Northeast Florida

Looking for a camp easily accessible from Interstate 95? These scenic Florida State Parks offer well-maintained campgrounds for your tent or RV.

Anastasia State Park is a stone’s throw from historic St. Augustine and offers 139 cozy campsites on a four-mile-long pristine beach that shimmers in the Florida sun.

Bulow Creek State Park is a lovely discovery. Just 10 minutes off I-95, it’s great for a quick picnic and to gaze at the grand old Fairchild Oak. Or you can spend the day and take a hike or scenic drive.

The Santa Fe River near Gainesville is a treasure for its many clear bubbling springs and its unspoiled beauty. It’s one of Florida’s most beautiful places to kayak, canoe, snorkel and swim. It’s way north, but worth making part of a trip.

Hidden among the tidal marshes, Tomoka State Park offers a shady campground, miles of paddle trails, biking and hiking, and a productive fishery.

Crossing the Florida state line is something to cheer about, but there’s a lot more road ahead. Here are a few suggestions for overnight stays at these RV campgrounds.

When driving I-95, you can travel five minutes off the highway and find romantic ruins, have a picnic and a walk through the woods in this Flagler County state park. In minutes, you feel like you’re in another world.

The don’t-miss experience when visiting St. Augustine is touring the Castillo de San Marcos — the historic Spanish fort.

This out-of-the-way rural area on the St. Johns River offers good hiking, kayaking and springs. With Welaka as a base, we explored a place little changed by the years.

The Ormond Scenic Loop is a 30-mile road trip through live-oak canopies, waterfront postcard scenes, abundant wildlife, two state parks. It’s not long but it’s worth spending a few hours exploring the sights and parks.

This historic restaurant near Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park at Cross Creek is a great place to eat like a cracker. It offers an old Florida ambiance and menu.

Jacksonville is blessed with eight really special state parks, but you can only camp at two of them — Fort Clinch and Little Talbot Island. Both are ideal destinations for outdoors summer recreation.

The waterways along the Intracoastal in New Smyrna Beach are a terrific place to explore by kayak or SUP. Richard Barrett shares some of his favorite routes — places you might overlook when going to the popular beaches in the area.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings came to Cross Creek and wrote the beloved story of a young boy and his pet fawn, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Today, visiting the author’s beautifully preserved home is an excellent way to discover the authentic Florida, far from the strip malls and theme parks.

Here are five cool things I was surprised to discover about America’s oldest city — from the story of a fiery pepper to a tasty locally made gin.

The Castle Windy Trail is a shady respite from the never-ending sun of Cape Canaveral National Seashore, introducing you to the primitive coastal environment that was once typical of Florida’s Atlantic shoreline.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park near St. Augustine has two sides — historic gardens amid ancient live oak trees on one side and a beach with fantastically shaped coquina rocks on the other.