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.
- Regions
- 11
- Planning guides
- 4
- Checked places
- 32
Image: Miami skyline from Biscayne Bay | Photo by Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain
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Search across Florida regions and checked places.
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.
In pictures
Places to explore
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.
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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.
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 combines 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
ExperiencesAmelia Island Museum of HistoryA spoken-history museum in the former Nassau County jail in downtown Fernandina Beach, exploring Amelia Island’s local history and eight-flags story.ExperiencesBailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & AquariumA natural-history museum and aquarium devoted to shells, mollusks and their ecosystems, with shell galleries and living marine exhibits on Sanibel Island.ExperiencesBonnet 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.
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