12 Amazing Florida Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive
Florida's best day trips each tie to something specific you cannot easily find elsewhere. Crystal River is the only place in the United States where swimming with wild manatees is legal. Weeki Wachee has been staging live underwater mermaid shows since 1947. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the country. These twelve day trips span the state across the Panhandle, central Florida, and the southern tip, each one reachable inside a few hours of driving from a major Florida city.
Amelia Island (40 minutes from Jacksonville)
Amelia Island sits northeast of Jacksonville and measures about 13 miles long and 2 to 4 miles wide. The island's main town is Fernandina Beach, with a walkable historic downtown at the north end. Fort Clinch State Park, also at the north end, combines a Civil War-era fort with quiet beaches and oak hammock trails.
At the south end, American Beach is a historically significant site. It was established in 1935 by A.L. Lewis, Florida's first Black millionaire, as a beach resort where African American families could vacation during segregation. A small museum and historic district preserve the story today. Just across the bridge at the south end, Big Talbot Island State Park is known for its Boneyard Beach, where bleached oak skeletons line the shore from ongoing coastal erosion.
Apalachicola (1 hour 45 minutes from Tallahassee)
Apalachicola is a working fishing town on the Panhandle Gulf Coast whose oyster industry has defined the local economy for over a century. The historic downtown runs along Market Street and Water Street, with 19th-century buildings housing local shops, galleries, and seafood restaurants where oysters come directly from Apalachicola Bay.
About 10 miles east, Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park covers the eastern tip of St. George Island, with nine miles of undeveloped beach, marked camping sites, and fishing access. The park is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the country and stays significantly less crowded than the Panhandle's larger resort areas.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (40 minutes from Tallahassee)
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1931, is one of the oldest refuges in the national system. It sits about 20 miles south of Tallahassee and covers more than 70,000 acres of salt marsh, pine forest, and tidal creek along the Gulf Coast. The refuge is a major stopover on the Atlantic migratory flyway, and fall and spring bring heavy bird traffic to the shallow impoundments along the main entrance road.
The St. Marks Lighthouse, built in 1831, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in Florida and anchors the scenic drive through the refuge. It stands near the end of Lighthouse Road, with observation platforms overlooking Apalachee Bay.
Ponce De Leon Springs (1 hour 35 minutes from Tallahassee)
Ponce de Leon Springs State Park is built around a first-magnitude spring that discharges about 14 million gallons of water per day at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The swimming area is shaded by cypress and magnolia trees, and the water is clear enough for basic snorkeling.
Short nature trails follow the spring run to Sandy Creek, and seasonal guided tours cover the ecology and history of the spring. Kayak and canoe rentals are available for paddling the spring run and the creek beyond it.
Boca Raton (35 minutes from Palm Beach)
Boca Raton sits about 25 miles south of Palm Beach and is a South Florida city with an upscale residential character and public beach access. Red Reef Park covers about 67 acres on the ocean with a reef close enough to shore for snorkeling directly from the beach.
Mizner Park, named after architect Addison Mizner, is an open-air complex of shops, restaurants, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, iPic Theaters, and the Mizner Park Amphitheater, which hosts outdoor concerts throughout the year. The development is one of South Florida's earliest and best-executed examples of mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented downtown planning.
Everglades National Park (2 hours from Palm Beach)
Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and one of the few places where alligators and crocodiles share the same habitat. The park is defined by the "river of grass," a shallow, slow-moving sawgrass marsh that drains south into Florida Bay.
Multiple entry points offer different experiences of the Everglades. The Anhinga Trail near the main Homestead entrance puts wildlife within feet of the boardwalk, with alligators, wading birds, and turtles routinely visible. Shark Valley, further north, features a 15-mile loop road with a rental-bike option and an observation tower at the midpoint. Kayaking through mangrove tunnels is available on the Gulf Coast side near Everglades City.
