More than 1300 miles of beautiful coastline and a party vibe can be found in Florida, which is also home to the Florida Keys and South Beach. Travelers who want to dive deeper into the state can expect a lot of surprises.
There's a time and place for big-hitter attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center and Miami, but for many visitors, the best of Florida is away from these touristy hubs.
There are a lot of things to do in Florida.
Immerse yourself in the best experiences the world has to offer with our email newsletter delivered weekly into your inbox.The wilderness at the tip of southern Florida is one of the most amazing places in the US. The surface of the park is barely seen by most visitors who visit.
If you want to learn more, you can go on an overnight kayaking trip through the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife refuge, where you can camp on deserted islands. If you're not ready for the full overnight desert island experience, you can take a private sunrise, sunset and full day kayaking tour through the islands.
The Miami waterfront was filled with the world's greatest collection of art Deco buildings during the 1930s and 1940s. The Art Deco Historic District is home to curved balconies, tropical motifs, geometric forms and pastels. There are more than 800 buildings between 11th and 14th streets.
When there aren't as many people, the early morning light is the best time to take a picture.
It's one of the most popular things to do in Florida, but if you enjoy amusement parks, they are some of the best. There is more to do in the Florida Panhandle than just go to Disney World and Hollywood Studios.
Arrive early, come out of season, and look for line jumping passes to avoid spending most of your visit in line.
During a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, you can see dozens of Apollo, Skylab and shuttle space missions, as well as civilian and commercial space missions. You can take a tour of the site and see the launch vehicle, the space shuttle Atlantis, and the crawler transporter that delivers rockets to the launch pad.
It is possible to visit Florida's Space Coast with a live rocket launch. You can eat out for the rest of your life if you watch a rocket punch out of Earth's atmosphere.
You can see daytime launches from Cocoa Beach or night launches in Titusville.
In the summer, swimming at Florida's beaches can feel like dipping into a bathtub, so we recommend taking a trip to one of the state's many inland freshwater springs, where the waters hover at a consistently refreshing temperature throughout the year. In north central Florida, you can find the best springs for snorkeling and swimming, as well as scuba diving spots.
The Ichetucknee River at Ichetucknee Springs State Park is a great place to rent an inner tube for a lazy float in the water.
There's no need to be afraid of alligators here, they prefer the cold water.
Most scuba divers and snorkelers head to the Florida Keys, but there is more to do off the state's east coast. The goliath grouper gather on the wrecks and reefs off Jupiter inlet in the late summer and early fall.
The spectacle is truly amazing. The goliath might use its swim bladder to emit a mini sonic boom if it is too close to the divers. During the spawning season, Scuba Works and other dive shops run regular trips to dive with goliath grouper.
The islands of the Caribbean steal the spotlight when it comes to bioluminescent waters, but you can also take a glowing after dark kayak adventure in Indian River Lagoon. For the best chance at paddling through a blanket of bioluminescence, take the A Day Away Kayak Tours from June through October. The mullet and other fish are amazing to watch because of their ability to light up Tinkerbell trails in their wakes. You can spend a lot of money on a clear kayak.
The underwater snorkeling trail at Phil Foster Park is a fascinating place to see such curious marine creatures as a small beach under a busy bridge in Palm Beach County might seem like an odd place to strap on your snorkel or scuba gear. Most of the marine life here lives in 6 to 10 feet of water, but if you hire a guide from Pura Vida Divers, you can see more animals.
One of the most accessible and unique outposts in the national park system is the Dry Tortugas National Park. Fort Jefferson, the largest surviving 19th-century fort in the US, is one of seven small islands that make up the 100sq mile national park. If you come just for the day, you can take a tour of the fort and snorkel in the turquoise waters surrounding it.
If you want to stay longer, there's a planning tip for you. Garden Key, the island that includes Fort Jefferson, has a number of primitive camping sites that offer great views of the stars. You have to bring your own supplies, including a tent, food and water, since there are no services.
A Spanish treasure fleet in transit from Havana to Spain died during a storm off the coast of Florida in 1715. Modern treasure hunters are looking for the spilled loot that has washed up on Florida's Treasure Coast. Coins, jewelry, and other items have been found after storms. Count yourself lucky if there is bad weather in Florida.
Rent a metal detector from Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum in Sebastian and head down to the sand on Vero Beach to try and find some lost treasure. The high tide line is a good starting point. It is yours to keep if you found it on the beach or in the sand dunes.
There is only one place in the country where you can legally snorkel with the manatees, and it is in Florida. When it gets too cold in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, the manatees make their way to Three Sisters Springs in the Crystal River National Wildlife refuge.
Guided boat trips allow you to enter the chilly waters with the manatees. You can reach the area on your own by kayaking.
Don't touch or chase the gentle mammals, and give them plenty of space. According to the law, if a manatees approaches you for a nuzzle, that is absolutely fine.
There are only a few places in the world where you can find coastal dune lakes. These unusual features form when the wind creates depressions in the sand that fill with pools of water and they support a huge range of species.
These placid, grass-edged lakes are so special because they are not every day you will see a dune-fringed lake backing onto the beach. One of the largest dune lakes in the area is Western Lake at Grayton Beach State Park, and you can rent a kayak from the park's ranger station.
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