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.
Historic Florida
The Elliott Museum has an extensive collection of antique cars, but the museum also has everything from wedding dresses to baseball cards. On Saturday, Nov. 18, it will host a free event to celebrate the opening of its modern ebikes exhibit. Visitors can test-ride ebikes and get free admission.
Windswept beaches, pristine back country waterways, a mile-long fishing bridge, scenic campgrounds, and a lot of hands-on history.
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.
There are excellent reasons to stop in Islamorada on your Florida Keys trip. Kayak to Indian Key, feed the tarpon at Robbie’s Marina, visit two craft breweries, plus there’s a cluster of cultural attractions and a top-notch museum.
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. 28-29, and in that part of Florida, it looks and feels a little like fall.
What will you see at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge this fall? There’s a flamingo who has been spotted regularly for several years; monarch butterflies migrate through as do many varied types of birds. It’s a vast place with scenic vistas and a historic lighthouse — a hidden gem in the Big Bend region.
I had lived in Florida a long time before I discovered the rich and often tragic history of native Americans here. Here are seven parks and museums that tell those stories.
Florida Panhandle’s greatest treasure might be Gulf Islands National Seashore, with an unspoiled barrier island, sand as white as snow and a rare Civil War fort whose spooky spaces you can wander.
Deering Estate is a serene spot in South Dade offering sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, a fascinating tour of a castle-like home and boat tours of Biscayne National Park. In September and October, there will be weekly historic ghost tours on Thursday evenings.
This state park is more natural than it has been for decades. Enjoy the terrific beach and tropical hammock, tour the historic lighthouse, dine at restaurants with great views and walk or bike trails.
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.
The Navy SEALs are the backbone of U.S. Special Forces, and Floridians have a unique opportunity to explore their history at the National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, birthplace of Navy frogmen.
The cemetery in Key West is a lot like the city itself: quirky, crowded, colorful and full of history. The site has a forlorn almost spooky air. Take a walking tour and discover fascinating stories of Key West and its people.
Here’s a great destination for hot summer weekends. Three new art museums in St. Petersburg – each built to house extraordinary private collections – make this a Florida city with lots to do indoors. Opening Aug. 3, the Dali Museum also will debut a dome with a 360 degree immersive art experience.
Few places offer both so much history and such beauty as Florida’s 30 lighthouses. Six of Florida’s lighthouses are built on reefs in the Keys and four of those are up for sale.
Coral Castle is a 100-year-old site made of 30-ton blocks of limestone somehow arranged by a lovesick eccentric into a Stonehenge-like work of art.
Like a lot of original Florida tourist attractions, it can be corny, playing up a mystical angle. But it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and is strange and wonderful in its own way.
As you travel Florida and explore its award-winning state parks, take special note of buildings, trails and amenities we enjoy because of work by the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can learn more at Highland Hammocks State Park, which has a museum about the CCC in Florida.
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.
From the vibrant, walkable waterfront to its historic streets, South Florida’s oldest city is a hot destination.
This sandy campground near Jacksonville is a beach lover’s dream.
McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach is a gem to discover. Once a top roadside attraction, go for its water lilies, Old Florida buildings and gorgeous vistas. The June Water Lily Celebration is timed for peak bloom of the water lilies.
If you’ve ever dreamed about exploring a deserted tropical island, here’s your chance: Take your kayak down to the Florida Keys and paddle out to Indian Key State Park to explore jungly ruins and snorkel a rocky shoreline.
Florida’s grand hotels were built from the Gilded Age through the Jazz Age and they continue to delight visitors with their beauty and history. Several historic hotels have been refurbished in recent years, and not all of them have luxury prices.
The west side of the Indian River Lagoon has an Old Florida flavor — especially the scenic 20-mile drive between Stuart and Fort Pierce. The region has enough places to explore to make a great getaway.
The Hacienda Hotel again reigns as the glamorous star of downtown New Port Richey. It’s a stunning restoration of a historic gem, a gracious hotel with modest prices.
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?
Jupiter Lighthouse offers a spectacular view, an interesting history, plus great spots nearby to kayak, hike or relax for a waterfront lunch.
Lake Placid has quite a few stories to tell, and they are told in murals. On the walls of 50 buildings. All over town.
This state park is so worth a drive to explore. It would take days to experience it all – a beautiful beach, a well-preserved Civil War fort, hiking, biking, wildlife, great camping.