Florida Travel Guide: The Best Destinations Worth Visiting
This Florida travel guide covers a state that keeps pulling you back. The beaches, the ballparks, the theme parks, the food, the history and the music all add up to a destination that rewards every kind of traveler. We have been visiting Florida for decades, and we are still finding new reasons to go back. Whether you are a first time visitor or a repeat traveler, this Florida travel guide has something for every trip
Key West
There is a sign on the wall inside Capt. Tony’s Saloon in Key West that reads “Much to Be Done.” It inspired the name of this website, and it perfectly captures how we feel every time we visit the southernmost city in the continental United States. There is always more to do.
Key West rewards the traveler who slows down and soaks it in. Start at the Southern Most Point, one of the most photographed landmarks in Florida. Then find your way to the beach and let the afternoon take care of itself.
When it is time to eat, head to Hogfish Grill for fresh seafood in a setting that feels like old Florida. After dinner, make your way to Duval Street. The energy here at night is unlike anywhere else in Florida. Stop into Irish Kevin’s for live music and the kind of crowd that makes you want to stay all night. Duval Street is built for wandering, so follow the music and see where it takes you.
Key West has a spirit that is hard to explain and impossible to forget. Key West is one of the most unique stops in any Florida travel guide.
Disney World
No Florida travel guide would be complete without Disney World.Disney World is a family tradition for us. There is something about walking up Main Street USA for the first time each visit that never gets old. The castle is ahead of you, and the day is full of possibility.
Our favorite rides include Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. The park rewards those who stay all day. By evening, the crowds thin, the lights come up and the magic gets turned to a higher setting. Closing out the night with the fireworks display over the castle is one of the great travel experiences we have had, full stop.
Disney World also holds a unique piece of music history that most visitors walk right past. Room 1601 at the Polynesian Resort is where John Lennon officially signed the documents dissolving the Beatles on December 29, 1974. There is no plaque, no marker, nothing to tell you what happened there. But for Beatles fans, it is worth a short detour. We cover the full story in our article on the Beatles breakup and Disney World’s role in their final days.
Spring Training in Florida
Spring Training is one of the most underrated chapters in any Florida travel guide. For more than 20 years, generations of our family have made the trip to Florida in February and March to watch Spring Training baseball. It is one of our favorite travel traditions.
The Grapefruit League gives you access to the game in a way that the regular season simply cannot match. Smaller parks, relaxed atmosphere, and players you can actually see up close. We have visited nearly all of the Spring Training stadiums in Florida, and we cover three of our favorites in depth. JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, home of the Boston Red Sox, feels like a mini Fenway Park. Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota is a great experience for Orioles fans. And Lecom Stadium in Bradenton, the oldest Spring Training park still in use, has a history and character all its own.
Read our full Florida Spring Training guide for everything you need to plan your trip.
Sarasota and Bradenton
Situated just south of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico, the Sarasota and Bradenton area is one of our favorite places in Florida. The beaches are beautiful, the Gulf water is warm and the food scene is excellent.
Our traditional first stop is The Old Salty Dog on City Island, where we go straight for the blackened grouper sandwich and peel and eat shrimp. From there, the area offers everything from the Italian cuisine at Venezia on St. Armand’s Circle to fresh Gulf seafood at Owen’s Fish Camp and Mar Vista Dockside on Longboat Key. Over on Anna Maria Island, the Ugly Grouper serves up some of the best fish tacos we have found anywhere.
We cover all six of our favorite Sarasota and Bradenton restaurants in detail.
St. Augustine
St. Augustine is the oldest continually inhabited city in North America, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565, more than 50 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Walking through the historic district feels like stepping through layers of American history, with architecture and landmarks that tell the story of centuries of Spanish, British and American influence.
The centerpiece of the historic district is Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th century Spanish stone fortress that still stands in remarkable condition on the bayfront. It is one of the oldest masonry forts in the continental United States and worth at least an hour of your time. The narrow streets of the old city surrounding it are perfect for wandering on foot.
For a different perspective on the city, make the trip to the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Climb the 219 steps to the top and you will be rewarded with sweeping views of the coastline, the Matanzas River and the city below. The lighthouse has been a landmark here since 1874, and the grounds include a museum that tells the story of the maritime history of the area.
St. Augustine is also a serious food destination. We discovered four restaurants that made a strong case for coming back. GAS Full Service Restaurant, a former gas station serving gourmet burgers with locally sourced ingredients, was our favorite meal of the trip. O’Steen’s has been around for more than 50 years and serves southern comfort food the way it used to be made. River and Fort offers rooftop dining with views of Castillo de San Marcos. And the Beachcomber puts you about as close to the sand as a restaurant can get.
Read our full St. Augustine restaurant guide for everything you need to eat well in the oldest city in America.
