Florida Vacation Planner

2024 Florida Visitors Guide

Florida’s climate is ideal for vacations, drawing visitors to the pristine beaches and warm waters that surround the peninsula.

To the north, Florida’s Emerald Coast and the Pensacola Bay Area are renowned for their fishing opportunities and beaches for taking in the sun. Recreational activities are abundant in the Big Bend Area, as are opportunities to see manatees and other native Floridian wildlife. The Tampa and Sarasota Bay areas feature resort accommodations and a range of family vacation activities, much like Greater Orlando, which is known as the home of Disney World and the EPCOT Center.

Miami is the jewel in Florida’s crown and is found at the southeastern tip of the peninsula, offering a wealth of cultural attractions. Greater Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches offer miles of beachfront, drawing visitors from around the world to this natural vacation spot. The Space Coast is noteworthy as the site of Cape Canaveral, home of the Space Shuttle launch pad.

Regardless of where you plan to go, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast, or any other major Florida attraction, we have the Florida information you are looking for. We have Florida tourism information on Florida lodging including, Florida hotels, Florida resorts, Florida vacation rentals, and other Florida accommodations.

We also have information on Florida restaurants, Florida fishing, Florida beaches, Florida golf, and other Florida Recreation and Florida activities. And, if that isn’t enough, we offer you up-to-date Florida weather information, reports, and forecasts for all of the major Florida destinations.

Emerald Coast Visitors Guide

The Emerald Coast is celebrated for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Each year the region’s beaches attract countless visitors, making the area a major tourist destination. However, the Emerald Coast offers much more than just fun in the sun, as it is home to a number of attractions that entertain the entire family. Located in Panama City Beach, Gulf World Marine Park educates and entertains audiences with marine mammal shows. Shipwreck Island Water Park is also located in Panama City Beach and is an ideal place to cool down on a hot day. Panama City offers an annual Oktoberfest every year, featuring beer tents, polka music, and more. For adult entertainment, visitors enjoy Ebro Greyhound Park where bets are placed on regularly scheduled thoroughbred dog races. A trip to the coastal community of Apalachicola is worthwhile for fishing enthusiasts, as Apalachicola Bay offers some of the best fishing in Florida. Several guided fishing trips are offered in the area.

Pensacola Bay Visitors Guide

The Pensacola Bay area is a vacationer’s paradise, as it offers an abundance of white sand beaches, exciting attractions, and recreational opportunities galore, all on the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Destin has grown into a popular vacation destination since it is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Snorkeling, sunset cruises, boat tours, and fishing trips are based out of Destin. Nearby Fort Walton Beach is home to numerous attractions, including the Gulfarium Marine Park which hosts bottlenose dolphins, Peruvian penguins, and California sea lions among countless other marine mammals. The Emerald Coast Science Center, also located in Fort Walton Beach, is an educational attraction that offers over 250 hands-on exhibits that the entire family enjoys. The city of Pensacola also offers historical attractions, such as the Civil War Soldiers Museum. Art enthusiasts enjoy the Pensacola Museum of Art, where a number of historical art pieces are found.

Florida’s Big Bend Visitors Guide

Florida’s Big Bend also comes with the nickname, the Nature Coast. This name only hints at the wildlife and natural areas available from Bayonet Point through Homosassa Springs and Crystal River to Steinhatchee. The clear, natural springs and rivers are the winter home of the West Indian Manatee, and there are several tours in the area that cater to visitors looking to see these animals up close. Recreation opportunities are available to sportsmen from all walks of life. Guests can golf, snorkel, swim, canoe, and more in the area. For outdoor enthusiasts, there is a choice of fishing lakes, rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Cedar Key Museum features American Indian artifacts that have been discovered in the area. Sports fans can amuse themselves at the Bronson Motor Speedway, a venue that offers racing of stock cars, modifieds, and more. A variety of dining opportunities are also available in the Big Bend area, offering everything from seafood to nightclubs.

Miami Visitors Guide

Greater Miami attracts visitors with its sandy beaches, vibrant nightlife, and cultural flavor, not to mention its year-round tropical climate. As a popular vacation destination for families, the area features a host of family-friendly attractions including Parrot Jungle Island, the Miami Seaquarium, the Miami Children’s Museum, and the Biscayne Nature Center. Accommodations are available to suit every budget and lifestyle, whether hosteling or relaxing in a luxurious oceanfront resort. Outdoor enthusiasts appreciate the abundance of golfing, swimming, fishing, and scuba diving opportunities. Art fans do not want to miss the Art in the Tropics Festival held every April in Coral Gables, which features southern Florida arts and artists, live painting, craft and origami demonstrations, live music, and food booths. Miami Beach, a haven for sunbathers and recreational enthusiasts alike, boasts some of the country’s finest beaches. As well, be certain to visit the Art Deco Neighborhood and the Miami Metro Zoo. Hialeah is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area and the sixth-largest city in Florida

Located on the coast of southeastern Florida, the tropical climate and landscape of Miami are only part of what makes it a major visitor destination. The city’s cultural diversity is another incentive. Nearly half of Miami’s two-million-plus population is Hispanic, accounting for the fact that Spanish is as prevalent as English. To sample some of Miami’s Spanish offerings, visit Little Havana, the Latin American Art Museum, or any of the many Latin nightclubs that liven the evening. Miami’s array of live music clubs, which range from jazz to blues to Afro-Cuban and even rumba rap, are sure to satisfy a variety of tastes.

