Florida’s a big state. Over 800 miles and two time zones between Key West and Pensacola. With all that territory there are lots of roads to get you where you want to go. So many roads that locals like me complain that they’re paving over paradise. But on the good side there are some delightful road trips.
Here are seven non-interstate road trips that allow you to explore the beauty and history of the Sunshine State. Each can provide a memorable weekend on the road.
US 1, The Florida Keys
For a little more than 100 miles you island hop your way along the historic Overseas Highway from Key Largo to Key West. The highway was originally Henry Flagler’s railroad line that carried freight and passengers to Key West, which at the time was a major seaport.
If you push it, you can do this trip in less than one day. But don’t! There is so much to see and experience along the way.
Go diving or snorkeling at Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. Just down the road is Islamorada, a hub for off-shore sport fishing. Sombrero Beach in Marathon is one of the best beaches in the Keys. Across the Seven Mile Bridge is Bahia Honda State Park, a great spot for camping (you need reservations far in advance). Big Pine Key has some of the best kayaking in the Keys.
Then, of course, there is Key West. Do yourself a favor and don’t spend a lot of time on the very touristy Duval Street. Explore the town, find historic sites like the Truman White House, Jimmy Buffett’s recording studio, and the Hemingway House. Find unique restaurants like Blue Heaven.
Mallory Square is always packed for sunsets, but it’s very touristy. My favorite Key West solitude sunset was in my kayak at Zachery Taylor State Park.
Tamiami Trail, between Naples and Miami
People in a hurry zip across the Everglades on Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley), but take your time and instead go via Route 41, the Tamiami Trail (the original Alligator Alley). There are many stops along the way to see the real Everglades.
Naples is a great stop to explore the Ten Thousand Islands for fishing and kayaking. Not far away is Collier-Seminole State Park for camping. Everglades City is the spot for airboat tours and the western gateway to Everglades National Park. There is a large Visitor Center at the entrance to Fakahatchee Strand State Park with Everglades history and lots of information about Native Americans who inhabited the area.
Ochopee is home to the smallest post office in the USA. Buy a pre-stamped postcard for a buck and take a picture. Nearby is Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery, featuring the black and white landscapes of Florida’s most famous photographer. During certain times of the year you can go on a guided swamp walk through the Butcher property. Be prepared to get wet.
Stop at the Miccosukee Indian Village. It’s a little touristy but you can also come away with an understanding of the way of life of the Everglades original inhabitants. Just down the road is Shark Valley, a National Park attraction. You can take a tram (fee) or ride your bike along the 15 mile (round trip) paved trail that takes you into the Everglades, with an observation tower at the end. Along the way you’ll see plenty of alligators sunning themselves along the roadway. There have been no reported incidents of alligators eating bicyclists, if that made you nervous. Just keep pedaling.
A1A/ US1, Amelia Island to St. Augustine
This part of Florida is where most new settlers made their way into the Sunshine State in the 1800’s. St. Augustine is the oldest permanent settlement in the new world. Fernandina Beach is the original port for Florida’s shrimping fleet over a hundred years ago.
The oldest continually operating lighthouse in Florida is found in Fernandina Beach. Fort Clinch was built in 1847 and used by both Confederate and Union forces during the civil war. It is now a state park.
American Beach is located mid-island on the Atlantic Coast. Six acres of beach were purchased in 1935 by an African American doctor so that black residents on the island could have access to the beach during the time of segregation.
Big and Little Talbot are state parks along A1A. There is limited camping, and a spot called Boneyard Beach offers a brilliant sunrise among wave-weathered trees that have toppled into the surf.
Stop at Mayport, where Florida’s largest shrimping fleet is now headquartered. It is also home to the large Mayport Naval Air Station.
Ponte Vedra Beach is south of Jacksonville, and prime beach-front real estate for luxury oceanside homes, and the location of the famous PGA golf course.
St. Augustine is the premier destination in the area. Founded by Spanish explorers in 1565, and has been permanently occupied ever since. There’s a lot of history in the town, including the lighthouse, the first in Florida dating back to 1824.
Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish to protect the city in the early 1700’s, and is now a national monument. Saint George Street in old St. Augustine is a little touristy but rebuilt to reflect the settlements of the past.
St. Augustine is a popular Bed & Breakfast town, with dozens located within the historic district. The large Lightner Museum is a must stop, and you can tour the grounds of Flagler College across the street.
US 98/ FL 30A, Pensacola to Apalachicola
This trip takes you to the most unspoiled beaches in the Florida panhandle. It starts with the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a long and undeveloped stretch of beach that allows you to find sand dune solitude like nowhere else in Florida.
Stop in Navarre to see Florida’s longest pier, that stretches 1,545 feet into the Gulf Of Mexico. Beach towns like Fort Walton Beach and Destin are popular stops. The state park at Grayton Beach is one of Florida’s most beautiful.
Panama City is a major Spring Break center, and attracts many mid-western tourists year-round. If that a little too touristy for you, continue on to Mexico Beach. Virtually wiped out by Hurricane Michael in 2018, the beach community is building back and has one of the prettiest beaches in the panhandle.
