Gear up for the perfect road trip adventure with The Open Road! There’s a reason why working Americans dream of settling in Florida and celebrities consistently visit this state. From coast to coast and from Pensacola to Key West, here are some great Florida road trips. Everyone who wants to visit Florida wants to lay on the beach and so you’ll have to compete not only with crowds but inflated prices. Below is a list I created of sample road trips through Florida. Coolest Itineraries for a Road Trip through Florida. The Everglades are an extremely vital part of the surrounding ecosystems and provide crucial support the wildlife and humans as well. The Panhandle is Florida’s best-kept secret. The city does have a number of museums and historical landmarks, but most people visit for the beach (what else?). At times the road is only a few feet from the water, even closer when high tide covers the mud flats. With some of the best artificial diving in Florida just off the coast and plenty of amazing beaches, Fort Lauderdale is filled to the rim with amazing things to do. If you’re more of an adventurer, check out the Dry Tortugas National Park (this is more like a day trip though). The AAA Road Trip planner provides detailed drive trips across North America. South Beach, in particular, is very famous for its art, food, and fashion scenes. That being said, Tampa Bay is still a Floridian city, which means that the sun keeps on shining (statistically more than Miami, actually) and the beaches are never too far away. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You can also compare the travel … Distance: 85 miles. Jacksonville is a sprawling metropolis but still slightly smaller than Miami in terms of population. Here you’ll find Meccas of amusement like Disney World, Universal Resorts, and LegoLand, all of which attract more than 70 million visitors per year. Pssssst! If you’ve been craving some Vitamin C and some delicious Latin food, you should be very excited to visit Florida. The best surfing in Florida is also found on this part of the coast. Between these many options, you’re sure to find the right one for you. Recently, he spent eight months travelling around Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, spending as much time as possible in the wilderness and doing everything to avoid the crowds. If you need to take a break from a long drive, try stopping by one of these 5 Florida roadside attractions for a moment. Directly north of Kennedy is the Canaveral National Seashore, which is one of the longest stretches of undeveloped beach in Florida. If you’re looking to explore a bit of Fort Lauderdale, this is the place to start. And Florida hosts loads of them! Bar hopping is especially popular and you can be sure to meet loads of nice people from all over the world. North of Orlando, Highway 19 is literally a drive in the country as it sneaks into the Ocala National Forest where lakes, crystal clear springs, and hiking trails are a natural attraction for anyone who loves the outdoors. The Emerald Coast attracts families from all over the South, who want to make their own road trip to Florida. There are plenty of ways to reduce plastic!!! Even if you only end up using it once, a decent head torch could save your life. You will have many opportunities to sample the local food while on a road trip through Florida. Going on a Florida road trip is hands-down the best way to experience this state! Though the road through the Florida Keys is long, the Keys themselves are not large by any means. Coolest Itineraries for a Road Trip through Florida. Depending on when you’ve left, you can have a look at Miami’s cool neighborhoods: Go out for a drink at night in Miami’s best bars, pubs and clubs. Motorists who discover this stretch of road along the Lake Wales Ridge enjoy state parks, museums, art galleries, shopping, theatres, lakes, and rolling hills of citrus. Finally, we arrive in the largest city on the Atlantic Coast of Florida: Jacksonville. These are our favorite stop-overs on the way: If you’re a passionate Scuba diver, you’ll love Key Largo and Biscayne Bay. Florida hostels offer just as good if not better quality of amenities than conventional hotels. Headtorch: I would never travel without a headtorch. If you’re already there – even better, you can take your time enjoying and exploring the lively city. These are our favorite ones: Day 2 is going to consist of more exploration and adventures. The latter offers good hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities. These springs often have crystal-clear water – a phenomenon that Central Florida is famous for – and are great places for swimming. Being at the nexus of the gorgeous Caribbean Sea and the highly nutritious Gulf of Mexico, Florida has some of the most spectacular underwater worlds in North America! Similar to the West Coast’s BLM, conventional campers will find camping in the FWMA very straightforward – RVs campers may have difficulty finding a larger space. Below is a list of Florida road trip ideas for saving money. Hurricane season is officially from June-November and peaks between August-September. This being said, you don’t necessarily have to buy car insurance from the company you’re renting from. Traveling without insurance would be risky so do consider getting good backpacker insurance sorted before you head off on an adventure. From there, head west on I-10. What to drive. Miami and the southern tip of Florida are definitely more influenced by the state’s Caribbean communities – Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Dominican, etc are all very common styles and are served very authentic. As the administrative center of the state, Tallahassee has lots of activities to offer. We personally like using rentalcars.com as they’ve never failed to give us a great price. My wife an I are planning to drive from Northampton, MA to Ft. Lauderdale Florida the first week of March. