The Best Southern Florida Road Trip
Southern Florida is known for its beaches, parties, and endless sun and rightfully so. Miami is such a fun town, if you like to party, I would advice going to Miami. However, DON’T go if you don’t like partying or have a family, it’s not a family town. The beaches too in Southern Florida are beautiful. Miami has nice beaches, but I think the better beaches are a little further north, in the West Palm Beach area.
In Miami specifically, the traffic is really bad. It’s not that bad in other places in southern Florida, but Miami is REALLY bad when it comes to traffic. If you can avoid it, I would avoid driving in Miami. I would get to the beaches early on the weekend, no later than 10am, if you want to get a parking spot.
Alright, after going to Miami, another amazing place to go to in southern Florida is, Key West and all of the Florida Keys! I have been to the Florida Keys twice now and I truly do love them. However, if you want to surf, these are NOT the beaches for you, but if you want to relax, drink, and have a good time, GO TO Key West and the Florida Keys!
All that being said, let’s get into how to make all these places and more in southern Florida a great road trip! In this post you will also learn about the best southern Florida beaches, the best southern Florida vacation spots, the best things to do, and more.
This article is all about southern Florida.
Southern Florida:
{Related Post : The Best Beaches of the East Coast}
Jacksonville, Florida
To start off our road trip, we are going to start very far north actually, with Jacksonville. I would fly to the Jacksonville airport, then rent a car, so you can take your road trip. Then I would stay at a local AirBnB and take a trip to St. Augustine beach, Amelia Island, Little Talbot Island State Park, Mickler’s Landing, Boneyard Beach, and Black Rock beach, all spectacular.
Orlando, Florida
The next city I would drive to is Orlando, Florida, which is about a two and a half hour drive from Jacksonville. And there is SOOO much to do in this city, like, Universal and Disney. This is the best vacation spot for families and people who love amusement parks. Universal has two main parks, Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure, and then Volcano Bay (the waterpark), so technically three parks.
The pricing for one of the parks, it is $119 a piece (full day) and $80 for the waterpark (full day). You can get a 2 park ticket (full day) for $174 (for an adult). However, the park is usually so busy that, you barely have enough time to see everything you wish in one park for the day. Thus, I would get two separate full day, tickets for each park, and spend two or three full days there, instead of trying to fit everything in one day.
Also, if you can only go to one park, I recommend going to Islands of Adventure because it has the most rides and I believe, and the best parts of Harry Potter world. Really, if you’re a potterhead, like myself, you will not be disappointed. Even if you’re not a huge Harry Potter fan, I think you’ll enjoy it, especially if you enjoy whimsical and fantasy worlds. The main rides here for Harry Potter, are Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the dueling dragons rollercoaster, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Disney World
Now for Disney, there are four main parks and two water parks. The pricing varies here, because there are a lot of different deals, and various parks you can include with your tickets. Also, it is much easier to travel from park to park at Disney, because the different parks are smaller than at Universal.
Then, I would recommend taking a day to chill at the two water parks, then maybe take two or more days at the four other parks! Also, you can stay at the resort if you wish, obviously, it is more convenient, however, it is more expensive. And Disney does a great job with parking, so it would not be a big deal to drive to the park everyday if you wish to save the money, however, definitely get there early. So, where you wish to stay is up to you!
Tampa, Florida
Next stop, Tampa, Florida! The drive to Tampa from Orlando, Florida is about one hour and fifteen minutes away. Once in Tampa, I would visit Weeki Wachee Springs state park, to see the mermaids, then to Harbor Island, E.G. Simmons Regional Park, Pine Key, and Apollo beach preserve.
After your time in Tampa, I would head to the city of Vero beach. This is about a two and a half hour drive. Once there, I would go to Jaycee, Sexton Plaza, and South beach park.
West Palm Beach, Florida
Then, I would take a drive to West Palm beach, and relax/tan at John D. MacArthur beach state park, Peanut Island, Singer Island, Municipal beach, Ocean Reef park, Phipps Ocean park, and Lake Worth Lagoon. From Vero Beach, this is about an hour and twenty minute drive. Then head to Miami!
Miami, Flordia
From Miami, West Palm Beach is a little over an hour drive. The best places I would go to in Miami are South beach, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Crandon Park, Haulover Park, Wynwood Walls, Matheson Hammock Park, and Virginia Key, and so many more gorgeous beaches! Also, check out Wet Willies for some STRONG and GREAT slushies/slurpees! I recommend Call a Cab, flavor!
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The Florida Keys
Last on our roadtrip are, the Florida Keys and Key West! From Miami, this is about a three hour drive. Key West has one of my favorite beaches in the U.S. Also, it has some of my favorite bars for happy hour! Anywhere on Duval Street, has great live music to drink and relax at, after a day in the sun, at Smathers beach. Some other great beaches are, Higgs beach, Rest beach, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Fort Zachary Taylor.
After your time at Key West I would fly back home. If you wish to save some money, maybe drive back to Miami airport and fly out of there, because Key West airport tends, to be a little more expensive. However, also, that means, you would have to drive another three hours. So, totally your preference, how you wish to travel!
And that ends our Florida trip! Florida is a state that has a lot to offer. There are endless beaches, amusement, entertainment, and fun times waiting to be held! Also, for all the sun you’ll be catching in Florida, here is a link to some sunglasses, beach towels, and items to keep you cool, while you encounter the sun!
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