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"Circling Florida" Driving Tour |
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Here is an interesting trip that will take you down the East Coast and then back up the West Coast of Florida. The trip begins in Jacksonville and ends in Tallahassee, with an extension along the Western tip of Florida to Pensacola. You may take the entire trip, or just sections.
I suggest you purchase the book Hidden Florida before you take this drive. Everyone visiting Florida (or living there) should have this book in their travel bookcase. Another interesting book is Florida Off The Beaten Path.
Jacksonville to St. Augustine
St. Augustine to Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach to Titusville
Titusville to Melbourne
Melbourne to Fort Pierce
Fort Pierce to West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale to Miami
The Florida Keys
Miami to Naples
Naples to Fort Myers
Fort Myers to Tampa/St. Petersburg
Tampa/St. Petersburg to Crystal River
Crystal River to Tallahassee
The Florida Panhandle
Leave Jacksonville north on I-95 to A1A. This is a side trip that will begin your drive along the Atlantic Ocean to St. Augustine. You will want to spend some time in Fernandina Beach. Fort Clinch State Park makes a nice stop and, if you are camping, a good overnight. You may also want to visit the Amelia Island Museum of History and take some time to enjoy the beach. The Down Under Restaurant is a good place for lunch.
Continue south on A1A through Amelia Island ( where you may wish to spend the night. The Beachside Motel is a good inexpensive stay. However, if you really want to do it up right. Try the Ritz-Carlton Hotel or Amelia Island Plantation. There are several other motels along with a lot of restaurants. You will also find a lot on nice beach areas on the south side of the island along A1A
Amelia Island Beach, the southernmost beach on the barrier island, is one of the most beautiful in east Florida. And, if you want to camp out, try the Little Talbot Island State Park. Great Place!
Take the ferry across the river to "the beaches" or Atlantic Beach (I used to live there), Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach. You may want to visit the Mayport Naval Station just after you cross over on the ferry.
Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach is nice with 2 plazas that overlook the ocean, salt- and fresh-water fishing, bicycle trails, a nature trail, picnicking, and camping. For a meal, try Papa Joe’s Grill or the LTD (Barbecue LTD), one of my favorite. In Jacksonville Beach (actually Ponte Vedra) you will find two great resorts, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club (800.234.7842) and a Marriott Resort . Either will provide you with a great vacation opportunity – and lots of great golf!
For accommodations suggestions, click on Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, or Ponte Vedra.
Stay on A1A to St. Augustine.
St. Augustine to Daytona Beach
St. Augustine one of the oldest cities in the United States, makes a great vacation destination. There is a lot to see and do here including the Old Town, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, the Lighthouse Museum of St. Augustine, Lightner Museum, the Mission of Nombre de Dios, and the Spanish Quarter. And – this is just the beginning as you will find just about everything here from an alligator farm to a wax museum.
The city is also filled with a lot o wonderful restaurants. I like the Creekside Dinery, Raintree, the Rosenhof, and O’Steen’s. You can also spend the night in town with a choice of some very nice inns and B&Bs, along with a good choice of motels. You can also camp in the Anastasia State Recreation Area.
Stay on A1A south to Daytona Beach. Along the way you will find several state parks and recreation areas and several fine beaches. Also, many good seafood restaurants.
Marineland is a favorite overnight for me. Just north of there you can visit the interesting Fort Matanzas National Monument, the beautiful Washington Oaks State Gardens, and Marineland of Florida, one of the oldest oceanariums in the states. This is where I like to stay with an ocean-view room. There is also a camping area. If you have a little more money, you might want to stay at the Harborside Inn Palm Coast Resort which offers some great golfing, along with all of the other beach area activities. Although not located on the ocean, it is on the water – the Intracostal Waterway. All of the rooms here have a view of the marina or the waterway. This area is great for families!
Daytona Beach has long been an important Florida resort and there is so much to do here I will not even try to go into it all. Check out the web site and do a little web searching and you will find just about everything here for the beach vacation. After all, where else can you find an uninterrupted 23-mile-long beach! Check the book Hidden Florida for other good ideas for this area.
I will recommend one restaurant in the area I really like – Aunt Catfish’s. It is located at the west end of the Port Orange Bridge.
You may want to visit the New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic Site near New Smyrna Beach.
For accommodations suggestions, click on Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach.
