Map view
Magic Kingdom
Best time to visit: Jan, Sept
Cost: $$
- The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake,
- The park originally opened on October 1, 1971, as "Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom", the first of four theme parks at the resort
- Its layout and attractions are based on Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and are dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters
#3 in Best Theme Parks in the World
#4 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#10 in Best Attractions in the USA
Universal's Islands of Adventure
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$
- Theme park located in Orlando, opened in 1999
- Islands of Adventure is modeled after a journey of exploration, where guests embark on an adventure to visit a variety of themed islands
- A seventh island, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, was added in 2010
- The eighth island, Skull Island, opened in 2016, and is themed to the King Kong franchise
#7 in Best Theme Parks in the World
#10 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#18 in Best Attractions in the USA
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Botanic garden with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines
- Fairchild opened to the public in 1938
- It includes a museum, laboratory, learning center, and conservation research facility whose main role is preserving biodiversity
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$
- Theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company
- The park opened in 1989, as the Disney-MGM Studios (Theme) Park, and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World
- The park is dedicated to the imagined worlds from film, television, music, and theatre, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood
#12 in Best Theme Parks in the World
#13 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#26 in Best Attractions in the USA
Walt Disney World
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$$
- Entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, opened in 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Parks
- The property covers nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km2), of which half has been used
- The resort comprises four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney's Blizzard Beach and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon), 31 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs
#23 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#27 in Best Attractions in the USA
Epcot
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb
Cost: $$
- Theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company
- The park is inspired by an unrealized concept of the same name developed by Walt Disney
- The park opened in 1982
- Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture, and is often referred to as a "permanent world's fair"
#14 in Best Theme Parks in the World
#16 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#40 in Best Attractions in the USA
Universal Studios Florida
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$
- Theme park located in Orlando, primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry
- The park opened to the public in 1990, and features numerous rides, attractions and live shows
- Universal Studios Florida was the first component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort to open
#12 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
#16 in Best Theme Parks in the World
#41 in Best Attractions in the USA
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, May, Oct-Nov
Cost: $
- The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island
- It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus tours of the spaceport
- The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit contains the Atlantis orbiter and the Shuttle Launch Experience, a simulated ride into space
- The center also provides astronaut training experiences, including a multi-axial chair and Mars Base simulator
- The visitor complex also has daily presentations from a veteran NASA astronaut
Ernest Hemingway House, Key West
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- The Ernest Hemingway House was the residence of American writer Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s
- The house is situated on the island of Key West, across from the Key West Lighthouse
- It is also famous for its large population of so-called Hemingway cats, many of which are polydactyl
Saint Augustine Distillery, St. Augustine
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Working distillery in a restored circa 1907 ice plant offering tours and tastings
Clearwater Beach
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico
- Clearwater Beach is characterized by white sand beaches stretching for 2.5 miles (4 km) along the Gulf and sits on a barrier island
#2 in Best Beaches in the USA
#75 in Best Attractions in the USA
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Feb
Cost: $
- The Anhinga Trail is a short trail (about 0.4 miles) in the Everglades National Park
- The trail is a paved walkway and a boardwalk over Taylor Slough, a freshwater sawgrass marsh
- Abundant wildlife is visible from the trail, including alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, and egrets
#20 in Best National Parks in the USA
#76 in Best Attractions in the USA
Fort Jefferson Loop, Dry Tortugas National Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$$
- National park located about 68 miles (109 km) west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico
- The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys
- The archipelago's coral reefs are the least disturbed of the Florida Keys reefs
#22 in Best National Parks in the USA
#57 in Most Surreal Attractions in the USA
#77 in Best Attractions in the USA
Hanna Park, Jacksonville
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) public beach and city park in Jacksonville
- It consists of 447 acres (1.81 km2) of mature coastal hammock, which is increasingly rare along Florida's heavily developed Atlantic coast
Naples Botanical Garden
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Botanical garden founded in 1993 that consists of 170 acres of cultivated gardens and preservation land, representing seven distinct natural habitats and ecosystems, and featuring over 1000 species, with special emphasis on the ecosystems between the 26th parallel north and the 26th parallel south
Siesta Beach
Best time to visit: Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Siesta Beach is a beach located on Siesta Key
- Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the Appalachian Mountains
