Florida attractions

The Miami Design District is dedicated to innovative fashion, design, architecture, and dining. The area juxtaposes design brands with restaurants, international art collections, and permanent and temporary art installations, while its new buildings exist among transformed historic ones. Design showrooms fill the area, along with high-end retailers like Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Prada.

Situated on Key West’s Mallory Square, the Key West Aquarium brings visitors up close to some of the Florida Keys’ aquatic wildlife. Exhibits feature guest favorites such as sharks, stingrays, American alligators, and jellyfish. The Atlantic Shores exhibit houses a living red mangrove ecosystem, a critical habitat in the Keys.

With 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) of pristine beaches, 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of trails through virgin slash pine forests, and plentiful wildlife, Honeymoon Island State Park is a quintessential tropical paradise. Once a popular honeymoon destination, today the barrier island is a beloved Florida state park located in Tampa Bay off the coast of Dunedin.

Miami’s Jungle Island (formerly Parrot Jungle) is an eco-adventure park where you can experience animal encounters, treetop walks (or bolder explorations), and educational shows to learn about different creatures. The park is home to a range of animals—including sloths, wallabies, lemurs, capybaras, and Burmese pythons; there are also parrots and macaws that fly freely in indoor aviaries, as well as flamingos, tortoises, and other tropical species.

Stretching for 17 miles (27 kilometers) between the Orlando Premium Outlets to Walt Disney World, Orlando’s International Drive (I-Drive for short) serves as the city’s tourist hub. Six of Orlando’s top theme parks—SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Wet ’n’ Wild, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Aquatica—are located along this stretch.

Centuries of history are on display at the Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum in St. Augustine. History buffs come to see archaeological artifacts such as Spanish gold and Native American canoes. For a thorough introduction to several centuries of St. Augustine history, check out the diverse exhibitions at this museum, managed by the University of Florida.

American President Harry S. Truman used this 1890 landmark as a winter White House, visiting 11 times over the course of his presidency. Now a presidential museum, the house preserves Truman’s legacy with original furnishings, personal items, and memorabilia. Guided tours of the museum uncover personal stories from Truman’s time here.

Don’t let the friendly pink stucco exterior fool you. Although this building might look like an old-fashioned luxury resort, it was actually one of the most feared places in all of St. Augustine—the St. Johns County Jail. Built in 1891, the jail housed prisoners until 1953, when it opened to the public for tours.

Big Cypress National Preserve is the northern neighbor of Everglades National Park, but with fewer crowds and more wildlife. Among the first national preserves to be established in the US, Big Cypress still permits many of the activities that are forbidden in national parks, inviting visitors to go off-roading, hunt, take an airboat ride through the swamp, and more.

Filled with more than 100,000 items reflecting the times of the early 20th century, the Oldest Store Museum reflects what you might have found in a typical general store at the turn of the century. A tour with in-character guides gives you an engaging look at authentic antique items with a fun explanation of local history.

With soft white sand and calm, clean water, Las Olas Beach is one of the top family-friendly spots in Fort Lauderdale. Whether sunbathing—with umbrellas and chairs available to rent—or venturing out in the water to try out surfing, Las Olas Beach has something for everyone. There are also plenty of restaurants just across the street, making it an excellent all-day destination.

Palm trees line this prime stretch of Key West beachfront, where you can stake out the perfect stretch of white sand, lounge in the shade, or try one of many activities. Calm water makes Smathers Beach a favorite for snorkeling and swimming, and it’s great for families looking for a day by the shore.

Visitors to St. Augustine looking for an alternative to historical landmarks are often drawn to the fun, family-friendly Potter’s Wax Museum. Kids are especially fascinated by this entertaining museum, featuring dozens of wax sculptures of well-known personalities, from actors to historical figures and beyond. Photographs with life-like figures are a favorite thing to do at this museum.

Downtown Tampa's Florida Aquarium highlights the diverse marine habitats of the Sunshine State and far beyond. Spot wetlands dwellers such as alligators and river otters, watch tiger sharks and moray eels circle coral reefs, and see many more species native to everywhere from Madagascar to Australia. Suitable for all ages, the aquarium has a variety of habitats and temporary exhibition spaces, plus touch tanks and animal encounters.

In a city rich with historic landmarks, the Oldest Wooden School House in St. Augustine remains a striking sight—this small wooden structure is chained to the ground to protect it from hurricanes. Dating back to the 1700s, this schoolhouse offers a glimpse into the layered history of St. Augustine. See the schoolhouse, gardens, and historic kitchen during a visit.

