Slather yourself in sunscreen and bug spray and head south to Everglades National Park. Photo © Miroslav Liska/123rf.
There are so many excellent attractions across Florida’s more than 65,000 square miles that it can be hard for a visitor to know which to hit on her trip! Luckily, this 14-day Florida road trip itinerary will take you to—and through!—the best the Sunshine state has to offer.
Downtown Miami
Start in Miami and spend your daylight hours exploring the Design District, the Cuban American community of Little Havana, and the galleries and historic sights of Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. Grab dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants at South Beach and spend the night partying with the beautiful people along Ocean Drive.Once you’ve shaken off the night before with a café cubano, hit Miami Beach, where the sunbathers next to you might be famous. In the afternoon and evening, hit the sidewalks of Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive to shop, eat, and gawk at the art deco buildings.
Slather yourself in sunscreen and bug spray and head south to Everglades National Park. Spend the day exploring the swamps and nature trails that are accessible from the convenient Ernest Coe Visitor Center. When dusk falls, point your car south for a three-hour drive to Key West, where you’ll be able to whoop it up in the clubs and bars of Duval Street.
Spend the early morning strolling the sidewalks of Key West, exploring the historic buildings and soaking up the tropical vibe before the sun makes the heat and humidity unbearable. After lunch, make your way about an hour north to Bahia Honda State Park to take in the rustic oceanfront scenery and beautiful beach area.
From there, it’s about a three-hour drive back to a Miami hotel.
Fort Myers, Sanibel, and Captiva
Get up early for the three-hour drive from Miami to Sanibel Island, which will take you through the northern edge of the Everglades via “Alligator Alley.” These are some of the most beautiful beaches in Florida. You’ll want to allow yourself a relaxing day here to enjoy them completely and to explore the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on the island.From Sanibel, it’s about a half-hour to Fort Myers, where you can spend a leisurely few hours exploring the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. Then hit the road again for the 90-minute drive to Sarasota, where you can catch an opera performance, stroll the downtown art galleries, or gawk at the gaudy architecture of circus magnate John Ringling’s mansion. For fans of serious American architecture, a trip to Sarasota would be incomplete without exploring the scores of gorgeous and innovative buildings in the area, many of which were designed by a confederacy of architects known as the Sarasota School.
Tampa
You’re about midway through your voyage, so take a day to relax and enjoy some peaceful and natural scenery. Make for the isolated Egmont Key State Park, which you can only access via the town of St. Pete Beach, about an hour north of Sarasota. Excellent snorkeling that can be found just offshore of this wildlife refuge. There’s a good chance that you’ll wind up swimming alongside one of the pods of dolphins that frequent the area. Plan on spending the night at the gorgeous, historic, and pink Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach. From St. Pete Beach, it’s about a half hour to St. Petersburg proper, where you should definitely take in the Salvador Dalí Museum and the walkable waterfront area.Take the hour drive to Tampa, where you’ll want to explore the historic district of Ybor City. The Don Vicente De Ybor Historic Inn is a great historic boutique hotel right in the heart of the district. It is a perfect location from which to experience Ybor’s legendary nightlife scene. Wake up early for a 90-minute drive to Crystal River, a small rural town on the Gulf Coast with a network of warm waterways like the Three Sisters Spring that are a favorite of manatees. Spend the morning canoeing or kayaking, keeping an eye out for the sea cows that lumber along just beneath the surface.
Heading back toward Tampa, the small fishing village of Tarpon Springs is about an hour away. There you can be immersed in the village’s rich Greek history, which includes the legacy industry of sponge diving. Spend the night back in Tampa.
Depart Tampa as early as possible and head for the Walt Disney World Resort, which is only about an hour to the east. Spend one day exploring the fairy-tale fantasies of the Magic Kingdom or the eco-minded Animal Kingdom and the second day digging into the international food-and-drink possibilities in the World Showcase section of Epcot Center.
North Atlantic Coast
Heading back south, Daytona Beach is about 45 minutes away from St. Augustine. The city’s legendary Daytona 500 race kicks off the stock-car season every year. The city is the site of the racing organization’s birth. Even if there’s no race happening, the Daytona 500 Experience is an essential stop for fans of the sport, as it combines Hall-of-Fame tributes with racing simulations as well as the opportunity for well-heeled guests to drive a stock car on the hallowed track. Even the beach here is car-centric, allowing visitors to bring their automobiles onto the sand.About an hour south of Daytona, via a scenic drive along State Road A1A, is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The natural surroundings here still look pretty much the same way today that they did millennia ago. Explore the beautiful beaches, take a hike on the trails, or fish along Mosquito Lagoon.
If nature walks or quiet beaches aren’t your speed, get a sense of the nearly eight million pounds of thrust that propel the space shuttle into orbit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which offers exhibits and simulators as well as tours of the NASA facilities.
Continue south down State Road A1A and US-1 to spend your final day in Florida relaxing on the secluded and near-perfect beach at Blind Creek Park, just south of Fort Pierce, about two hours’ drive from Merritt Island. From there, you’ll only be about two hours away from Miami International Airport, where you can catch a late flight home, exhausted and exhilarated.
Excerpted from the First Edition of Moon Florida Road Trip.