The Titusville area is best known for the Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral National Seashore. You will want to plan on a day to visit the center. Try the Dixie Crossroads for lunch. The shrimp is normally pretty good.
Cocoa and Cocoa Beach (www.cocoabeachchamber.com) are also good destinations for vacation fun. You may enjoy the Historic Cocoa Village self-guided tour. Try the Pier or Heidelberg for dining.
In Melbourne you can visit the Brevard Zoo. The Florida Tech Botanical Garden, which features rare and exotic palms, is also a nice stop. Have lunch at Conchy Joe’s Seafood in the old Oleander Hotel. Campers can choose either Long Point or Wickham Park.
In Vero Beach (www.vero-beach.fl.us/chamber) you can visit the McLarty Treasure Museum and the Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area, which is bounded by the Indian river and the Atlantic Ocean and offers swimming, surfing, skin diving, along with fishing and boating and picnicking. They also have tent and trailer camping. My favorite accommodation here is the Doubletree Guest Suites Resort, which is located on the beach.
Continue south to Fort Pierce. If you are passing through Grant in February you may enjoy a stop at the Grant Seafood Festival.
Fort Pierce to West Palm Beach
In Fort Pierce you can really get into fishing with surfcasting from about 20 miles of beaches. The Fort Pierce Inlet State Recreation Area also offers fishing as well as swimming, skin diving, and surfing. Swimming is also offered at South Beach, North Beach, and the county beach access. Camping is available at The Savannas, a 550-acre light marshland. While here you may want to visit the SEAL Museum – the US Navy "frogman" museum, not seals. The Mellon Patch Inn is a nice place for an overnight and Chuck’s is a good place for shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, and baked fresh fish.
If you are passing through Jensen Beach ( during the months of June or July, you may be able to spot an endangered sea turtle as it crawls up onto the beaches of Hutchinson Island to lay eggs.
In Stuart ( you may wish to visit Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge, accessed through Indian River Plantation, and the Elliott Museum. The place to stay here is Marriott Indian River Plantation Resort. Have some West Indian stewed chicken at the Ashley Restaurant or yellowfin tuna at the Flagler Grill.
Driving south on A1A to West Palm will be very interesting with plenty of little beach towns for shopping and dining. You will want to stop in Jupiter ( where you can enjoy the Florida History Center and Museum, Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The park is a favorite for campers. It is located on over 10,000 acres between Hobe Sound and the Loxahatchee River.
Just before reaching West Palm you will be in Palm Beach which is located at the northern tip of a 14-mile-long island. While here you may want to visit the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, the Hibel Museum of Art, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, and perhaps take a ride along the Palm Beach Bicycle Trail, a five-mile, paved trail, beginning south of the Royal Park Bridge. The trail winds among some of the most beautiful houses in Palm Beach. Although the place is filled with dozens of motels and hotels and a handful of resorts, with The Breakers (www.thebreakers.com) being the most famous, I still like either the Palm Beach Historic Inn or the Plaza Inn. There are also many good restaurants in Palm Beach. Some favorites would include the Café Casablanca, Chancellor Grille, Charley’s Crab, Hamburger Heaven (try the lemon coconut cake), and TooJay’s Gourmet Deli & Market (my favorite) where you might like to try the stuffed cabbage or the chicken stir-fry.
West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale
West Palm Beach is a destination unto its own! Vacationers come here by the thousands during all seasons of the year. Just some of the things they do while they are here would include sightseeing cruises on paddle-wheelers, greyhound racing, visiting Lion Country Safari and the zoo at Dreher Park, and shop. This is the place for shopping. As with Palm Beach, the area is filled with dozens of places to stay from motels to hotels to resorts to inns. There is also an abundance of restaurants to choose from that would include Beefeeder’s Steak Pit, the Crab Catcher, the Galley, Greek Village (one of my favorite), Pronti’s Italian Kitchen, and the Waterway Café.
South of West Palm in Lake Worth, have breakfast at John G’s and enjoy cinnamon-nut French toast. This area is also a good place to stay when you visit as both the accommodations and dining are a little cheaper than on the "Gold Coast."
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach makes for a nice visit. While in the area, have lunch at the Two Georges Harbor Hut. Nearby Delray Beach ( is a placid resort town with some beautiful beaches.
