Florida is beloved for its white sandy beaches and emerald waters and a great vacation destination. It’s equally known for its cool clear springs, incredible food, and exciting theme parks.
With so many things to do in a relatively small state, it can be difficult to settle on one place to plan your vacation. Never fear, we’ve got you covered. Let’s decipher the Top 5 Florida Vacation Destinations.
#1 Orlando
With Florida filled with beaches galore and myriad spring fed watering holes, you may wonder how we can settle on Orlando as a top vacation destination in Florida. Sure, Orlando is in Central Florida and thus doesn’t sit on the beach. However, the city’s central location makes it a convenient spot to start a vacation.
For example, the beautiful scenery and cool, clear waters of Wekiwa Springs State Park is just 22 minutes away from Orlando. As for beaches – Cocoa beach is just 59 miles from Orlando.
The city is also home to perhaps the world’s greatest amusement parks such as Disney World Orlando, Universal Orlando, and Seaworld Orlando. All of this makes us think Orlando is the #1 vacation destination in Florida.
#2 Miami
Miami is one of the liveliest cities in the entire country, known for its Latin culture and hopping nightlife. Sitting on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Miami is also a major port city that serves as the home port of the world’s largest number of cruise ships.
As it’s a popular destination, Miami blends ethnic cultures and features a wide variety of attractions, food, and activities. Of course, as Miami’s chief attractions are its sunny beaches that can be either family friendly or magnets for partygoers the city holds within its borders fun for everyone.
#3 Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are an archipelago and a tropical paradise known for gorgeous beaches, grand national parks, beautiful gardens, and numerous oceanfront resorts. The 120-mile-long chain of tropical islands also connects to the mainland via a series of bridges.
The Seven Mile Bridge in the Lower Keys has been used as a location for films including True Lies and Fast 2 Furious. They’re also known for opulent resorts, gorgeous tropical weather, sportfishing, boating, scuba diving, and amazing fresh seafood.
#4 Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach is one of Florida’s gems. There are about 27 miles of white sand beaches in Panama City Beach on the Emerald Coast. This also makes it a popular Spring Break destination for thousands of kids and college students each year.
Aside from the beaches, Panama City Beach features fishing in the Gulf of Mexico as well as golfing. PCB is also home to marine, amusement, and water parks. There is plenty here for everyone in the family including biking trails and kayak spots. You can read about some of them (here) and (here).
#5 Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a famous Spring Break destination and that should be kept in mind if you’re planning a family vacation and large crowds and not wanted. Far from just a Spring Break hotspot, Fort Lauderdale has become a cultural center with an increasingly expanding social scene.
The city is chock full of plenty of hotels, golf courses, marinas, and museums. It is also home to one of the world’s busiest cruise ship ports in the world. Be sure and stay up to speed on all the hot spots and sweet destinations in Florida.
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