2024: The Year of Travel
2024 is the year to fulfill all of your wildest travel dreams in Florida! Enjoy unique experiences you won’t find anywhere else when you zip line through steep canyons, see endangered species in the Everglades, watch a mermaid show in crystal-clear waters, and dive into the waters of a pre-historic cave. The sky’s the limit when you experience what life would be like on Mars, and you can have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of swimming with dolphins. This is your year to make some lasting memories in the Sunshine State!
Visit the Southernmost Point
No trip to Key West would be complete without stopping at the Southernmost Point Buoy. It is one of Key West’s most iconic landmarks, and at this point, you are geographically closer to Cuba than you are to mainland Florida! After visiting this famous attraction, take some time to explore the areas nearby. Only a block away from the buoy on Duval Street, you will find the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. This amazing location features hundreds of butterflies of every shape, color, and size. Learn about their metamorphosis from caterpillars to beautiful butterflies along with other fun facts. At the end of Duval Street sits one of most historical homes in Key West. The Victorian-style Southernmost House was built in 1896 and is now a 13-room bed and breakfast. The exterior of the home features a shell pink and sea foam green color scheme, making it one of the most recognizable homes on the island. Its lobby features a small museum displaying everything from presidential artifacts to correspondences from Ernest Hemingway. Across the street from the Southernmost House is South Beach, which offers beach chair and stand-up-paddle board rentals for a fun day in the sun. Stop for a quick bite at the Southernmost Beach Café, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a view. Menu favorites include the rum punch and fish tacos. Be sure to pick up some souvenirs of your visit at the Southernmost Trolley Stop, where you can find stationary, Key West knick-knacks, and more.
trolleytours.com/key-west/southernmost-point-things-to-do
Go Horseback Riding on the Beaches of Amelia Island
Have you ever wanted to go horseback riding on the beach? You can do just that on Amelia Island! Book a sunset, sunrise, or mid-day ride with a knowledgeable guide to tell you more about the sights along the beach. The horseback rides are appropriate for both beginner and seasoned riders. Enjoy a more intimate experience with a private ride that you can enjoy at your leisure. Other activities on the island include kayak and boat tours, paddle boarding, camping, golfing, live music, and a variety of shopping and dining locations.
ameliaislandhorsebackriding.com/
ameliaisland.com/
Zip line the Ocala Canyons
For a thrilling experience, ride the zip line at the Ocala Canyons. This exhilarating tour through Big Cliff Canyon features a world-famous 1,100-foot zip line across Lost Spring Lake. Make the trip extra special with a full moon zip ride at night on the Treetop Express Tour. Other amenities in Ocala Canyons include horseback riding tours, gem mining at the historic Zuber Mine, and kayaking on Lost Spring Lake.
zipthecanyons.com/index.html
Relax in Historic Fort Myers
Get away from it all and take a relaxing vacation to historic Fort Myers. Have a family-fun adventure at the IMAG History & Science Center or the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium. Indulge in some retail therapy at the Promenade at Bonita Bay, which features some of the finest retail stores, unique boutiques, high-end salons, and delectable restaurants. Experience Southwest Florida by boat and immerse yourself in nature with a private eco-tour. Play a round of golf at the Corkscrew Golf Club. Discover unique and colorful treasures at the Flamingo Island Flea Market. Or, just relax and unwind with a day at the beach. Wherever your mood takes you, there’s plenty of options in Fort Myers.
visitfortmyers.com/
Tour the Everglades
Explore the Everglades National Park, known as the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Here, you can find rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the Florida Panther. Tour the park with hiking, kayak, and airboat tours with a knowledgeable guide. A short walk on the Anhinga Trail to spot abundant wildlife like turtles, herons, and alligators. Climb atop Shark Valley’s 65-foot observation tower for a bird’s eye view of the Everglades. Explore the pinelands by bike, paddle amongst the mangroves on Nine-Mile Pond, or tour the historic Nike Hercules missile base. If you’re brave enough, you can join a park ranger who will guide you deep into the heart of a cypress dome. The best time to visit the Everglades is between December and April. May through November is the wet season, which makes touring the park and seeing wildlife more difficult.
nps.gov/ever/index.htm
Plan a Family Getaway to the Sanibel Island
The peaceful Sanibel Island is the perfect place for a family vacation. Sanibel Island is well-known for its white sand beaches and abundance of pastel seashells. Add some recreation to your trip with a visit to one of the golf courses in the area, or set out on the waters for boating, fishing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. There are more than 25 miles of bike paths to explore, and the shops on the island carry many unique items you won’t find anywhere else. The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge contains 6,000 acres of mangrove jungles and wetlands and is home to a variety of animal species, including manatees, alligators, raccoons, tropical birds, and much more. You can explore the refuge by car, foot, bicycle, kayak, or guided tram, and it is an experience the whole family can enjoy.
