Our favorite B&Bs will help you have an authentic and memorable Florida experience — not a night in Anywhere USA.
Lodging
Key West houseboat rentals: Look at more than price before booking
You’re looking for inexpensive lodging and you find Key West houseboat rentals on Airbnb or VRBO. Before you book, read our tips & questions to ask.
Little Manatee River near Tampa: Great for kayakers, hikers & campers
Just 45 minute from Tampa/St. Pete, the beautiful river, state park and region is a natural haven that can keep you busy exploring for days. There’s an outfitter to make trip-planning easy, plus it offers cabins and camping.
Stephen Foster State Park: Glorious Suwannee river; great cabins, odd old museum
This state park has superior cabins and is a great base for kayaking the Suwannee and hiking. It’s also home to an oddly dated museum on Stephen Foster. (We considered it a funky Florida find.)
Cabbage Key: Old Florida island for kayaking, history, atmosphere
Cabbage Key is reachable only by boat. It’s popular as a lunch-cruise destination. But stay overnight in the inn or cabins to discover its true charms. On our visit, we also found it’s a great base for exploring by kayak.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park cabins make it easy to explore a great park
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.
Historic hotels in Florida: Celebrate a special occasion at a grand hotel
Huge and opulent, Florida’s grand hotels were built from the Gilded Age through the Jazz Age, but they continue to delight visitors with their elegance and history. Here’s a guide to 10 of the most special ones.
Silver Springs State Park: Famous spring plus cabins, hiking, history
If you haven’t experienced Florida’s most famous spring, you’re missing one of the most beautiful spots in Florida. This weekend, Ocali Country Days, a special living-history festival, will re-create the Ocala of the 1800s. Year-round, this park has it all: kayaking, hiking, glass-bottom boat rides, horseback riding and terrific cabins.
Visit Old Florida in Micanopy FL; explore nearby nature and history
Micanopy is right off I-75 near Gainesville, but it feels far away — like a small town in a Florida long gone. Its jewel is the 1845 Herlong Mansion B&B.
