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

Florida Guide

Choose the region first: Key West and the Keys, the Everglades, Miami, St. Augustine's oldest-city core, Ybor City in Tampa, Naples, Sarasota's St. Armands, Palm Beach's Worth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas, Amelia Island, and Sanibel-Captiva.

Open the essentials Search 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

Start with the decision

Use the guide like a planner, not a long directory

Florida planning gets easier when the region, coast, and travel style are clear before individual hotels and restaurants - the peninsula is long, and the drives between the coasts and the Keys are real.

Choose a coast Atlantic vs Gulf vs Keys

Compare beach character, transfers, season, and trip pace before locking the region.

 Pick a Gulf base Where to base Florida's Gulf Coast

Separate Naples, Sarasota, Sanibel, and nearby stops by the kind of stay they support.

 Route the Keys Drive the Overseas Highway deliberately

Plan Key West and the island chain around drive time, stops, and the overnight sequence.

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

Planning guides

Start with the trip constraint

Region decision Florida by region: the Atlantic coast vs the Gulf coast vs the Keys Florida 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. Augustine, and the Palm Beach–to–Fort Lauderdale strip; the Gulf coast is about calmer, warmer water and the beach towns of Sarasota, Naples, and Sanibel; the Keys are a separate long drive to Key West. Add the Everglades as a nature day from either the Miami side or the Gulf side. Choose by the water you want, the season, and how much driving you will tolerate. Keys route planner Driving the Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West through the Keys The 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. It is toll-free but slow — two-lane stretches, one road in and out, and one bad crash can stall the whole chain — so give it a full day and stay at least a night. In Key West, base in walkable Old Town for Hemingway's home and its six-toed cats, Fort Zachary Taylor's beach, the lighthouse, and the butterfly conservatory. Gulf-coast base planner Where to base on Florida's Gulf coast: Naples vs Sarasota vs Sanibel Florida's Gulf coast has calm, warm water and three distinct bases. Naples is the walkable, upscale town base — Fifth Avenue South, a botanical garden, and a zoo, though the historic pier is closed and rebuilding. Sarasota pairs beaches with the Ringling museum estate and Selby Gardens and is the most culture-heavy. Sanibel is the quiet barrier island for shelling, the Ding Darling wildlife refuge, and the Shell Museum, all reopened after Hurricane Ian. Pick by whether you want a town, culture, or island nature. Historic coast planner Historic Atlantic Florida: St. Augustine, Amelia Island, and Palm Beach Florida'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. Amelia Island, just north, adds a quiet 19th-century fort and beach town. Far south, Palm Beach is Gilded-Age Florida — the Flagler Museum, The Breakers, and Worth Avenue — with Fort Lauderdale's beaches and museums nearby. Base in the north for the old city or the south for the Gilded-Age strip; they're too far apart to combine casually.

Checked visitor places

Checked landmark places by region

Brick ramparts and entrance of Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, Florida Experiences Amelia Island Museum of History A 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, Florida Experiences Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium The 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, Florida Experiences Bonnet House Museum & Gardens A 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, Florida Experiences Castillo de San Marcos National Monument The 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, Florida Experiences Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum The 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, Florida Experiences Everglades National Park - Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center The 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. Sunset over the sawgrass marsh at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, Florida Experiences Everglades National Park - Shark Valley Visitor Center The 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, Florida Experiences Flagler 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, Florida Experiences Flagler 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, Florida Experiences Fort Clinch State Park A 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, Florida Experiences Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park The 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, Florida Experiences J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge A 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, Florida Experiences Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory A 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, Florida Experiences Key West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters Museum An 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, Florida Experiences Lightner Museum A 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, Florida Experiences Marie Selby Botanical Gardens A 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, Florida Experiences Naples Botanical Garden A 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, Florida Experiences Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens A 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, Florida Experiences Sanibel Island Lighthouse The 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, Florida Experiences St. Armands Circle An 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, Florida Experiences St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum A 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, Florida Experiences The 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, Florida Experiences Worth Avenue Palm 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, Florida Stays Casa Monica Resort & Spa An 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, Florida Stays Inn on Fifth A 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, Florida Stays Sundial Beach Resort & Spa A 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, Florida Stays The Breakers Palm Beach A 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, Florida Stays The Marker Key West Harbor Resort A 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, Florida Stays The Marquesa Hotel A 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, Florida Stays The Westin Sarasota A 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, Florida Stays W Fort Lauderdale An 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, Florida Dining Columbia Restaurant Florida'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, Florida Region Amelia Island Amelia 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, Florida Region Everglades Source Guide Everglades 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, Florida City Key West Key West is reserved as a high-volume Florida Keys visitor base with walkable old-town, island, sunset, cruise, ferry, and weather-season decisions outside Miami coverage. Palm trees along Las Olas Beach on the oceanfront in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Region Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale Las Olas is reserved for Fort Lauderdale's walkable dining, arts, canal, beach-transfer, cruise, and first-night planning intent without duplicating Miami Guide. Pastel Art Deco hotels along Ocean Drive in the Miami Beach Art Deco Historic District City Miami Miami Guide is reserved for a later seasonal and base-selection wedge: beach-area choices, pre-cruise stays, rain and heat backups, event-season pressure, and first-night dining decisions. The Naples fishing pier reaching into the Gulf of Mexico at Naples, Florida Region Naples Fifth Avenue South Naples Fifth Avenue South is reserved for a compact Gulf Coast dining, shopping, arts, beach-adjacent, parking, and evening-base decision layer outside broad Naples coverage. The iron-pile Sanibel Island lighthouse tower rising above the island brush on Sanibel, Florida Region Sanibel-Captiva Sanibel-Captiva is reserved for island recovery-aware beach, shelling, wildlife refuge, causeway, lodging, and family-trip planning with official-source boundaries. Shops and a landscaped median at St. Armands Circle near Sarasota, Florida Region St. Armands, Sarasota St. Armands is reserved as a Sarasota barrier-island shopping, dining, beach-pairing, parking, and Ringling/Lido trip-planning zone with fragmented district coverage. The coquina stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, Florida City St. Augustine St. Augustine is reserved for historic-district, old-city, fort, beach-adjacent, family, parking, and overnight-base decisions with fragmented local coverage. The Worth Avenue clock tower at the ocean end of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida Region Worth Avenue, Palm Beach Worth Avenue is reserved for Palm Beach luxury retail, architecture, dining, beach-proximity, parking, and day-vs-overnight decisions where official and editorial coverage is scattered. Historic brick buildings and balconies along Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida City Ybor City, Tampa Ybor City is reserved as Tampa's historic nightlife, cigar, streetcar, food, event, and cruise-adjacent district where visitor intent is distinct from generic Tampa coverage.