Naples

TAMPA

With its mix of historic architecture and modern landmarks, a culture infused with Cuban and Spanish flavors, vibrant business districts and beautiful waterways, Tampa is a wonderful place to work, play, and unwind.

Downtown is alive with urban parks, including the gorgeous Tampa Riverwalk, hip bars and innovative restaurants, shopping, and amazing restorations of turn-of-the-century buildings.

For residents and visitors alike, there’s no shortage of family fun in Tampa, whether it’s walking the ecosystems at the Florida Aquarium, enjoying a pro football or hockey game, or riding a thrill-coaster at Busch Gardens.

For outdoors and adventure seekers who want to hike, bike, paddle or see wildlife, hit one of the Tampa area’s many parks and preserves, such as Hillsborough River State Park in Thonotosassa or Lettuce Lake Park in north Tampa.

Tampa is known for being a great city for all ages and tastes, offering places to stay that fit any budget and catering to everyone, including families, outdoor adventure seekers, and foodies and wine connoisseurs.

DELRAY BEACH

On the Southeast Coast of Florida between Boynton Beach and Boca Raton lies the small yet sophisticated town of Delray Beach, where arts and culture meet the sea.

The town boasts two miles of glistening coastline, where beach and water activities attract more than 3 million visitors each year. Swim, surf, wind surf, paddleboard, play volleyball, snorkel, or sail at Delray Municipal Beach, and fish from the pier at Lake Ida.

Downtown Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue, which runs through the center of town from I-95 to the ocean, is the longest main street in Florida and brings travelers to boutique hotels, outdoor cafes, and upscale shops.

Visitors to Delray Beach will find a host of museums and art galleries to explore. Learn about the Black history and heritage of Palm Beach County at Spady Cultural History Museum and soak up the serenity of the Japanese gardens at the Morikami Museum. Follow the Delray Beach Art Trail to galleries and cultural centers, murals, and art installations.

Families with children won’t want to miss the Sandoway Discovery Center for animal encounters and to see shark, stingray, and aquarium feedings.

Miami

Miami is one of the state's – and the world’s – most popular vacation spots. Though destinations often are said to offer something for everyone, the Miami area does indeed offer multiple enticements for all:

The trendy nightlife of South Beach, bejeweled by the eye candy of the Art Deco district.

The bustle of Calle Ocho and the highly caffeinated energy of Little Havana.

The plush hotels of Miami Beach and the historic hideaways of Coral Gables.

Seemingly endless shopping opportunities in modern, sprawling malls and the quiet, personal attention offered by the family-owned shops of Coconut Grove and many other corners of the region.

The lures of deep-sea fishing and golf and tennis.

Miami's profesional football, basketball, baseball and hockey.

Boat shows and auto racing.

Art festivals and outdoor food and wine extravaganzas.

An international airport and the world’s busiest cruise port.

Sarasota

On Florida’s Southwest Coast, Sarasota offers the best of both worlds, with a combination of big-city living and close access to pristine natural areas and beautiful islands.

Enjoy Sarasota’s world-class arts and culture scene with tickets to a ballet or theater performance and visit the museums and galleries. No trip to Sarasota would be complete without a stop at the John & Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, where visitors can see vast collections and works from the old masters and contemporary artists alike, explore the gardens and the circus museum, and tour Ca’ d’Zan, the Ringlings’ 36,000-square-foot seaside mansion.

For some retail therapy, head to one of Sarasota’s bustling shopping districts, and explore the central downtown area, where colorful bungalows house shops, bakeries, galleries, and more. Choose from seemingly endless places to eat, from upscale dining to award-winning food trucks, and check out the Sarasota nightlife when the sun goes down.

Be sure to spend time outdoors at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the pristine white-sand beaches of nearby Gulf islands, and parks including Myakka River State Park, where visitors can hike, bike, paddle, camp, fish, and take boat tours.