- According to Harvard University geologists, it's estimated that the sand on Siesta Beach and Crescent Beach on Siesta Key is millions of years old, having its origin in the Appalachians and flowing down the rivers from the mountains until it eventually was deposited on the shores of Siesta Key
#16 in Best Beaches in the USA
#23 in Best Beaches in the World
South Pointe Park Pier, South Beach
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach
- This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s
- The area has gone through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed much of the area
#11 in Best Beaches in the World
Caladesi Island State Park Trail
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- State Park located on Caladesi Island in the Gulf of Mexico
- It is accessible by passenger ferry or by private boat from a dock on Honeymoon Island, provided primarily for convenience of access from the north (Dunedin area)
- Alternatively, since the late 1980s, the state park can be reached on foot from Clearwater Beach to the south; it is only separated by a "welcome" sign
- Amenities include a three-mile nature trail, a marina, picnic pavilions, bathhouses, a park concession stand, and a beach
#7 in Best Beaches in the USA
Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Bahia Honda (meaning deep bay, in Spanish) is an island in the lower Florida Keys
- The island is virtually uninhabited, being home to the 524-acre (212-hectare) Bahia Honda State Park
- Founded in 1961, the park occupies most of the island
- The channel at the island's west end is one of the deepest natural channels in the Florida Keys
Henderson Beach State Park
Best time to visit: April-May
Cost: $
- Park with such amenities as beaches, bicycling, birding, fishing, hiking, picnicking, swimming, wildlife viewing and full camping facilities
#26 in Best Beaches in the USA
Gator Lake Trail, St. Andrews State Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: May-Oct
Cost: $
- Park that has such amenities as two-and-a-half miles of beaches, bicycling, birding, boat tours, boating, canoeing, two fishing piers, hiking, kayaking, picnicking areas, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, wildlife viewing and full camping facilities
- It also has a visitor center, an interpretive exhibit and concessions
Sanibel Lighthouse, Sanibel Island
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Dec
Cost: $
- The Sanibel Island Light or Point Ybel Light, was one of the first lighthouses on Florida's Gulf coast north of Key West and the Dry Tortugas
- The light, 98-foot above sea level, on an iron skeleton tower was first lit on August 20, 1884 and has a central spiral staircase
- It was built to mark the entrance to San Carlos Bay for ships calling at the port of Punta Rassa
- The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not
Pine Island East Loop Trail, Shingle Creek Regional Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Shingle Creek Regional Park includes several old homes from the historic Shingle Creek community
- The park activities include fishing, hiking trails, picnicking, and play area
Universal Orlando Resort
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $$$
- Universal Orlando consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure), an on-site waterpark (Volcano Bay), an on-site entertainment district (Universal CityWalk), hotels, and it will soon add a new theme park (Epic Universe) with an accompanying hotel
- All of the hotel resorts offer Early Park Admission into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal's Volcano Bay
- Universal Orlando is one of the most visited resorts in the world
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Best time to visit: Jan-March, Nov-Dec
Cost: $
- The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is located in Kings Bay, and consists of 20 islands and several small parcels of land
- The 80-acre (32 ha) refuge (only accessible by boat) was established in 1983, to protect the West Indian manatee
Lakes Regional Park, Fort Myers
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- A variety of wildlife can be spotted throughout Lakes Park, especially birds
- The park includes about 2.5 miles of walking and biking trails running along the lakes
- A scenic boardwalk carries the trails over the lakes
- Other features include a fragrance garden with herb, butterfly, and cactus gardens
- One notable feature at Lakes Park is the Lakes Park & Gulf Railroad, a 7 1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) gauge miniature railway, which takes riders on a 15-minute ride through the north end of the park
Fun Spot America Kissimmee
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Fun Spot America – Kissimmee is located in Kissimmee, the park is designed as a circular walkway around the lagoon featuring the world's tallest skycoaster
- Features include the signature multi-level go-kart tracks, an arcade, and the Rockstar Coaster
#21 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
Prairie Overlook to Wetland Wander Loop, Fern Forest Nature Center
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Dec
Cost: $
- Vast preserve with 30 types of ferns, various habitats, native plants and nature center
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota
Best time to visit: April-May
Cost: $
- Official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, and established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida
- The institution offers 21 galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities and Asian, American, and contemporary art
- The museum's art collection currently consists of more than 10,000 objects that include a variety of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods and from around the world
Gap Point Trail, St. George Island State Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: May-Oct
Cost: $
- Park that has such amenities as beaches, birding, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, picnicking areas, swimming, wildlife viewing, and full camping facilities, as well as an interpretive exhibit.
#12 in Best Beaches in the USA
St. Pete Beach
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- St. Pete Beach is a Florida resort city set on a barrier island, known for its beaches
- The Pass-A-Grille area offers galleries, shops and the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum, which displays postcards and other artifacts in a 1917 church
#19 in Best Beaches in the USA
Destin History & Fishing Museum
Best time to visit: April-May
Cost: $
- Maritime museum opened to the public in 2005
- It contains exhibits depicting the history of the town of Destin, and the fishing industry in relation to it
- The exhibits include historic photographs, artifacts, fishing equipment, and documents of early Destin and the fishing industry.
