Getaways to the authentic Florida
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, near Everglades City, is the biggest state park in Florida. After three years, the preserve’s Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk has fully reopened after hurricane destruction. Now you have take a 2.3 mile boardwalk hike and pass through a rare original slice of ancient cypress forest.
The weather is getting better, and campgrounds in Ocala National Forest remain open during the government shutdown. Our camping guide takes you to places you never knew.
Crossing the state on Alligator Alley? Here are tips on a how to spend 15 minutes, a half hour or a half day exploring the Everglades from I-75. This mile marker guide helps you decide where to stop and what to do along the way.
Lovers Key State Park is a treasure in Fort Myers Beach. You can kayak a mangrove-lined trail and stroll an unspoiled 2.5 mile beach. The park has recovered from Hurricane Milton and its devastating storm surge a year ago.
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 Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, an Audubon Society preserve, takes you on a hike via boardwalk with good wildlife viewing and exquisite scenery. In summer, you might get a peak at the rare ghost orchid blooming.
It’s a perfect time to explore Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach. The kayak trail has been cleared of water lilies clogging the way. You can rent or launch kayaks here, but also hike an exquisite boardwalk through a cypress forest and see birds and other wildlife on the trails.
Amateur astronomers and photographers love this peaceful savanna in the heart of Florida, an ideal destination for stargazing, bird watching, and not a bad getaway from the world at large.
The rare and endangered Florida panther makes its home in the wilds of the western Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp, much of the area preserved in protected state and federal lands accessible to hikers.
Kelly Park is a popular summer destination for swimming in cool springs and paddling scenic Rock Springs Run, including the stunning Emerald Cut.
Encompassing more than 600 square miles in North Central Florida, Ocala National Forest is your playground for adventure.
Florida bike trails offer great scenery and local flavor. Here are a few great bike trails we’ve tried and recommend statewide.