Myakka River State Park

One of the oldest and largest state parks, Myakka protects one of the state's most diverse natural areas. The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands. Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over the Upper Myakka Lake, then take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway. The park´s river and two lakes provide ample opportunities for boating, freshwater fishing, canoeing, and kayaking; a boat ramp provides access to Upper Myakka Lake. Hikers can explore trails that cross large expanses of rare Florida dry prairie. Scenic lake tours are offered daily on the world´s two largest airboats. Safari tram tours of the park´s backcountry are offered from mid-December through May. Full-facility campgrounds and primitive campsites are available. Five palm log cabins, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, have been modernized for comfortable lodging.

Palm Beach

The island of Palm Beach is home to legendary resorts, exquisite mansions and historic landmarks, including Henry Flagler's former residence, now the Flagler Museum.

Lined with stately palm trees, the shopping nirvana of Worth Avenue is known worldwide.

Palm Beach Island's Gilded Age architecture will captivate, as will the chic restaurants and a winter highlight, the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival.

Golf here affords views along the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Worth Lagoon.

Palm Beach has a way of making any visitor feel privileged.

Crystal River

Crystal River, about 90 minutes north of Tampa, is a haven for anglers and nature lovers with seemingly endless opportunities to enjoy all the Gulf Coast has to offer.

As one of the few places where visitors can snorkel with manatees, water and boating activities abound. Fish from a charter boat off the Gulf, a kayak on Kings Bay, or the pier at Fort Island Gulf Beach. To learn more about the local flora and fauna, take a family-friendly eco-tour on a pontoon boat at Crystal River Preserve State Park.

A stay in Crystal River wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Three Sisters Springs, a group of clear freshwater springs within the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. This enchanting swimming, snorkeling, and paddling spot is where visitors can see wintering manatees that come to the springs to stay warm when temperatures in the Gulf drop. Off the water, Crystal River Archaeological State Park offers a look into Florida’s history with pre-Columbian burial mounds and other sites that visitors can see and learn about.

Fort Myers Beach

Heaped with sugary white sand, Fort Myers Beach is a popular destination for visitors eager to engage in watersports such as parasailing and kayaking – or just as eager to simply relax on the inviting beach.

Fort Myers Beach sits on a little barrier island, about seven miles long, and the beach is fabulous – wide, gradually sloping, and thick with the area's justifiably famed sand.

Fort Myers Beach has accommodations in all price ranges and lots to do.

You can go on a dolphin eco-tour via waverunner, or on a fishing charter.

Special bonus: Just off the coast of Fort Myers Beach and easy to reach are the islands of Sanibel and Captiva.

SIX MILE CYPRESS SLOUGH PRESERVE

The Slough (pronounced "slew") is over 3,500 acres of wetland preserve. It is home to a diverstiy of plants and animals, a number of which are endangered. Otters, alligators, wading birds, turtles and more can be seen from the mile long boardwalk trail. Migratory birds are visible in the spring and fall seasons.

This is the perfect location for people interested in educational programs and recreational activites that create minimal disturbance to wildlife. Volunteer led guided walks expose the visitors to the hidden beauties of this uniques ecosystem.

VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS

Built between 1914 and 1922 as the winter home of farming manufacturer James Deering, Vizcaya is one of the most intact remaining examples from the Gilded Age, when the nation’s most successful entrepreneur-built estates were inspired by the stately homes of Europe. Vizcaya features a Main House filled with a decorative art collection, 10 acres of formal gardens, a rockland hammock (native forest), mangrove shore, and a historic village that is being restored to tell Vizcaya’s full story and provide additional spaces for programs and community outreach, including those on agriculture.

Vizcaya has been a community hub since it opened to the public in 1953; it welcomes 300,000 visitors annually. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark that preserves its cultural and environmental resources to engage people in connecting with the past, understanding the present and shaping the future.

Everglades

The legendary River of Grass is one of the wonders of the world, a vast subtropical wilderness that has been declared a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve and Wetland of International Importance. There are many ways to experience the Florida Everglades National Park – here are nine entry points.

Hardee County

You haven’t really seen Hardee County until you’ve seen Highway 17. Actually, you can’t really see Hardee County unless you’re on Highway 17 because the county’s only U.S. highway is the road that connects Zolfo Springs, Wauchula, and Bowling Green -- which happen to be the only three towns in Hardee County.

The lack of development doesn’t mean you should avoid going. In fact, that’s one reason you should go. Here are a few things to do in Hardee County.

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