sanibelisland.com/
See Mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has been dazzling visitors with its mermaids swimming in the crystal-clear waters since 1947. The only spring of its kind in the entire world is one of Florida’s most unique attractions. The 400-seat submerged Mermaid Theater makes you feel like you’re inside the flowing spring. Along with the daily mermaid shows, you can kayak, paddle board, or tour the crystal-clear springs on a glass-bottom canoe. Inside of the 538-acre park, there’s Buccaneer Bay, Florida’s only spring-fed waterpark. The waterpark features a sandy white beach, swimming area, and four waterslides. An educational Animal Show gets you close to native wildlife like alligators, snakes, and turtles.
weekiwachee.com/
Swim with Dolphins at the Theater of the Sea
Theater of the Sea, established in 1946, is a marine mammal park located in Islamorada. Visitors here can swim with bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, sting rays, and nurse shark. Dolphins and seals can swim through hoops and ring a bell. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you definitely don’t want to miss! The 17-acre site also has exotic birds, lizards, crocodiles, sea turtles, and tropical fish. You can tour the waters on short cruises and bottomless boat rides. The park is also heavily involved in ecological conservation programs, and made the first flipper transplant on a sea turtle.
theaterofthesea.com/
Go On a Bioluminescence Kayak Tour in Cocoa Beach
Experience the magic of bioluminescence as you go on a nighttime kayaking tour in Cocoa Beach. This rare phenomenon is only found in a few areas of the world and it occurs due to bioluminescent dinoflagellates and comb jellyfish. Daytime tours are also available, and you can see up to 4,500 animal and plant species on your journey. The Thousand Islands estuary in Cocoa Beach includes bottlenose dolphins, endangered manatees, and both native and migratory bird species. The professionally trained guides have extensive knowledge of the waterways as well as the plant and animal species you may encounter. No kayaking experience is needed and beginner to advanced-level paddlers are welcome.
cocoakayaking.com/
Snorkel in Devil’s Den
One of the most unique diving experiences in the United States is in Devil’s Den. These pre-historic springs located in Williston features crystal-clear water with year-round temperatures of 72 degrees. The cavern features ancient rock formations with stalactites, fossil beds, and more. This cave was formed by a karst window, where the roof over a subterranean river has collapsed. The cave expands below water to a width of up to 200 feet across with a maximum depth of 54 feet. Many of the fossils in the caverns are from extinct species, including mastodons, ground sloths, dire wolves, bog lemmings, saber-toothed cats, and peccaries. There are diving and snorkeling expeditions available all year. After a day in the water, you can spend the night in the RV park, one of four cabins, a remodeled double-wide trailer, or gaze at the stars in the primitive tent camping area.
devilsden.com/
Swim with Manatees at Crystal River
Crystal River is known as the Manatee Capital of the World and is home to the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States specifically created to protect this beloved marine animal. Each winter between 500 to 1,000 manatees migrate to the warm waters of Crystal Springs, where the temperatures remain at a constant 72 to 74-degree range. It is also one of the few places in the world where you can swim with manatees in their natural environment. The water guides here are trained to ensure you treat this threatened species with the utmost care and respect. You can also hike through unspoiled forests and kayak or paddle board your way through the crystal-clear waters of the springs.
discovercrystalriverfl.com/
Set Your Sights to the Sky at Kennedy Space Center
Visit the Kennedy Space Center for a truly out-of-this-world experience! Visitors at the center can get a hands-on feel for space travel with interactive exhibits and real-life spacecraft. Learn about early space adventures and pioneers at the Heroes & Legends exhibit, take a Behind the Gates bus tour that gives you access to launch sites, and learn about the Apollo Era at the Race to the Moon exhibit where you can see a real Saturn V rocket. Dine with an Astronaut allows visitors to sit down to a chef-prepared buffet meal where you can hear tales from astronauts about their journey to space. Launch viewing experiences are also available on launch days. Feel what it’s like to be an astronaut with the Astronaut Training Experience, which lets you perform a space-walk using immersive microgravity simulation technology. Mars Base 1 transports you to a virtual Mars exhibit where you can experience what it would be like to live and work on the red planet for a day.
kennedyspacecenter.com/