Boca Raton is another vacation destination with many motels, hotels, the Boca Raton Hotel & Club Resort, and lots of good restaurants. But, with all of the "good" restaurants there, I still prefer the Pete Rose Ballpark Café for ribs and fajitas. The International Museum of Cartoon Art makes an interesting stop here as does the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. And for shopping, you can’t beat Mizner Park, a 30-acre shopping village with nice shops and stores, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes.
Two stops worth the time in Pompano Beach are Butterfly World, where you can walk among thousands of butterflies in three, giant, screened aviaries; and the State Farmers Market, the largest wholesale winter vegetable market in the world. If you are here during lunch, try the Sunfish Grill.
Fort Lauderdale is another of those Florida vacation destinations. This place is filled with things to see and do, recreation areas, accommodations, and restaurants. I could never let you in on all there is here, so I will just highlight a few of my favorites.
Things to See and Do
- Diving at Mercedes I Artificial Reef.
- Take a Jungle Queen Cruise. Or, better yet, take the evening barbecue-and-shrimp dinner cruise.
- See the city on a "Lolly Trolley."
- Stroll through Butterfly World and the tropical gardens.
- Take an air boat ride at Everglades Holiday Park. (There is a nice RV park here.)
- Try your luck on the horses at Gulfstream Park.
- Visit the Museum of Discovery and Science and Blockbuster IMAX 3-D Theater.
- Tour the Bonnet House and see the birds and monkeys.
- Markham Park with over 650 acres. (Camping)
- Snyder Park with swimming, boating, nature trails, bicycling, and picnicking.
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Recreation Area.
- Enjoy a day at the beach
Accommodations (Again, just a few of my favorites – in alpha order.)
- A Little Inn by the Sea
- La Casa Del Mar (Inn)
- Lago Mar Resort & Club.
- Marriott Marina
- Marriott Resort on Holiday Drive
- Villas by the Sea
- Yankee Trader Beach Resort
Dining (Alpha order again.)
- Armadillo Café – try the smoked barbecued duck or grilled ostrich
- Bar Amici – gourmet pizza and sandwiches
- By Word of Mouth – lobster lasagna
- Evangeline – alligator with flash-fried oysters, smoked rabbit gumbo, stuffed pheasant
- Il Tartufo – wood oven-baked snapper
- Indigo – wood oven-grilled chicken and firecracker noodles
- Mark’s Las Olas – banana leaf wrapped charcoaled dolphin
- Old Florida Seafood House – fresh fish
- The Caves – for fun dining and "caveman" filet mignon
There are two nice parks in Hollywood, Florida ( where you can enjoy the beaches and several other outdoor activities, Topeekeegee Yugnee (which also has camping facilities) and C. B Smith Park. Hollywood is also famous for the dog track and Gulfstream Park.
From North Miami Beach you might want to make a short trip inland to see the flamingo colony at Hialeah Park. If so, from there it is back to A1A for the short drive into Miami Beach and Miami.
Miami Beach is a myriad of hotels, celebrities, and sunbathers situated on an island about 10 miles long and from one to three miles wide. You will want to spend a little time in the Art Deco District, a designated national historic district filled with apartments, shops, and restaurants. You will have a multitude of accommodations to choose from here from the Fontainebleau to motels to inns. Same with restaurants as you will find just about any type of food you desire. However, if you are looking for something a little different, try the Wish on Collins Avenue which has a combination of Russian and French fare.
The same is true for Miami – hundreds of places to stay and dine. While you are in the area, here are a few of the attractions you may want to see:
- American Police Hall of Fame and Museum
- Bayside Marketplace
- Big Cypress National Preserve
- Gold Coast Railroad Museum
- Historical Museum of Southern Florida
- Ichimura Japanese Garden
- Miami Metrozoo
- Miami Seaquarium
- Miccosukee Indian village and Air boat Tours
- Monkey Jungle
- Museum of Science & space Transit Planetarium, Parrot Jungle and Gardens
- Spanish Monastery
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
You also have a great choice of tours that includes:
- Island Queen Circle Cruise
- All Florida Adventure Tours
Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments. The park is known for its rich bird life, particularly large wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. Click on The Everglades for travel guides, brochures, and money savers to help you plan your visit.
Click on The Florida Keys if you plan to drive to Key West from here. If not, just continue out of Miami north on I-95. The book Hidden Florida Keys and The Everglades is a must if you plan to visit the Keys.
