Florida: Discover Nature, Water and Culture

Florida combines expansive nature experiences, distinctive aquatic landscapes and impressive cultural sites. The Florida National Scenic Trail, also known as the Florida Trail, is a federally designated, non-motorized long-distance hiking trail approximately 1,500 miles long. In addition, there are state parks, springs, beaches, historic sites and places where the history of nature, space travel and maritime culture can be experienced. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, it is therefore worthwhile to first determine the focus of your trip.

Nature among Springs, Wetlands and Coasts

Florida’s state parks offer swimming, diving, birdwatching, fishing, hiking and horseback riding year-round on natural, scenic trails. Those who want to combine water and landscape will find a river section with its own distinctive character at Ichetucknee Springs State Park: the Ichetucknee River is more than seven miles long and has three launch points for canoes and inner tubes. At Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, visitors can see manatees and a great variety of saltwater fish through one of the world’s largest submerged freshwater observation stations.

The springs themselves also shape Florida’s character. They support one of North America’s most diverse freshwater ecosystems. For wildlife observation, the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail connects more than 500 sites throughout the state. The Everglades National Park offers a much larger landscape setting: it covers 1.5 million acres and includes freshwater marshes, marl prairies, tropical hammocks, pine forests, cypress landscapes, mangroves, coastal lowlands, as well as marine and estuarine ecosystems.

When planning a stay in the Everglades, the desired direction of travel is an important point of orientation. The northern part of the national park can be reached via Miami or Everglades City, while the southern part is accessible via Homestead. Shark Valley offers trails, an observation tower, tram tours and opportunities for wildlife viewing. The Royal Palm / Anhinga Trail follows characteristic boardwalks and offers good opportunities for wildlife observation.

Water Experiences and Maritime Areas

Florida has 825 miles of beaches in a great variety of landscapes. These beaches include state and national parks, camping opportunities, accessibility services and opportunities to observe marine life. Cayo Costa State Park offers a special coastal experience: it is accessible exclusively by boat or kayak and has nine miles of undeveloped coastline for swimming, snorkeling, shell collecting, fishing and birdwatching.

The Florida Keys are home to almost 6,000 marine species living in coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and other habitats. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects shipwrecks and other maritime cultural resources; at the same time, it offers opportunities for diving, fishing, stand-up paddleboarding and boating. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is Florida’s only underwater state park and offers glass-bottom boat tours as well as diving and snorkeling over coral reefs and among diverse marine life. Florida is also known worldwide as a destination for recreational and cave diving.

Different types of landscapes can also be found away from the coast. The Myakka River is Florida’s first officially designated Wild and Scenic River and flows through Myakka River State Park. Boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking and cycling are possible there. The trails in Timucuan Preserve lead through shady hammocks and along unspoiled beaches.

History, Archaeology and Space Travel

Pineland combines landscape and history: the site was a Calusa village for more than 1,500 years. Today, the archaeological site serves as an open-air museum and educational facility, is open to the public daily and includes the Calusa Heritage Trail. With its collections, the Florida Museum of Natural History focuses on Florida, the southeastern United States and the Caribbean; they form the basis for exhibitions and public programs.

Military and colonial heritage take center stage in the area around St. Augustine. Castillo de San Marcos preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Fort Matanzas was completed in 1742 and built from coquina. Visitors reach Fort Matanzas by ferry from the visitor center and can explore the fort and nature trails there.

The Dry Tortugas National Park provides a different historical perspective. Since there is no road connection, it can only be reached by boat or seaplane. On site, visitors can learn about the history of Fort Jefferson. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex presents the history of Florida’s contributions to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions as well as the shuttle program. Florida Caverns State Park is the only state park in Florida where visitors can take part in a guided tour through a large cave system.

Choosing the Right Starting Point

The differences between springs, the Everglades, coasts, islands, cultural sites and nature parks make Florida a destination with very different travel profiles. If you primarily want to experience wildlife and wetlands, the Everglades and its different access points should guide your planning. For maritime experiences, consider the Florida Keys, Cayo Costa or John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Those who want to combine culture and nature can include Pineland, Fort Matanzas, Castillo de San Marcos or the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in their plans. An official transportation map includes highways and other roads, airports, cities and further tourist information; Florida also has 27 designated Scenic Highways.

For further regional orientation, you can explore the following pages: Monroe, Miami-Dade, Collier, Broward, Lee, Palm Beach, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Indian River, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Citrus, Volusia, Flagler, Okaloosa, Martin, St. Lucie, Liberty, Hillsborough, Brevard, Hernando, Seminole, Sumter, Marion, St. Johns, Taylor, Clay, Bay, Duval, Walton, Leon, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Alachua, Okeechobee, Nassau, Columbia County, Highlands County, Lake City, Washington County, Jackson County, Wakulla County, Hendry County, Putnam County, Madison County, Levy County, Bradford County, De Soto County, Suwannee County, Glades County, Jefferson County, Gadsden County, Holmes, Franklin County, Gulf County, Baker County, Hamilton County.

For the overarching travel overview: USA.