Culturally Rich
Einstein Would Have Loved it Here
More than vice, it’s really quite nice: the Capital of Latin America, Miami is the place to practice your Spanish. There’s no shortage of beautiful people, white sandy beaches and Art Deco design. Across the bay, the city glistens in the tropical sun with sizzling nightlife, botanical gardens, and its avant-garde warehouse district. Cinematic Ocean Drive features the world’s best collection of Easter egg colors, an art deco dreamscape of historic hotels with nautical motifs. Miami Beach is a players playground of sunny poolsides, outdoor lounges and sexy nightclubs. The food is outrageous. You’ll find all the tastes of the Caribbean and Latin America, fueling the creativity of bold young chefs. There’s no place like Miami!
This beachy boutique town is easy to love: For upscale romance and the prettiest city shoreline, Naples is the Gulf Coast’s answer to Palm Beach. A sophisticated town, it’s stylish and privileged but also welcoming and fun loving. Stroll downtown’s 5th Ave on a balmy evening and you’ll see all that glitters. The Baker Museum is devoted to 20th-century modern art with 15 galleries and a glass dome conservatory. Exhibitions include postmodern works, photography, paper craft and Dale Chihuly glass sculptures. Right next door, the 85-piece Naples Philharmonic Orchestra is the city’s pride and joy
Ringling Museum, Sarasota
The railroad arrived in 1902, bringing affluent winter guests. Then the famous American real estate and railroad magnate John Ringling arrived with his circus, setting the stage for Sarasota to become a major performing arts hub. The bright pink Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy is a world of fantasy with a sculpture garden and hidden surprises. Marina Jack is the downtown port with outdoor and fine-dining restaurants, sightseeing cruises and fishing charters. The Selby Botanical Garden has the world’s largest orchid and bromeliad collection, 80-year-old banyan trees, koi ponds on the bay. The Ringling Complex is a major attraction featuring the Circus Museum, Ringling’s private home and his Museum of Art. Sarasota will dazzle and amaze you!
St. Augustine Lighthouse
Flagler College
Castillo de San MarcosWhere Ponce de Leon landed 400 years ago: Claiming to be the oldest US city, St Augustine was claimed by the Spanish in 1565. Today you’ll find museums, Spanish colonial architecture and old military infrastructure. Cobbled lanes weave through the historic district with its cozy cafes, pubs, shops, and fine dining establishments. Lightner Museum is the former Hotel Alcazar, an 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival masterpiece with Gilded Age furnishings and unusual collections. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is the country’s oldest masonry fort, besieged twice and swapped six times between nations since 1695.
St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America.
Mural in Tampa
Downtown Tampa
Fitness walks in Pinellas County Trail to Tower
Downtown Tampa
Lettuce Lake
Bush Gardens, TampaTampa
Unexpected Surprises Await
The most underrated city with big time fun: Tampa has evolved from its gritty roots into a modern city with world-class theme parks, museums and ambitious restaurants. The downtown Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River sparkles with modern architecture and scenic public spaces. There’s enough entertainment here to last a week including Adventure Island Water Park, Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo, The Florida Aquarium and the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A pleasant surprise is the Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple. For the best noodle soup and beef soup with fish balls, people flock here on Sundays for the food and flower markets. Get here early. Visitors may enter the temple barefoot and listen to traditional music.
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral
Countdown to Launch
The epicenter of space travel: NASA’s primary launch center is the epic attraction of human spaceflight. The complex is organized into different Mission Zones where attractions and tours range in chronological era starting with the dawn of space exploration to pioneers of the Apollo moon landing, then exploring the shuttle itself and finally, current projects and missions to Mars.
Stranger than Fiction
A universe inside the earth? Koreshan State Park offers a window into the lives of a unique and eccentric pioneer group that chose to make their home under towering oaks on the banks of the Estero River located just down the road in Estero. The Koreshans were a religious sect founded by Dr. Cyrus R. Teed, who moved here in 1893 and built a communal settlement with a belief that the universe existed inside the Earth. Living celibate lives, the enterprising Koreshans established a farm, nursery and botanical gardens. The park is home to 11 restored and nationally registered historic buildings from the late-19th and early-20th centuries. A quiet and peaceful refuge amid busy Fort Myers.
The National Naval Aviation Museum
Up Up and Away …
The world’s largest Naval Aviation museum is in Pensacola. You’ll be inspired by more than 150 lovingly restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. These historic and one-of-a-kind aircraft are displayed both inside the Museum’s nearly 350,000 square feet of exhibit space and 37-acre grounds.
Daytona International Speedway
Motorhead Heaven
Drivers start your engines: This is the famous American race track in Daytona Beach and home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR known as the “Great American Race” since 1959. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts motorbike races and daily tours in and around the track.
The Florida Keys
Land’s End
Margaritas, Hemingway and Jimmy Buffet: The Keys are a string of tropical islands stretching 120 miles off the southern tip of Florida, between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. They are one of America’s favorite destinations for fishing, boating, snorkeling and scuba diving. The southernmost city of Key West is famous for Duval Street’s lively bars, the nightly Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square and the Ernest Hemingway’s Home and Museum.