Take I-95 north to I-75, Alligator Alley or the Everglades Parkway, and head west across The Everglades to Naples. Or, for a better view of the Everglades, take US41 west out of Miami and follow it to Naples. Along 41 you can stop and visit the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, Everglades City, and a couple of interesting parks.
If you take I-75, when you reach FL29 you may want to turn south and visit Everglades City. Making the journey across this section of Florida, the book Hidden Florida Keys and The Everglades would be a help, especially if you plan to try and see some of the Everglades area.
Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments. The park is known for its rich bird life, particularly large wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. Click on The Everglades for travel guides, brochures, and money savers to help you plan your visit.
Naples is one of my favorite southern Florida cities. While here you might want to visit the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (south of the city near Marco), Jungle Larry’s Zoological Park at Caribbean Gardens, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and the Conservancy Nature Center. You will find dozens of good motels here along with nice restaurants and good shopping. There are also several rather pricey resorts.
Stay on old US41 north to Fort Myers. In Bonita Springs ( you may want to visit Everglades Wonder Gardens. Cape Coral ( is a good alternative to the more expensive areas of Sanibel and Captiva Islands if you plan to overnight here.
Fort Myers to Tampa/St. Petersburg
Fort Myers is worth a stop if only to visit the Edison Winter House and Botanical Gardens and the Henry Ford Winter House.
Stay on US41 north out of Fort Myers. In Punta Gorda ( you may want to stop and shop a bit at Fishermen’s Village, a 40-store specialty shopping mall built on an old city fish dock. Babcock Wilderness Adventures offers swamp buggy and nature tours. Have lunch at Salty’s Harborside.
In Sarasota you will find several things to see and do beginning with the beaches. There are over a dozen of them that offer good swimming, sunbathing, and some shore fishing. You can also fish off shore from any of the marinas located along the coast here. You might also enjoy an afternoon cruise at Le Barge Cruises. Other places to visit would include: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Museum of Cars & Music of Yesterday, the Ringling Museum of Art and Ringling Residence, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and Mote Marine Laboratory and Marine Aquarium.
You will find plenty of motels here along with other types of accommodations. For something a little different, try the Timberwoods Vacation Villas. If you are camping, try Myakka River State Park. There are also a lot of good restaurants. I like the pizza at Caragiulo’s and the desserts at Sugar and Spice. Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café is a good place for lunch. And, for dinner, try the Marina Jack II Dinner Boat.
Continue north along the Gulf to Bradenton where you can enjoy access to river, bay, and Gulf fishing along with over 20 miles of sandy white beaches. The South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium makes an interesting stop, as does the Manatee Village Historical Park. You may also want to visit De Soto National Memorial and Gamble Plantation State Historic Park.
From here, take I-275 across the bridge into the Tampa/St. Pete area.
Tampa/St. Petersburg to Crystal River
The area of St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach are both interesting. If you drive out to the beach, be sure to visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. In St. Petersburg you will want to see the Salvador Dali Museum and the Tampa Bay Holocaust Museum. The Pier is also worth a visit.
Tampa is almost best known for the amusement park there – Busch Gardens. And, it is well worth a visit! Also worth a visit is Lowry Park and Ybor City. This area is filled with hundreds of motels and restaurants with everything from cheap motels to B&B locations and inns, hotels, and resorts; and just about every type of food in just about any type of restaurant you would like to eat in.
Take FL60 west to Clearwater and Clearwater Beach. In Clearwater Beach you should plan to have dinner at Julie’s Seafood and Sunsets where you can watch as the sun sets over the Gulf. Pier 60 is also a good place to watch the sunset along with the artists you are sure to find there. At Clearwater you might want to visit Heritage Village, Moccasin Lake Nature Park, and Boatyard Village. In both cities you will find numerous places to stay and many restaurants.
Stay on US19 north and stop in Dunedin for a visit to Caladesi Island State Park or Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area. Just past Spring Hill is Weeki Wachee Springs. You have to stop here – it is a Florida law! Seriously, you will enjoy the "mermaid" show, the boat ride, and the bird show. You might also want to stop at Homosassa Springs where you can also take an interesting boat ride and perhaps see a manatee.
In Crystal River you may want to look for the over 100 springs at King’s Bay or visit the Crystal River State Archaeological Site. Leaving Crystal River you finally leave the shoreline. When you reach Otter Creek you should take the side trip to Cedar Key.
