Florida, USA Travel
A Wanderlust Guide
Florida’s theme parks remain its most visited attraction – but there’s so much more to the Sunshine State than that famous mouse. World-class art museums, literary sites and history-steeped cities reward culture seekers, while nature lovers will find wildlife-rich swamps, coral reefs and beaches home to nesting sea turtles.
Florida’s cities are creative and diverse, often combining top cultural institutions with miles of sugar-white sand. That’s true of Miami, a stronghold of Latin American culture that’s known for neighbourhoods like bakery-filled Little Havana. Make time to drink in the Miami Beach Architectural District, in South Beach – the candy-coloured collection of Art Deco buildings is the largest in the world.
Out west, Tampa highlights like the Museum of Art can be found along the city’s Riverwalk, while the sprawling Dalí Museum and The Ringling Museum of Art draw travellers to St. Petersburg and Sarasota respectively. Orlando should not be written off as a springboard for Central Florida’s theme parks either: the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is one of the finest venues of its kind in the States, hosting everything from ballet to opera.
On the east coast, the past feels palpable in St Augustine. It is hailed as the oldest city in the States, established by the Spanish in 1565, and you can explore that history at sites like the 17th-century Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the US. The Kennedy Space Center is a must-visit too, with treasures including a restored Saturn V rocket.
Florida’s Panhandle is a region that’s sometimes overlooked – but jewels include Pensacola’s centuries-old Downtown core (it’s often called ‘The City of Five Flags’ due to its layered history and culture) and the Emerald Coast, arguably one of the most dazzling shorelines in Florida.
Cultural riches aside, Florida packs a punch when it comes to natural beauty. The Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of cypress swamps, sawgrass marshes and mangrove forests, and remains the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles co-exist. Manatees thrive in warm springs in spots like Crystal River, while you can scour the seas for dolphins on an eco boat tour off the coast of Bradenton.
The Florida Keys are the Sunshine State’s final flourish, a subtropical string of islands that curl into the Gulf and the Atlantic. The Keys provide endless opportunities for snorkelling, scuba diving, paddling and wildlife watching, while quirky Key West promises cultural attractions aplenty. Don’t miss the preserved home of author Ernest Hemingway and the Little White House, the historic winter retreat of 33rd president Harry S. Truman.
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