Six romantic things to do for lovers of Old Florida & nature

It’s hard to think of a more accessible and romantic place on Feb. 14 than Florida. From the beaches to the sunsets to the blue green waters, there are plenty of romantic things do in Florida.

Leave behing the same-everywhere commercial spaces. Our ideas focus on places for people who love natural beauty, unspoiled spots and one-of-a-kind evocative historic spaces.

While this story was inspired by Valentine’s Day, any time is a good time to find romantic things to do in Florida.

Tree at Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale with a heart formed by a strangler fig. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)
A tree at Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale where twisting roots have formed a heart. I have long admired this tree, which is well known among locals for it’s heart-shaped tangle of roots. (I do wish the tree had a less creepy name. It’s a strangler fig!) (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Here are six ideas about especially romantic places in Florida.

1. A walk on the beach. How about one called Honeymoon Island? Or Lover’s Key?

I live in Fort Lauderdale and my local beach is a romantic places to take a stroll hand in hand, despite the fact that it is lined with condo towers. (My favorite spot is a nearby stretch that has a private feel because it is lined with single-family homes.)

Every beach has the power to free you from the everyday, but for a really romantic destination, Florida has two state parks that are winners not only for unspoiled beaches but for their names: Honeymoon Island State Park and Lovers Key State Park. They certainly sound romantic, and they are.

Honeymoon Island is a park north of Tampa that originally had a most un-romantic name: Hog Island. But a 1930s Florida marketing genius re-named it Honeymoon Island and teamed up with Life Magazine to hold a contest for newlyweds to win free honeymoons in rustic little beachfront cabins here. (The cabins are long gone.)

Honeymoon Island, Dunedin, beach swing
Honeymoon Island State Park is a popular beach but you can stroll away from the parking lot and find lots of space away from the crowds. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Today, what’s romantic about Honeymoon Island is the magnificent beach that extends into the Gulf of Mexico. Keep walking along this beach and you’ll soon feel like the only people in the world.

Lovers Key State Park in Fort Myers Beach got its name because until 1965, the islands that make up the park were accessible only by boat and only lovers took the trouble to get there. (The new road was not only the end to its secluded nature, it was the first step in plans to develop the islands. Fortunately, the state bought the land in 1983 and preserved it as a park instead.)

Today, Lovers Key is recovering from several hurricanes, but its beach is as beautiful as ever. At 2.5 miles long, it’s still a place where sweethearts can be alone together.

Just as romantic is kayaking in the waterways at Lovers Key, where birds and manatees are often seen in winter. A park concessionaire rents kayaks and canoes.

More about Honeymoon Island State Park.
More about Lovers Key State Park

2. Steam away on the African Queen in Key Largo

Who represents Hollywood’s classic image of romantic lovers? Bogie and Bacall.

That’s why, after the 1948 film noir movie Key Largo was a hit, the island decided to make the most of it, even though the movie was filmed at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios. The island’s post office had been known as Rock Harbor, but after the movie, area businesses started a petition drive to change the post office name to Key Largo.

Romantic things to do in Florida: Visit Key Largo ane celebrate Bogie and Ball. Here's the Key Largo movie poster.
Visit Key Largo and be like Bogie and Ball. Here’s the Key Largo movie poster.

Later, further securing a Bogie connection, an entrepreneur brought the original African Queen river boat from Bogart’s 1952 movie with Katherine Hepburn to Key Largo. For a romantic ride, tour Key Largo waterways aboard the African Queen.

To complete your romantic flashback, wrap up your day at the world-famous Caribbean Club, which was used for many of the Key Largo’s exterior shots, and the club also provided inspiration for the story. There is no shortage of memorabilia decorating this classic Keys dive bar.

More about Humphrey Bogart and Key Largo and tours on the African Queen.

Here’s our trip report on 36 hours in Key Largo.

3. Spoil yourself at a historic hotel

Fenway Hotel in Dunedin
The Fenway Hotel in Dunedin. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Most places you stay when traveling are interchangeable look-alikes, hotels that could be anywhere.

You can have a more romantic experience, however, with a historic hotel, with its own unique magic and place in Florida’s history.

You can sleep in a room once occupied by Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald; drink at a bar that once fortified Clark Gable, and admire the same waterfront viewed by US presidents.

Here are 14 historic hotels in Florida.

You don’t have to book a room in one of these historic hotels to have a romantic experience, however. Several of them have elegant restaurants open to the public.

We recently lunched at the Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel’s Fontana restaurant in Coral Gables. With tables surrounding a large fountain in a palm-filled courtyard, it has to be the prettiest place in this gorgeous historic hotel. These hotels have some gorgeous bar spaces too. (The Biltmore even has weekday happy hour deals.)

Or consider splurging on a high tea. Three historic hotels that offer high tea are the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach ($78 in 2025; champagne is extra), the Vinoy in St. Petersburg ($140 in and includes a one-hour docent-led history tour) and the Biltmore ($95 in 2025.) Another high tea related to historic hotels is at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, the home of the railroad magnate who built the nearby Breakers Hotel. Whitehall is an excellent house museum and offers a high tea ($75 in 2025, includes required museum admission.) While not a a stay at the Breakers, it might make you feel you are there.

4. Turn off your phones in a glamping tent

In 13 state and national parks in Florida, you can rent a “luxury” tent in a beautiful location. These glamping accommodations let you experience a natural environment with fewer discomforts. Yes, you have to walk to the bathrooms, but when I stayed in a glamping tent in Flamingo in Everglades National Park recently, I realized this can be wonderful, because in the middle of the night I saw the star-filled skies. I felt like I was on an African sarafi. More on glamping in Florida.

romantic things to do glamping at lake kissimmee state park 1 Six romantic things to do for lovers of Old Florida & nature
Romantic things to do in Florida: Glamping in a Florida park.

5. Go horseback riding on the beach

Is there any image that better captures a romantic fantasy of a Florida getaway? Riding a horse along a pristine beach, waves lapping at its feet, wind blowing through your hair, beautiful views in every direction? It’s a scene from the movies – or your dreams.

Beach horseback riding.
Beach horseback riding.

It’s not easy to find spots where you can arrange for horseback riding on the beach in Florida; it requires beaches with minimal crowds and development. But there are a few spots where you can ride horses on the beach, and some go beyond just riding.

More about horseback riding on a Florida beach.

6. View sunset from a boat

Sunset cruises are so popular you can find them at virtually every coastal community. Wherever you live or are visiting, you can probably locate one using a search engine. They come in a variety of price ranges: some are dinner cruises, some serve champagne, some serve cocktails. I love a good sunset cruise and, like beaches, the ocean rarely fails to provide romantic scenery.

A few examples, ranging in price from $30 to more than $100: the Naples Princess, which offers both a dinner cruise and a light-bites cruise; the Clearwater Tropics Sunset Celebration Cruise through Clearwater Pass to the Gulf of Mexico; the Schooner Appledore’s Champagne Sunset Sail in Key West and a Miami Sunset Cocktail Cruise. (The African Queen, mentioned above, also does a sunset cruise.


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