Florida: A Sunshine State of Mind

Standard ImageFlorida: A Sunshine State of MindBeyond the boundaries of what you may think Florida is, the real adventure is waiting. Within this subtropical peninsula—the only state with both an Atlantic and a Gulf Coast—you’ll find landscapes, seascapes and great escapes.
More than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways flow through panoramas of subtropical wilderness, open prairie, deep forests, cypress swamps and crystal-clear springs whose ultimate depths can only be guessed at. In the vestiges of Old Spain and the Old South—and First Nation tribes whose influence has lasted through the millennia—lies a historical frontier that, just over a hundred years ago, still hadn’t been fully explored.THEATRE As it did for the Spanish in 1513, your journey might begin in North Florida, where centuries collided in struggles for dominance while residents built some of the nation’s oldest cities. The one constant—a terrain stretching from sandy shores to subtropical jungle and dense woodlands.
Discovering unknown aspects of Central Florida might take you from saddles to sea turtles, as this area switches gears from the thrills of airboating and horseback riding to watching sea turtles lumber ashore in search of their ancestral nesting grounds.
In South Florida, where high-energy days melt into endless nights, an emphasis on environmental preservation sustains the only subtropical preserve in North America, while creative innovations have vaulted the entire region onto the world stages of art, theater and music.BIRDS If your time in Florida allows, experience more of the state on one of many trails. Florida Heritage Trails (dos.fl.gov/historical/preservation/heritage-trails) identify sites throughout the state related to the topic; for example, the Black Heritage Trail, the Civil War Heritage Trail and the Seminole Wars Heritage Trail.
When the great outdoors beckon, the Office of Greenways and Trails (floridadep.gov/parks/ogt) maintains updated lists on coast-to-coast trails, paddling trails, bike trails and more.
If you’d rather see birds of a feather flocking together, the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (floridabirdingtrail.com) might be for you. But if “birdies” are your passion, check out the Florida Historic Golf Trail (floridahistoricgolftrail.com), celebrating the state’s early golf heritage and featuring publicly accessible golf courses throughout the state. FLORIDA MAP
COVERTHE FLORIDA KEYS & KEY WESTTable of ContentsVISIT SOUTH WALTON BEACHFlorida: A Sunshine State of MindRegional ResourcesNorth Florida: Discover Its Historical NatureNorth Regional ResourcesSAINT AUGUSTINE, PONTE VEDRA & THE BEACHESSANTA ROSA COUNTY/NAVARRE BEACHPALM COAST AND THE FLAGLER BEACHESCentral Florida: Prepare to be SpellboundCentral Regional ResourcesFLORIDA SPORTS COASTVISIT CENTRAL FLORIDASouth Florida: Wild at HeartSouth Regional ResourcesPUNTA GORDA/ENGLEWOOD BEACHGREATER MIAMI & MIAMI BEACH