My favorite Florida state park is near Port St. Joe, the St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.Also heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael, the park features camping by the beach, and plentiful snorkeling for scallops in the bay.
Apalachicola is Florida’s original oyster harvesting center. The water quality in Apalachicola Bay has caused a major drop off of the oystering, but the town is an important historical stop.
While in the panhandle I recommend an overnight at the Edward Ball Wakulla Spring State Park, south of Tallahassee. The hotel is a little rustic but historic, and shows Florida’s tourism in the early part of the last century. Take the boat tour of the springs and river, and get a feel for the unspoiled Florida of yesteryear.
US 27, I4 to Sebring
Heading south from Interstate 4 on U.S. 27 takes you through small cities that grew up in the late 1800’s around Florida’s growing ranching and agriculture populations. Today, along this road, you will find the current center for Florida’s citrus industry.
Bok Tower, and its gardens, in Lake Wales is a popular stop. Built in the 1920’s, the 205-foot tower is the center of a 250 acre property on a high point known as Iron Mountain. It is known as the Singing Tower because of the carillon that plays for a half hour daily at 1 and 3 p.m.
Frostproof is an early home for citrus growers, and many more have established themselves in the area after devastating killer freezes in north and central Florida in the 1980’s.
Sebring is the home of a 12-hour LeMan’s GT format road race every year at the old Sebring airport. There are other sports car races during the year. Nearby Avon Park is known for nationally known entertainers performing at South Florida State College’s Wildstein Center. Lake Placid is the southern end of the circus belt, and known as a fishing center on the many lakes in the area. Downtown Lake Placid is decorated with 50 murals painted on historic buildings.
US 19, Cedar Key to Dunedin
Cedar Key is a quaint village located on the Gulf of Mexico. It started out as a turpentine producing center many years ago. When the cedar trees were exhausted in the area, it became a fishing town. Today it is known mostly for tourism, a quiet getaway from Gainesville, Orlando and Tampa Bay.
The founder of the modern day environmental movement, John Muir, walked to Cedar Key from his home in Indiana, over a thousand miles, arriving in 1867. He nearly died from a bout with malaria while on the island.
Crystal River is regarded as the manatee capital of Florida. Manatees can be found year-round in King’s Bay and the river. In the winter thousands cluster together in the relatively warm waters of Three Sisters Spring. It’s the only place in Florida where you can legally swim with manatees.
Homosassa Springs is home to a state wildlife park that features native Florida animals, descendants of animals rescued from old roadside attractions that went out of business. The only non-Florida resident is Lu The Hippo, who was adopted after a short career in the movies. The park has an elevated boardwalk for viewing the animals, making it ideal for wheelchairs and strollers.
Tarpon Springs is an old Greek sponge diving city. It all started in the early 1900’s when Greek divers were recruited to come to Florida and dive for the abundant sponges in the Gulf of Mexico. Today the sponge business is mainly a tourist attraction at the city Dodecanese dock, where you find small mom-and-pop businesses and restaurants that cater to tourists.
Dunedin is a vibrant small community that attracts active outdoorsy people. It’s home to two state parks, Caladesi Island and Honeymoon Island. The popular Pinellas bike trail runs right through the center of downtown. In the winter there is a large population of Canadians because it’s the spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays.
A1A, The Space Coast to Vero Beach
The area south of the Kennedy Space Center on A1A is known as the Space Coast. Named for the thriving space industry in the area, you stand a good chance of actually seeing a rocket launch at any time, as there are now launches every couple of days. Night launches are the most spectacular.
The Space Coast is a string of beach communities along the Atlantic coast. You’ve heard of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, and there are lesser known beach towns like Satellite Beach and Melbourne Beach.
Much of the southern part of the Space Coast is designated as the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most prolific turtle nesting beaches in the country. The nesting season runs from roughly April to October, with the peak in the summer. There are night time tours to see momma turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. If you don’t feel like staying up late, an early morning beach walk can find turtles finished with their nesting and crawling back to the water.
The Sebastian Inlet State Park is a popular fishing spot, and regarded by many as the best surfing beach in Florida. There is a campground and swimming area.
Go across the bridge into Indian River County and you will find the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the very first refuge in the country, so designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. It’s a great location for birding and photography.
The inland waters of the Space Coast are the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary. Aside of the Chesapeake Bay it’s the largest estuary in the country. It’s a popular fishing and birding habitat. As the population around it has grown the lagoon has been beset with pollution problems in recent years, leading to a stunning die-off of manatees in 2022 and 2023 because their primary food source, eel grass, had disappeared. Efforts to clean up the lagoon are showing some progress.
Vero Beach is a popular, upscale retirement city along the Atlantic Coast. It has a thriving beachside commercial district with lots of shops and restaurants. The area has a reputation for a vibrant arts community. McKee Botanical Gardens is one of the most visited in Florida.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Not really a road trip, but a trip nonetheless. Take a day and travel to Tampa Bay to drive over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It connects St. Petersburg with Bradenton.
If heights scare you, don’t look down and hold your breath. It’s an engineering marvel like none other in Florida.
We may not have towering mountains or vast canyons, but there is a lot of natural beauty in the Sunshine State. If you get off the interstates and away from the theme parks you will find it.
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