- The museum’s collection includes a mix of vintage photographs, antique fishing rods and reels, fish mounts and replicas, an original Pen Reel that belonged to Ernest Hemingway, and the oldest seine fishing boat still in existence, the Primrose
Las Olas Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Dec
Cost: $
- Known as the "Venice of America", Fort Lauderdale has 165-miles of inland waterways across the city
- The city is a popular tourist destination with an average year-round temperature of 75.5 °F (24.2 °C) and 3,000 hours of sunshine per year
- With over 50,000 registered yachts and 100 marinas, Fort Lauderdale is also known as the yachting capital of the world
#27 in Best Beaches in the USA
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville
Best time to visit: June-Sept
Cost: $
- Botanical garden in Gainesville, established in 1978
- As of 2005, the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens contain Florida's largest public bamboo gardens and the largest herb garden in the Southeast
Hollis Garden, Lakeland
Best time to visit: Sept-Dec
Cost: $
- Public botanical garden in Lakeland
- It is divided into 16 themed sections or "rooms" with plantings being rotated throughout the year
- Not all of the rooms feature heavy planting, for example the Gazebo and Trellis area displays Tuscan style, neoclassical architectural design elements
- Other rooms are named after their planting types like the Vegetable Room, Tropical Room, and Herb Rooms, and Patterned Flowerbedd
- The trees in the Trees of Americana Room are all relatives of famous trees of American history including a Water Oak from Helen Keller's home, a Sycamore from Susan B. Anthony's grave, an Oak from 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, a Weeping Willow from the musician Elvis Presley's front yard, and, previously, a tree associated with the poet Edgar Allen Poe, which died
Navarre Beach
Best time to visit: April-May
Cost: $
- Navarre is a major bedroom community for mostly U.S. military personnel, federal civil servants, local population, retirees and defense contractors
- Due to Navarre Beach and the 4 miles (6.4 km) of beach front on the Gulf of Mexico thereof, as well as several miles of beaches within the Navarre Beach Marine Park and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, it has a small, but rapidly growing community of nature enthusiasts and tourists
#37 in Best Beaches in the USA
Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and a 75-room, 100,000 square foot Gilded Age mansion, open to the public as the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
- In addition to an annual chamber music series, the Flagler hosts the Whitehall lecture series, which brings experts and best-selling authors to discuss Gilded Age topics, events, and local history
- Past lecture series include historical talks about the dawn of the Progressive Era, World War I, Gilded Age presidents, engineering feats, and Metaphysical America: Spirituality and Health Movements During the Gilded Age
Perdido Key State Park, Pensacola
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- State park located on barrier islands that protect the Florida mainland from the harsh effects of storms and provide habitats for shorebirds and other coastal animals
- The beach, which provides excellent opportunities for swimming and sunbathing, is the focal point for public use of the park
Historic Fort Pickens Trail
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: mid-Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island
- It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens
- The fort was completed in 1834 and was one of the few forts in the South that remained in Union hands throughout the American Civil War
- It remained in use until 1947
Salvador Dali Museum
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Art museum in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí
- The museum's collection includes 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures, and objets d'art, plus an extensive archival library
- The museum is home to more masterpieces of Dalí than any other museum in the world
#39 in Best Museums in the USA
Museum of Florida History, Tallahassee
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
Cost: $
- Opened in 1977, the Museum of Florida History collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets evidence of past and present cultures in Florida
- As the state history museum, it focuses on artifacts and eras unique to Florida's development and on roles that Floridians have played in national and global events
Tampa Theatre
Best time to visit: Sept-Dec
Cost: $
- Historic U.S. theater and city landmark in Downtown Tampa, designed as an atmospheric theatre-style movie palace, it opened in 1926
- The theatre features a wide range of independent, foreign, and documentary films
- By the 1960s and 70s, many American movie palaces were demolished because the land beneath them became more valuable than the theatre operation
- In 1973, the theatre face the same fate, but the citizens rallied and committees were formed that saved the endangered theater
Disney Springs
Best time to visit: Sept
Cost: $$$
- Outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista
- It opened in 1975, and has been expanded and renamed over the years
- The complex includes four distinct areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side
Nature Coast Botanical Gardens & Nursery, Spring Hill
Best time to visit: April-Oct
Cost: $
- Volunteer created botanical garden and nursery
- Each of the 20 themed gardens offers paved paths guiding visitors from garden to garden
- Some of the garden themes include Secret Garden, Rain Forest, and DesertScape