Miami Beach Visitors Guide

Miami Beach is a cosmopolitan city with a history as a travel destination since its beginning. Pastel buildings and architectural styles that range from Art Deco to Mediterranean Revival make the city visually stunning. See examples of this architecture and design in the Wolfsonian Museum of Modern Art & Design and throughout the Art Deco District. South Beach is an energetic and eclectic area known for upscale shopping, trendy restaurants, and some of the finest clubs in the Miami area.

Tampa Bay Visitors Guide

There is even one world-famous theme park away from the Orlando area. Tampa Bay, on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida, is the renowned Busch Gardens, which offers everything from thrilling rides to scenic animal habitats and highly acclaimed shows. Another world-class day out. In fact, two or three days would be better.

With a long-held reputation as a vacation destination, mention of the Tampa Bay area elicits thoughts of dazzling beaches and waterfronts among some of Florida’s most well-known resorts. Tampa is Florida’s largest city, complete with all the amenities and services travelers could ask for. St. Petersburg and Clearwater further the area’s acclaim as a get-away location, with fine dining, live entertainment, and an abundance of leisure opportunities including boating, deep-sea fishing, water skiing, and golf all within easy reach. The Busch Gardens theme park and the magnificent Florida Aquarium are two Tampa Bay area attractions favored by families. The town of Tarpon Springs was named for the large fish native to the area that resembles prehistoric beasts and is the cause of the well-known saltwater fishing that is available today. For racing action, check out Tampa Bay Downs, a horse racing facility that offers betting, food, and more.

Sarasota Visitors Guide

Many travelers to the Sarasota Bay Area are captured by the beautiful scenery of the Gulf of Mexico. Nature provided this area with plenty of reefs, estuaries, bays, and inlets, making it rich with fishing spots that feature fish like cobia, redfish, kingfish, and tarpon. Parks such as Cayo Costa State Park and Don Pedro Island State Park provide visitors with a secluded environment to enjoy various outdoor activities. Of course, the white sand beaches of the area should not be missed. Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Lido Key, and Siesta Key offer perfect locations to sunbathe and view the sunset. Various museums in the Sarasota Bay Area provide a detailed look back into the history of South Florida, while aquariums, such as the Parker Manatee Aquarium, allow visitors to interact with marine animals. The Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary in Sarasota provides an opportunity to see local birds, with over 55 different species represented.

Orlando Visitors Guide

Over 45 million tourists visit the Greater Orlando area each year, making it one of the world’s leading resort destinations. Most renowned for being the home of Walt Disney World Theme Park, the area also accommodates Universal Studios, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, and Disney-MGM Studios. Apart from the many large-scale attractions that the area boasts, a short drive to the city of Winter Park reveals the Morse Museum of American Art, which houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of Louis Tiffany glasswork. For outdoor recreation opportunities, the city of Kissimmee makes an excellent home base. Hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and boating are activities that are practiced near Kissimmee on Lake Tohopekaliga, better known by Floridians as Lake Toho. Every May the streets of downtown Orlando come alive with the 10-day Orlando International Fringe Festival, where over 500 theatrical and performing arts shows are featured.

Fort Lauderdale Visitors Guide

Although Fort Lauderdale is surrounded by water, the city is essentially residential rather than a beachfront resort community as many expect. An abundance of waterways accounts for the fact that Fort Lauderdale is the country’s largest yacht basin. It is important for visitors to know that the city is divided into three parts: the mainland area of downtown Fort Lauderdale, the cruise port of Port Everglades, and the beach area. Although the beach spans for three miles and is the area’s main attraction, drawing thousands of visitors each year, each area is unique. Boat tours and cruises are plentiful and are a great way for first-time visitors to get acquainted with the area. Wildlife can be seen at the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, an institution showcasing the smaller members of the local marine ecology. Miles of beaches, waterways, and lagoons make Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America, a popular destination for tourists year-round. For the culturally curious, the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale features a number of permanent exhibits as well as rotating displays and traveling shows.

Florida Palm Beaches Visitors Guide

This part of Florida is located on the eastern coast of the state and is a popular subtropical vacation destination. The outdoors figures highly in most travel itineraries, with everything from fishing, golf, tennis, and more available to visitors year-round. Singer Island is linked to the mainland by a bridge and features diving and parasailing along with a trolley that transports visitors to the different attractions. Canoeing through a cypress forest is a popular attraction in Jupiter and allows guests to explore the terrain that leads out to the coast. The arts are also represented in the Palm Beach area, including the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the Norton Museum, and the Palm Beach Philharmonic. Several outdoor markets can be found in the area, complementing the festivals and concerts that take place throughout the year. The Playmobil Fun Park is a family-oriented attraction that features a dollhouse, a medieval village, and more sights based on the popular toy.

