Getaways to the authentic Florida
The historic Nike missile site in Everglades National Park is a well-preserved relic of the 1960s Cold War. For lovers of history, folks who remember the Cold War or aviation fans, it’s a fascinating trip back in time, available only during the winter season after Veterans Day.
Stopping at Alabama Jack’s, a fish shack and dive bar on a remote road between Homestead and Key Largo, has been the classic way to start a Keys trip for decades. It’s shabby, atmospheric and authentic.
After a long wait, Miami’s favorite place for cinnamon rolls has reopened for the 2026-27 season in its new location. This institution south of Miami has generations of devoted fans.
Wildlife-filled Flamingo is easier to experience if you stay overnight. These 20 eco-tents in Flamingo offer beds, linens & electrity in a spectacular setting.
This guide will help you see wildlife and experience the essence of Everglades National Park. We offer tips, too, for more in-depth Everglades experiences too.
You need a boat to see most of Biscayne National Park, east of Homestead. About 95 percent of its 172,971 acres are underwater. Fortunately, if you don’t have a boat, there are a variety of experiences available to visitors including snorkeling outings and boat tours to islands.
At Fruit and Spice Park, you can taste exotic tropical fruit and learn about unusual plants that grow in this fertile rural area in Homestead. There are 500 varieties of fruit, spices and nuts from around the world.
The historic agricultural area surrounding the Homestead entrance to Everglades National Park offers so many cool experiences — a park where you can see and sample exotic fruits, a historic village of shops and restaurants, a local tropical-fruit winery. In October there is a big orchid festival too.
Robert Is Here, just outside Everglades National Park, is a must-stop for my family on the basis of its fresh-fruit milkshakes alone. But we also love the menangerie out back, the exotic tropical fruits there for the tasting and the overall ambiance.
Florida has a surprisingly rich history of rodeos in its small towns, and the one is Homestead is special. It’s the first rodeo of the year where professional cowboys can earn points.
In the rural Redland area in Homestead, you can tour Fruit and Spice Park, where you taste exotic tropical fruit. The big Redland International Orchid Festival is here May 17 to 19, 2024.
Coral Castle is a 100-year-old site made of 30-ton blocks of limestone somehow arranged by a lovesick eccentric into a Stonehenge-like work of art.
Like a lot of original Florida tourist attractions, it can be corny, playing up a mystical angle. But it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and is strange and wonderful in its own way.