Cedar Key is now a fishing area with a few motels and an interesting inn, the Island Hotel. You may want to overnight here. While here you can visit the Cedar Key Historical Society Museum and the Cedar Key State Museum. Try the Captain’s Table for a meal.
Back on US19 north your next stop will probably be in Perry, the home of Forest Capital State Cultural Museum and the Cracker Homestead. Also, it is here at Perry that you will turn west on US98 if you want to continue your shore-side drive along the panhandle of Western Florida. If not, just stay on 19 north to Tallahassee.
Cedar Key, the capital of Florida, is host to several things to see and do beginning with the Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens. This is a wonderful gardens and you should not leave the city without seeing it. Other places you would like to see with things to do would include:
- the First Presbyterian Church
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- the Art Gallery at Florida State University
- the Governor's Mansion and the State Capitol
- the Museum of Florida History
- Natural Bridge State Historic Site
- Old Capitol Museum
- St. Marks national Wildlife Refuge
- Tallahassee Museum of History & Natural Science
As this is a very large city, you will find ample places for overnights and dining. And, if you are only going to eat one meal here, make it lunch at Chez Pierre on Thomasville Road where you can enjoy homemade soup followed by French pastries. And, for an overnight in the area, my preference is Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. The lodge there is wonderful – and like stepping back into time. The dining room is also very good. And, while you are there, you can enjoy the springs and some interesting swimming.
Head west on US98 out of Perry. In Carrabelle you will want to watch for the police station. However, look carefully as it is the smallest police station in the world!
Your first stop might be to take a side trip over the causeway to St. George Island and St. George State Park which offers some nice camping. Just down the road from there is Apalachicola where, if you want to spend the night in a very interesting hotel, stay at the Gibson Inn, which served as an officer’s club in WWII.
Just a ways west of Apalachicola you will want to look for the signs to St. Joseph Peninsula (FL30). This makes an interesting side trip. You can pick up US98 again in Port St. Joe for the drive into Panama City and Panama City Beach.
Panama City is an interesting area, but not nearly as interesting as Panama City Beach. The kids normally like the "beach" for, not only the beach itself, but also for the Miracle Strip Amusement Park and Shipwreck Island, the Shell Island Shelling Trips, and Gulf World. There are far too many overnight opportunities here for me to even make a suggestion. However, my first choice, although a little bit pricey, would be Marriott Bay Point Resort. But then, I love to golf!
As you continue west you will come to the Destin and Fort Walton Beach area – both of which I prefer over the Panama City area. Destin sits on a narrow strip of land between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Grayton Beach State Recreation Area is great for camping and swimming. You may also want to visit Eden State Gardens. My favorites for overnights here include Sandestin Resort, the Hilton Resort, and Henderson Park Inn Bed and Breakfast. For meals try Capt. Dave’s on the Gulf, Louisiana Lagniappe, or the Marina Café.
In Fort Walton Beach you might enjoy a visit to the Air Force Armament Museum, Indian Temple Mound Museum and Park, or the Gulfarium. Both the Ramada and Radisson are pretty good places to stay.
Soon you will be in the Pensacola/Pensacola Beach area. If you are staying overnight here, most of the better location motels and hotels are in Pensacola Beach. However, the Pensacola Grand Hotel is a "grand" place to stay. My favorite restaurant here is Mesquite Charlie’s. Great steaks! However, I would recommend that men not wear a tie. Charlie does not like ties and you may find yours cut off and hung out to dry!
While in this area a must visit would be to the National Museum of Naval Aviation on the Naval Air Station of Pensacola. There are over 100 historically significant aircraft on display and a museum that is unique in its method of display. One of the most spectacular display is of four A-4 Skyhawks (Blue Angles) which are suspended in a diamond formation in an atrium just off of the main museum display area. Just down the road is a great place for lunch (on the base). Just ask for directions. You should also visit the lighthouse and Fort Barrancas while you are on base. Other things to see and do would include:
- Historic Pensacola Village
- the Gulf Islands National Seashore
- taking the Scenic Drive along US90 through Gull Point and Escambia Bay
- and the Zoo.
To return back to Tallahassee (or Jacksonville) take the long, lonely I-10.
Don’t forget to buy a copy of Hidden Florida – The Adventure’s Guide before you make this trip. You will find a lot of good information in the book that will make the real Florida come alive!