Florida Space Coast Visitors Guide

With the John F. Kennedy Space Center located on Cape Canaveral, the Space Coast presents some of the most complex technology on the planet. Launches of the Space Shuttles can be seen in areas along the Cape, such as Titusville and Cocoa Beach. Port Canaveral is one of the Western Hemisphere’s busiest cruise ports, accepting ships from many different cruise lines. In addition to transportation and technological marvels, the Space Coast is famous for Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a home for Florida wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. Visitors to the refuge can see manatee, Florida scrub jays, gopher tortoises, and more. The city of Titusville features the American Police Hall of Fame, dedicated to the police service nationwide. Families enjoy the Brevard Zoo, home to a wide variety of species from around the world.

Florida Everglades

If all the action and excitement of the theme parks make things a bit hectic, where better to slow down than in the Everglades National Park on the southern tip of Florida? Here in this fantastic swamp-land, you can view alligators, and manatees (unique sea cows) in their natural habitat, alongside pelicans and dozens of other colorful bird species.

Florida Beaches

When it comes to beaches, Florida is unbeatable! There are miles and miles of soft, mostly uncrowded, golden sands. From the panhandle in the north right around to Clearwater, St Petersburg, Sarasota, Siesta Key, Naples and finally, the Florida Keys, in the south, the Gulf Coast has fantastic beaches.

Feel the magic of Sanibel Island on your next holiday trip: white beaches with one-of-a-kind seashells, palm trees, clear blue water, magnificent sunsets, and southwest Florida’s wildlife with lots of birds (flamingos, pelicans, etc.), dolphins or manatees. Sanibel Island Florida will bring you terrific and unforgettable moments in your life.

The Florida Keys are a wonderful, laid-back, very relaxing, chain of little islands off the south coast of Florida. Key West is a must!

Florida Resorts

Heading north up the Atlantic coast, there are more beautiful resorts. Miami Beach, a few miles from the large, very Hispanic, city of Miami is a very sophisticated resort. Then there is Hollywood (Florida, of course), Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. They make up the superb Gold Coast of Florida.

These areas are also very popular with the senior members of society. Thousands retire to Florida from all over the US. Further north, on the Atlantic side, is the Space Coast, so-called because it was from here, at Cape Canaveral, that the USA’s space program was launched for many years. It is still used, of course.

Seeing the huge rockets and various modules used during the space race is a fascinating experience. A day out here is highly educational and really fires the imagination of the more technically-minded. Boys love it.  Florida has everything for the holiday-maker, including glorious weather. No wonder it is the USA’s most popular vacation state. It is a particularly favored destination to escape the severe winters further north in this vast country.

Our online Florida vacation guide is designed to be very easy to use. Just select one of the Florida cities of your choice from the Florida state map below or from the drop-down box above and you will be taken directly to one of our Florida city guides. We have 37 Florida cities to choose from including Orlando, Destin, Jacksonville, Tampa, Key West, Naples, Miami, Pensacola, Sarasota, Clearwater, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Panama City, Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee, Ocala, St Petersburg, Kissimmee, St Augustine, Amelia Island, Apalachicola, Boca Raton, Bradenton, Clermont, Cocoa Beach, Coconut Grove, Fort Walton Beach, Key Largo, Marathon, Marco Island, Melbourne, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, Palm Beach, Ponte Vedra, and West Palm Beach.

Florida Beach Travel Guides

Florida Panhandle

• Panama City Vacation Guide
• Ft. Walton Beach Vacation Guide
• Destin Vacation Guide

Tampa Bay Area

• Indian Shores Beach Vacation Guide
• Indian Rocks Beach Vacation Guide
• Redington Beach Vacation Guide
• Madeira Beach Vacation Guide
• Treasure Island Vacation Guide
• St. Pete Beach Vacation Guide
• Clearwater Beach Travel Guide
• My Tampa Bay Beaches Guide

Sarasota Area

• Anna Maria Island Vacation Guide
• Long Boat Key Vacation Guide
• Bradenton Beach Vacation Guide
• Siesta Key Vacation Guide
• Lido Key Vacation Guide
• Venice Vacation Guide
• Nokomis Beach
• St. Armands Circle Visitors Guide

Fort Myers Area

• Fort Myers Vacation Guide
• Sanibel Island Vacation Guide
• Captiva Island Vacation Guide
• Boca Grande Vacation Guide

Naples Area

• Naples Vacation Guide
• Marco Island Vacation Guide

East Coast

• Daytona Beach Vacation Guide
• Cocoa Beach Vacation Guide
• Jacksonville Beach Vacation Guide
• St. Augustine Beach Vacation Guide
• Atlantic Beach Vacation Guide
• Ponte Vedra Beach Vacation Guide
• Palm Coast Vacation Guide
• Vero Beach Vacation Guide
• Ormond Beach Vacation Guide
• Melbourne Beach Vacation Guide

Florida Keys

• Key West Vacation Guide
• Key Largo Vacation Guide
• Florida Keys Vacation Center