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. The opinions expressed in the getaway ideas, Floridians' Favorites and readers' comments do not necessarily represent those of VISIT FLORIDA. … In fact, one of the most iconic coastal routes in America can be found along Florida State Road … With a fold-out souvenir map and the top 50 road trips across the U.S., this handsome travel guide offers strategic lists and routes organized by region. Explore these curated trips across the USA, then customize your own trip using the USA Trip … Walking around the interesting neighborhoods of Little Havana and Little Haiti will offer insight not only into the local cultures but also afford you chances to try their amazing cuisines. Have $1k and a week in March to spend and want to drive down to Florida… For a larger compendium of free camping in Florida, refer to this website. Be aware there is only one gas pump at the very end of 9336. Most are located on the separate island city of Miami Beach. Below is a list of the best Florida road trip stops. Florida and its chefs benefit from a very productive agriculture sector that is active near year-round. All material © 2001-2021 by VISIT FLORIDA®, all rights reserved. Located in Key West near many of the town’s top attractions. For Day 2, you’ll depart early in the morning and head to Fort Lauderdale. This three-day Northern Florida road trip strings together landmarks with natural areas, all with unexpected connections to the state’s Spanish heritage. You can hang out in hip Tampa Bay, eat barbecue in Jacksonville, and swim in Central Florida’s turquoise pools. Get the reverse directions for a Orlando to Phoenix drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip. Below is a breakdown of the average costs associated with traveling to Florida. Be sure to go out to Central Av on the first Friday of every month for a big block party. These are the best beaches: If you’re not into relaxing, consider making the trip to Siesta Key in Sarasota, which has some of the whitest sand in the world and some amazing places to stay. Those looking for a quieter beach shouldn’t have a problem. Below is a brief explanation of each. If you want to cook at night or simply find your way to the bathroom during a blackout, a headtorch is a must. Once the day comes to an end, head back to your cap or lodge and chill out. Consider booking a campground ahead of time to ensure that you have a spot. The water is crystal clear! Microfibre towels dry quickly, are compact, lightweight and can be used as a blanket or yoga mat if need be. The Everglades are most often experienced via an airboat – those weird looking watercrafts with giant propellers. Although it might come out as a bit more expensive, because of gas and higher prices at campgrounds, it allows you to not worry so much about your camping gear and makes for some pretty epic road trips! Directly east of Orlando on the Atlantic Coast is the Kennedy Space Center, which has been the primary launching pad for NASA’s spacecrafts for the last 30 years. With some of the most beautiful city beaches ever and a host of world-class restaurants, you’d be hard-pressed to find a place more satiating to hedonistic desires. Features a man-made waterfall and lots of hammocks for lounging. https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/travel-ideas/driving-to-florida-road-trips.html Las Olas is the main strip in Fort Lauderdale and hosts most of the city’s art galleries, museums, and shops. You can follow his adventures at, Airbnb's Most Unique Properties Worldwide. Varying from 4 days to 14 days in length, they cover many of Florida’s top attractions. Beaches of Jacksonville to St. Augustine — The First Coast. Depart the Everglades and head to Miami. If you’ve got the time, explore the Ten Thousand Islands area as well. AR bottle are tough, lightweight and maintain the temperature of your beverage – no matter where you are. Nothing gets stranger than the state’s roadside attractions! The self-inflating sleeping mats, like the Thermarest Prolite, are my favorite, though people often settle for the foam ones. In the cooler winter months, Blue Springs sometimes receives visiting manatees as well. Miami receives more tourists than any other American city and is undoubtedly the best city to visit in Florida. Shark, snapper, tarpon, and oysters are also common catches in Florida. The Trippy road trip planner automatically calculates the optimal itinerary including stops … Nowhere else in the country will you find such a strong immigrant population, which is so prevalent, mind you, that many portions of the state don’t even feel like the USA at all. Once you arrive in Fort Lauderdale, check into your lodge. Make no mistake though – lodging in Florida ain’t cheap. Please contact us to send a comment or to report a problem. It’s an epic place to fresh up your surf skills, learn new tricks or find you balance on a board for the first time. Furthermore, don’t be like the Spring Breakers and trash peoples homes and beaches. Than English save your life others, especially near Key Largo hosts most of line... 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