Wekiwa Springs State Park (25 minutes from Orlando)
Wekiwa Springs State Park sits just 25 minutes from downtown Orlando and is built around a large swimming spring that discharges 42 million gallons a day. The spring run flows into the Wekiva River, which is designated a Wild and Scenic River by the state.
The park has more than 13 miles of hiking and biking trails, including sections of the Sand Lake Trail that loop through pine flatwoods and hardwood hammocks. Equestrian trails are also available for riders with their own horses. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the main concession near the spring.
Bok Tower Gardens (1 hour 25 minutes from Orlando)
Bok Tower Gardens sits on Iron Mountain in Lake Wales, one of the highest points in peninsular Florida at 298 feet. The centerpiece is the Singing Tower, a 205-foot Neo-Gothic carillon tower with 60 bells that plays scheduled concerts twice daily, designed by architect Milton B. Medary and completed in 1929.
The gardens were laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and include both formal landscaped sections and native Florida plantings across 250 acres. Reflection pools, the Pinewood Estate historic home, and several quiet seating areas are spread across the property.
Crystal River (1 hour 20 minutes from Tampa)
Crystal River sits 80 miles north of Tampa and is the only place in the United States where swimming with wild manatees is legal. The area's natural springs hold a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit, which is exactly what manatees need to survive the winter when Gulf waters drop below 68.
Between November and March, hundreds of manatees migrate into Kings Bay and Three Sisters Springs. Licensed guided snorkeling tours operate out of local outfitters with rules that protect both the manatees and swimmers: no touching, no chasing, and passive observation only. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge protects the springs year-round and offers self-guided kayak access when manatees are not present.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (1 hour from Tampa)
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has been staging live underwater mermaid shows since 1947, when former Navy frogman Newton Perry opened the attraction and trained performers to breathe through hidden air hoses behind the glass. The shows are still performed in a 400-seat submerged theater with large windows looking directly into the spring.
Beyond the mermaid shows, the park includes Buccaneer Bay, a spring-fed swimming area, and access to the Weeki Wachee River for kayaking and tubing downstream. The park is about an hour north of Tampa and is a reliable family destination on warm-weather weekends.
Coral Castle Museum (1 hour from Miami)
Coral Castle sits about an hour south of Miami in Homestead and is one of Florida's most unusual attractions. Edward Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant, built the entire complex by hand between 1923 and 1951, working alone and almost entirely at night. Using oolitic limestone blocks weighing up to 30 tons each, he constructed walls, furniture, celestial carvings, and a 9-ton swinging gate balanced so precisely it could be opened with a single finger.
Leedskalnin never explained his methods, and the question of how one man moved those blocks without heavy machinery remains unanswered. He claimed to have uncovered "the secret of the pyramids," which has kept the site attracting speculation for nearly a century.
Five miles away, the Fruit and Spice Park covers 37 acres of tropical fruit trees, spices, and plants from around the world, with guided tours and fruit tastings available year-round.
Hollywood (30 minutes from Miami)
Hollywood sits about 30 minutes north of Miami and has developed a distinct identity as a lower-key alternative to both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is a 2.5-mile oceanfront promenade with cafes, small galleries, and live music venues lining the pedestrian path between the beach and the hotels behind it.
ArtsPark at Young Circle, in downtown Hollywood, hosts rotating outdoor events, sculptures, and performances throughout the year. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a few minutes inland, includes the Guitar Hotel, a 450-foot guitar-shaped building that has become a recognized landmark in its own right.
Twelve Trips, Twelve Different Florida
These day trips work because Florida is not one state, visually or culturally. The Panhandle runs on oyster boats and longleaf pine. Central Florida is built on springs fed by the Floridan aquifer. South Florida is subtropical wilderness on one side and Mediterranean-influenced urbanism on the other. Coral Castle is one man's unexplained stone monument. Weeki Wachee is a mid-century tourist attraction that still works. Each of these stops offers something the others do not, which is why any of them is worth a drive.
