Florida is still a relatively young state and is home to comparatively few classic sights. Nevertheless, there is a lot that can be experienced and explored in Florida in addition to the sun and beach vacation.
For example, there is St. Augustine, the oldest settlement in the USA that has been continuously settled by Europeans, or the picturesque Art Deco district on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach in which over 900 buildings from the 1930s and 1940s are waiting for you to be discovered. Not to mention the numerous museums, art galleries, technology and automobile museums, Cape Canaveral and the many top-class amusement parks, cultural monuments and national parks.
That’s waiting 25 kilometers north of Downtown Miami third largest mall in the USA on a visit and in many places there are high quality restaurants that will make the hearts of seafood fans beat faster.
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The Cape Canaveral spaceport
Cape Canaveral, NASA’s space center, is certainly one of the most famous attractions in Florida and became famous for the establishment of the Patrik Air Force Base in 1940. Back then, the cornerstone for space exploration was laid here, 80 kilometers from Orlando, and all space missions are still coordinated from there today.
Visitors to Cape Canaveral can learn more about the Apollo missions, the building of the Saturn 5 rocket and rocket launches in general, and experience the Kennedy Space Center, the Visitor Center and Star Trek Live in lectures and film screenings in the Space Center, which consists of five main parts.
Florida – Excursions to the most famous amusement parks in the USA
Anyone who talks about Florida must also talk about amusement parks. This is where the best-known amusement parks in the USA are located, including top-class amusement parks such as Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens Africa, Seaworld and Walt Disney World Resort with the Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Must-see cultural monuments in Florida
Florida has a total of two National Monuments, two National Memorials, a National Heritage Area, 46 National Historic Landmarks and a total of 1773 buildings and sites that are registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
Including about:
- the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument,
- the Fort Matanzas National Monument,
- the De Soto National Memorial,
- the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee (Florida State Capitol),
- the Fort Caroline National Memorial and
- the Gullah / Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
National parks and natural landmarks in Florida
In Florida, those interested will find three national parks, a National Preserve, an Ecological and Historic Preserve, two National Seashores and a further eighteen National Natural Landmarks that are well worth a visit.
These include the following national parks and natural monuments:
- Biscayne National Park
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Everglades National Park
- Big Cypress National Preserve
- Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Gulf Islands National Seashor
Wildlife viewing in Florida
Even if Florida’s coastal strips are built over in many places and the originality has largely been lost in the course of time, there are still many opportunities in the state on the east coast, especially inland, to enjoy nature and animals such as alligators and manatees to observe. If you want to see the flamingos, the unofficial heraldic animal of Florida and a popular souvenir in plastic form, in the original, you should take a hike over the Snake Bight Trail in the Everglades National Park or visit one of the amusement parks.
Alligators watch in the Everglades
The Everglades are arguably the most famous wetland in Florida, if not the United States, and extend over a large part of the south over an area of several thousand square kilometers embedded in Everglades National Park. The vast naturally formed swamp that stretches from Lake Okeechobee to southwest Florida is best explored on a guided tour by propeller boat. In the water, which is only fifteen to twenty centimeters deep, you can not only observe free-living alligators, but also hundreds of species of fish and birds, turtles and snakes.
Watch manatees in Crystal River
Florida is a great place to see manatees. You can find the manatee wherever the water is nice and warm, especially in Homosassa and Three Sisters Springs in Chrystal River. There the water stays at over 24 ° C all year round, which is why the manatees find perfect conditions there. Especially in the high season from November to March in Florida, in warm places, manatees can be seen by the hundreds in their natural habitat all day.
Sun and beach vacation in Florida
Anyone thinking about sun and beach holidays in Florida can hardly avoid Fort Lauderdale. The Venice of the USA is located on a network of waterways that extend over a total of 400 kilometers. The modern city with its long, clean sandy beaches, its water taxis, hotels, restaurants and shops is perfect for enjoying pure bathing fun, watching the sunset on the beach and practicing all kinds of water sports. The sea water on the Gold Coast is also pleasant for swimming, especially in winter, when the humid summer has given way.
Some of the most recommended beaches in Florida are:
- Miami Beach,
- Vero Beach,
- Haulover Beach,
- Fort Lauderdale Beach,
- St. Augustine,
- Sanibel Island,
- West Palm Beach,
- Captive Island,
- Marco Island,
- Clearwater Beach / Sand Key,
- and Delray Beach.
Often wrongly overlooked: Northern Florida
North Florida was once the center of the state, and many traces of days gone by can still be seen there today. There is St. Augustine on the one hand, but the capital Tallahassee also has its charm and there are many mansions, historic battlefields and more to discover in North Florida. Also in north Florida is the sunshine state’s most populous city, Jacksonville.
Panama City Beach shows a completely different side with its many culinary delights and its great beach promenade. Unlike in the south, which is populated by tourists, you can still find really idyllic, picturesque spots by the sea here in North Florida. Cities such as the green Gainesville, Wakulla Springs, Crawfordville and Apalachicola can also be perfectly included in a round trip by rental car through North Florida.
