Florida does everything at scale. The beaches run for 1,350 miles of coastline. The theme park complex in Orlando is so large it has its own zip codes. The Everglades — 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness — sit 40 minutes from downtown Miami. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. The Florida Keys string 125 miles of coral islands into the Caribbean Sea before arriving at Key West, which is closer to Cuba than to Miami. No state in America offers this range within its borders, and no state draws more visitors — 143.3 million in 2025, a new record.
Florida is also a state of genuine extremes. It is simultaneously the country's most-visited destination and one of its most fragile ecosystems; the place where Americans go to retire and the place where the nightlife never entirely shuts down; a subtropical wilderness and a theme-park-industrial complex of staggering scope. Navigating it well requires choosing your Florida intentionally — because there are at least a dozen very different versions of it available, and they rarely overlap.
Orlando, the Keys, the Gulf Coast & Everything In Between
Orlando is the undisputed theme park capital of the world. Walt Disney World alone covers 25,000 acres — roughly twice the size of Manhattan — and between Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and LEGOLAND, the region draws over 75 million theme park visits annually. But Orlando has also developed into a legitimate food city beyond the resort bubble, with a growing independent restaurant scene in neighborhoods like Thornton Park and the Mills 50 district worth exploring.
The Florida Keys offer something entirely different: 125 miles of island highway (US-1, the Overseas Highway) connecting coral keys over turquoise water, culminating in Key West's singular blend of Hemingway mythology, Conch Republic bravado, and the best sunsets in the continental United States. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park off Key Largo protects the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US — snorkel or dive it while it still exists.
Tampa Bay is consistently underestimated. Ybor City — the historic cigar-manufacturing district settled by Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants in the 1880s — is the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich and still hosts the most authentic version of it. St. Pete's waterfront arts district and the Salvador Dalí Museum make the Bay area a legitimate cultural destination. On the Gulf Coast, the white quartz sand of Siesta Key in Sarasota and Grayton Beach in the Panhandle compete for "best beach in America" rankings with regularity.
"The Overseas Highway through the Florida Keys — 125 miles over water on US-1 — is one of the great American road trips, ending at a city that's genuinely its own country."
Cuban Sandwiches, Key Lime Pie & Florida's Serious Food Scene
Florida's food identity is as geographically diverse as the state itself. Tampa's Columbia Restaurant — open since 1905, the oldest restaurant in Florida — serves Spanish-Cuban cuisine in a palatial dining room and makes the definitive Cuban sandwich. Key West's contribution to American food is the key lime pie: a specific thing, made with actual key limes and a graham cracker crust, that should be eaten on the island. Miami's food scene is covered in our dedicated Miami guide. The Panhandle offers Gulf-fresh oysters and grouper that rival anything on the coast.
Florida's oldest restaurant, in Ybor City's heart. Flamenco dancers perform tableside on a 1,700-seat stage nightly. The 1905 Salad (prepared tableside), Cuban sandwich, and arroz con pollo are the building blocks of Tampa food culture. A genuine institution.
$$ · Mid-rangeAn Orlando original styled as a bohemian artist's loft — tapas-format small plates, live artists painting on the floor, and an eclectic menu spanning cultures. A genuine local landmark that has outlasted dozens of trend-driven competitors.
$$ · Mid-rangeKey West's most beloved brunch spot — a rambling open-air restaurant in Bahama Village where roosters wander under your table and the lobster benedict is worth the wait. Hemingway refereed boxing matches here in the 1930s. The pancakes and key lime pie are essential.
$$ · Mid-rangeOne of the great American steakhouses, operating since 1956. Bern's dry-ages its own beef, grows its own organic produce, and maintains one of the largest wine cellars in the world (500,000+ bottles). The Harry Waugh Dessert Room upstairs is an experience unto itself.
$$$$ · LuxuryBeach Resorts, Art Deco Hotels & The Full Florida Range
Florida's hotel market is enormous and competitive. The statewide average daily rate in 2025 was $193.69 — but that number obscures enormous variation. Orlando's off-resort hotel market is exceptionally affordable ($80–$150/night), while on-property Disney and Universal resort hotels run $200–$800+/night with the benefit of park perks. Gulf Coast beachfront resorts in Destin and Clearwater run $200–$450/night peak season. Key West's historic district boutique hotels run $250–$500/night. For budget travelers, Florida's extensive state park camping network ($22–$42/night) puts some of the state's best natural areas within reach at minimal cost.
- Hurricane season runs June through November. Travel insurance with cancellation coverage is strongly recommended for beach and Keys trips during this period.
- Orlando theme parks in summer (June–August) are extremely crowded and hot. Spring (March–May) and fall (September–October) offer better conditions. Disney's Genie+ and Lightning Lane are how the parks manage crowds now — understand the system before you arrive.
- The Florida Keys fill up entirely for spring break (March) and Fantasy Fest in Key West (late October). Book 3–6 months ahead for either window.
- Everglades National Park is best visited October–April (dry season). Summer brings intense heat, humidity, and mosquitoes that make most outdoor activity unpleasant.
- Florida has no state income tax, but does have a 6% state sales tax plus county surcharges and hotel "bed taxes" that add 10–14% to lodging costs in major destinations.
- The Overseas Highway (US-1) to Key West is one of America's great drives. Stop at Bahia Honda State Park for the best snorkeling beach in the Keys.
- St. Augustine, 40 miles south of Jacksonville, is dramatically undervisited relative to its extraordinary history. The Castillo de San Marcos fort (1672) alone justifies the detour.
Choose Your Florida
Florida rewards specific intention. The traveler who arrives with a clear sense of what they want — wilderness, beaches, history, theme parks, food, nightlife, fishing — will find one of the best versions of that thing in America. The traveler who arrives expecting a monolithic "Florida experience" will find only traffic and confusion. Pick a region. Go deep. The state is too large and too varied for any other approach — and it is, in its specific best moments, genuinely extraordinary.
Sunshine, always. ☀️