Northeast Florida

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.

Driving your car on the beaches is a Florida tradition going back to horse-and-buggy days. Today, only a few beaches still allow the practice. We show you where and how on the Atlantic Coast.

One of the best Florida bike trails – the Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail – is a well-shaded rural trail that makes a stop at a rare-for-Florida Civil War site.

By doubling the size of its campground, this oceanfront state park in Flagler Beach has expanded its reach — and its appeal.

Windswept beaches, pristine back country waterways, a mile-long fishing bridge and a shady, scenic campground.

Marineland was the original oceanarium and the first to discover you could train dolphins to perform. Now it offers popular interactive dolphin experiences.

JB’s is your original crab shack, a funky Florida kind of place where blue crabs are served steaming from the kitchen and dumped onto sheets of brown kraft paper that serve as your tablecloth. There’s an outdoor dining deck with a tiki bar overlooking Mosquito Lagoon.

There’s not much going on in Lake George State Forest, making it an ideal getaway for a few days of solitude along the St. John’s River.

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.

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.