This state park has superior cabins and is a great base for kayaking the Suwanee and hiking. It’s also home to an oddly dated museum on Stephen Foster. (We considered it a funky Florida find.)
New cabins bring the “comfort camping” experience to this big, varied state park where you can kayak on a wild river, bicycle, hike for miles and explore an interesting area.
It’s a long way from just about anywhere — and that’s part of its appeal. But it’s also a great place to bicycle, kayak, hike, watch sunsets and spot birds. The 1859 hotel, now a charming B&B, is reason enough to go.
Getting to Cayo Costa State Park is the start of a grand adventure. You start by boarding a ferry. You travel across mangrove-lined waterways, spotting manatees and dolphins if you’re lucky. When you arrive, you are in one of the last wild places in Florida, with a perfect nine-mile beach almost all to yourself. Plan ahead and book a primitive cabin or campsite.
The Kenilworth Lodge is one of those grand old hotels built for the rich in the age of railroads.
Our favorite B&Bs will help you have an authentic and memorable Florida experience — not a night in Anywhere USA.
It is possible to go to Key West on a budget. Here are some frugal tips on lodging, interesting budget restaurants and free places to go.
Thanks to Florida’s award-winning state park system, Central Florida is the ideal place to plan a family vacation in a cabin surrounded by nature. There are four great state parks within 90 minutes of Orlando that offer affordable cabins in exceptional settings.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — A quaint Old Florida beach town is the setting for this elegant Spanish-style bed and breakfast overlooking the Indian River on Florida’s east-central Atlantic Coast.
Here’s an interesting stop far off the beaten path: The Jacaranda Hotel opened in 1926 and has been providing comfy rooms and good food ever since. It’s located in the historic district of Avon Park, a little town in the middle of the state’s cattle and orange-grove country.
The charming Riverview Hotel accommodates guests at the gateway to New Smyrna Beach’s arts and entertainment district, a half-mile strip of historic homes, quaint galleries and friendly pubs leading to one of Florida’s most popular beaches.
A half hour from Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Louisa State Park has rolling hills, six lakes, excellent hiking, wildlife, picturesque cypress trees and swimming. The best part, though, may be the modern cabins, with rocking chairs on the porch and a view of the lake for $120 a night.
