Mount Dora has a lively downtown and a well-preserved historic district on a pretty lake. It’s a walkable small town with good dining and shopping. What we like just as much: There is great kayaking and biking nearby.
St. Augustine’s Fort Matanzas is a small stone fort on a pristine island. You take a short ferry ride for a ranger-led tour and spectacular scenery — and it’s all free.
As you plan your Florida travels, here are nine towns that I’ve found make great bases for exploring. Each puts you in the center of outstanding places to hike, bike, kayak and explore history. Each is surrounded by natural beauty.
You’ll discover tons of things to do in Sanford, Florida, a historic waterfront town, now a foodie & craft beer haven. It’s close to top kayaking on the Wekiva and Econ and good bike trails.
The historic agricultural area surrounding the Homestead entrance to Everglades National Park offers so many cool experiences — a park where you can see and sample exotic fruits, a historic village of shops and restaurants, a local tropical-fruit winery and famous fruit milkshakes and cinnamon rolls.
With the best beach in the Florida Keys, Bahia Honda is everyone’s favorite. We also love the park for its historic bridge, great beachfront camping and cabins.
It’s hard to imagine the world then – Florida before Disney. But the photos of a Sarasota photographer, Joseph Janney Steinmetz, can help transport you to an Old Florida Christmas.
With eight state parks, a national park, scads of history and top beaches, Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach make a great base to explore northeast Florida.
Micanopy is right off I-75 near Gainesville, but it feels far away — like a small town in a Florida long gone. The Micanopy Fall Festival is Oct. 29-30, and in that part of Florida, it looks and feels a little like fall.
The historic Nike missile site in Everglades National Park is a well-preserved relic of the 1960s Cold War. See a restored Nike Hercules missile during the winter season.
My idea of a great choice for a place to eat on vacation is a restaurant with a story behind it. Here are eight historic restaurants that fit that criteria — from Prohibition rum-runners to 1980s drug-runners; from authentic 1920s grand hotel to an authentic 1950s diner.
Legends suggest these places are haunted. I’m dubious, but I know this: These are beautiful, evocative spots worth discovering at Halloween or any time of year.
Kayaking the Braden River, with time at Jiggs Landing and Linger Lodge, is a delightful trip back into Old Florida. Both outposts date to the 1940s and the scenic river that connects them preserves much of its natural beauty.
Safety Harbor has a rich history in its mineral springs and pioneering citrus industry. This homey outpost on Tampa Bay also has a colorful art scene and diverse eateries.
The best historic places in Florida will entertain, inform, and probably surprise you. As a bonus, they are also some of the most beautiful places in the state.
Did we miss your favorite?
St. Petersburg is full of Old Florida treasures, from a beautiful brick 1927 comfort station next to the new bayfront pier to the Sunken Gardens, a cherished roadside attraction complete with a flock of flamingoes. St. Pete has grown younger and livelier, but it retains much of its original charm.