Where to Spend Two Days Along Florida's Atlantic Coast

Nearly 300 miles separate the southernmost (Fort Lauderdale) and northernmost (St. Augustine) areas covered in this chapter. Although those miles are mostly seamless, it would be a fool’s errand to try to take in all of Florida’s east coast in just two days. There’s simply too much to see and too many beautiful beaches to relax on.

To choose where to focus, you need to figure out what you want to do on vacation.Your best bet would be to focus on one of three areas: the Broward/Palm Beach County area (Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach/West Palm Beach), the Treasure Coast (Vero Beach, Fort Pierce), or the Space Coast (Cocoa Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach).

For beaches combined with outdoor activities head to the Space Coast. Photo of Daytona Beach © Jon Bilous/123rf.

Travel map of Florida.

To choose where to focus, you need to figure out what you want to do on vacation.

For beaches combined with shopping, high-end dining, and a generally more urbane experience, Broward/Palm Beach is recommended. Spend a day shopping on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale and taking in the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, and devote a second day to relaxing in the mellow beach town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea.

For beaches combined with outdoor activities in proximity to rockets, hit the Space Coast, where you can spend a morning hiking and bird-watching in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and an afternoon on Canaveral National Seashore. Plan on spending another day exploring the Kennedy Space Center.

History buffs should head for St. Augustine. Devote an entire day to walking around the ancient old city and another day at one of the nearby beaches or at Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach.

---

Excerpted from the First Edition of Moon Florida Road Trip.