The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, FloridaExperiencesSanibel Island LighthouseThe 1884 cast-iron lighthouse on the eastern tip of Sanibel, set in a City of Sanibel beach park with a fishing pier and shelling beach that mark the island's entrance.Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, FloridaExperiencesSt. Armands CircleAn open-air ring of shops, restaurants, and statues on St. Armands Key laid out by John Ringling, the walkable dining-and-strolling hub between downtown Sarasota and Lido Beach.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaExperiencesSt. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime MuseumA 165-foot 1874 lighthouse on Anastasia Island with a climbable tower, maritime archaeology exhibits, and wide views back over the oldest city and its inlet.Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, FloridaExperiencesThe Ringling (John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art)The state art museum of Florida on circus magnate John Ringling's bayfront estate, combining a European art museum, the Ca' d'Zan mansion, and a circus museum on 66 acres.The Worth Avenue clock tower at the ocean end of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, FloridaExperiencesWorth AvenuePalm Beach's landmark luxury shopping street, a four-block Mediterranean-style promenade of designer boutiques, hidden courtyards, and Vias running from the ocean to Lake Worth.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaStaysCasa Monica Resort & SpaAn 1888 Moorish Revival landmark hotel in St. Augustine's historic district, walkable to the Castillo, Lightner Museum, and Flagler College — the historic anchor stay of the old city.The Naples fishing pier reaching into the Gulf of Mexico at Naples, FloridaStaysInn on FifthA boutique hotel on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples, walkable to dining and a short walk to the beach — a central Gulf-coast base with a rooftop pool and spa.The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, FloridaStaysSundial Beach Resort & SpaA Gulf-front resort on Sanibel Island with pools, tennis, and a spa, reopened in 2025 after Hurricane Ian recovery — a beach base for shelling, Ding Darling, and the Shell Museum.The Worth Avenue clock tower at the ocean end of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, FloridaStaysThe Breakers Palm BeachA landmark Italian Renaissance oceanfront resort founded by Henry Flagler in 1896 and rebuilt in 1926, the historic anchor stay of Palm Beach a short walk from Worth Avenue.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaStaysThe Marker Key West Harbor ResortA waterfront resort on Key West's Historic Seaport, a few blocks off Duval Street with pools and a restaurant — a walkable Old Town base for the end of the Overseas Highway.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaStaysThe Marquesa HotelA boutique hotel in restored 1880s homes on the National Register, a block off Duval in Key West's Old Town — a quieter, adults-oriented base for a Keys trip.Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, FloridaStaysThe Westin SarasotaA downtown bayfront high-rise at the foot of the Ringling Causeway to St. Armands Circle, with a rooftop pool — a central base for the Ringling, Selby Gardens, and Sarasota's Gulf beaches.Palm trees along Las Olas Beach on the oceanfront in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaStaysW Fort LauderdaleAn oceanfront luxury hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach near Las Olas, with pools and beach access — a warm Atlantic base a short drive from the Bonnet House and the museums.Historic brick buildings and balconies along Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, Tampa, FloridaDiningColumbia RestaurantFlorida's oldest restaurant, founded in Ybor City in 1905, a tile-and-fountain landmark of Spanish and Cuban cooking that anchors the historic cigar district on 7th Avenue.

Region roster

Florida regions for the first planning pass

Brick ramparts and entrance of Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, FloridaRegionAmelia IslandAmelia Island is reserved for Northeast Florida island, Fernandina Beach, resort, historic, beach, nature, and family-weekend decisions with its own visitor authority lane.Sunset over the sawgrass marsh at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, FloridaRegionEverglades Source GuideEverglades Source Guide is reserved for official-source park planning, entrances, seasons, safety, tour-boundary, and conservation logistics instead of generic attraction list coverage.The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, FloridaCityKey WestCompare a Key West stay for Old Town walks, island time and sunset plans. Decide how the Overseas Highway journey fits the days you have.Palm trees along Las Olas Beach on the oceanfront in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaRegionLas Olas, Fort LauderdalePlan Las Olas dining, arts and canal-side time alongside beach transfers or a cruise departure. Check the journey between the places you want to use.Pastel Art Deco hotels along Ocean Drive in the Miami Beach Art Deco Historic DistrictCityMiamiCompare Miami Beach, Brickell, Downtown and Wynwood. Choose your base around beach time, dining, a cruise departure or a short city stay.The Naples fishing pier reaching into the Gulf of Mexico at Naples, FloridaRegionNaples Fifth Avenue SouthConsider Fifth Avenue South for a Naples evening of dining, shopping and nearby beach time. Compare it with other Gulf Coast bases.
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The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, FloridaRegionSanibel-CaptivaPlan island beaches, shelling and wildlife visits around current access and recovery conditions. Check official updates for the places you intend to use.Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, FloridaRegionSt. Armands, SarasotaCombine St. Armands shopping and dining with Lido beach or a Sarasota cultural visit. Decide how you will travel between your chosen stops.The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, FloridaCitySt. AugustinePlan a historic-district walk, the fort and nearby coastal time. Compare a day visit with an overnight stay before adding other Atlantic stops.The Worth Avenue clock tower at the ocean end of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, FloridaRegionWorth Avenue, Palm BeachExplore Worth Avenue for architecture, shopping and dining near the Palm Beach coast. Compare a day visit with an overnight stay.Historic brick buildings and balconies along Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, Tampa, FloridaCityYbor City, TampaExplore Ybor City for Tampa history, food, nightlife and streetcar connections. Plan your evening return or cruise-day timing in advance.