Go behind the scenes, beyond the screen, and jump right into the action of your favorite movies at Universal Studios Florida™, the world’s premier movie- and TV-based theme park. This Orlando favorite, one of several parks that make up Universal Orlando Resort™, offers rides, shows, movie sets, and attractions that bring to life blockbuster movies such as Transformers, Despicable Me, and Harry Potter.

The Spanish Military Hospital Museum in St. Augustine stands out in a destination full of fascinating historic landmarks. This site offers educational tours and a glimpse of the Spanish Colonial period, including an overview of medical practices. Learn about an ancient apothecary and medicinal herbs grown in the garden during a visit to this popular attraction, which includes the Hospital West building, the Apothecary, and the Hospital East.

Treacherous waters off Key West have brought down ships carrying gold and silver for centuries. The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum puts those treasures on display, alongside cannons, swords, and other artifacts dredged from the bottom of the sea. Wrecks from the 1700s and 1800s are the heart of the museum's collection.

The somber Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach is a fitting place to reflect on the tragedy of World War II and learn the story of the Holocaust. Beyond its stunning bronze sculpture, the memorial offers educational programs, lectures, and seminars. The Memorial Wall, etched with thousands of names, honors those who lost their lives.

The Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum lets you step back in time and immerse yourself in the nautical and maritime heritage of what was once the richest city in the US. Discover the perils of shipwrecking and climb the 65-foot (20-meter) lookout tower, from which folks would watch out for Spanish galleons and alert the authorities in case of a wreck.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure™—part of Universal Orlando Resort™—is a theme park that’s designed around the concept of exploration, with each area of the park representing different themed islands. Highlights include Marvel Super Hero Island, Jurassic Park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, and Seuss Landing. Visitors can enjoy comic book-style architecture, character meet-and-greets, rollercoasters, water rides, and other attractions to suit a diverse range of ages.

Just offshore of Florida in the Tampa Bay, Egmont Key State Park features a lighthouse built in 1858. The island was used as a prison during the Third Seminole War and a Union Naval station during the Civil War. Fort Dade, now in ruins, was built during the Spanish-American War. Today, Egmont Key is a state park and wildlife refuge.

Zoo Miami (Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens) is home to thousands of animals, trees, and plants. Florida’s subtropical climate allows the zoo to feature large swathes of natural habitat, making it one of the most diverse wildlife parks in the country and a great place to explore. If you’re interested in the state’s native environments, visit interactive conservation exhibits showcasing flora and fauna from the Everglades and the Pine Rockland habitats. It’s the perfect family-friendly Miami activity.

Fun Spot is a locally-owned Central Florida amusement park and entertainment center with locations in Orlando, Kissimmee, and Atlanta. This family-friendly destination opened in 1997 and its Kissimmee branch boasts the world’s tallest skycoaster at 300 feet (90 meters) while Fun Spot Orlando has the only wooden roller coaster in Orlando. Fun Spot Orlando has a splash pad and a wildlife oasis with birds, alligators, and other reptiles.

Go back in time to the night of April 14, 1912, when the “unsinkable” Titanic had a fatal run-in with an iceberg and tragically sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. With full-scale room replicas, hundreds of objects recovered from the vessel, and immersive interactive exhibits, Orlando’s Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition offers a real-world connection to a defining moment in history.

Home to an array of animals ranging from native Florida species to African wildlife, ZooTampa at Lowry Park is a top family attraction in the Tampa Bay area. In addition to the animals, the zoo features a train and other kid-friendly rides.

Boats glide alongside actual swans on Lake Eola, in Orlando’s Lake Eola Park. The site isn’t big by many standards, only a mile (1,609 meters around, but it packs a big punch as an oasis in the heart of bustling Orlando. Locals and visitors flock here—like the geese they feed out of hand—to take in the nature.

The NSU Art Museum is located on Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard, a key part of the vibrant art district. Visitors can view more than 6,000 works in the museum’s international collection, which has a strong focus on South Florida and Caribbean culture, with artwork by Cuban artists, William Glackens, and northern European CoBrA artists.

Fort De Soto Park is a 5-island chain that was a working fort during the Spanish-American War—but because it was completed after the war ended, the site saw no violence. Today, the park is home to hundreds of bird species, campsites, a museum, and beaches rated among the best in the country.

Step into the Florida Everglades without having to make the big trip at Wild Florida Adventure Park, located right outside of Orlando. Here, visitors can explore the Florida wilderness, its resident animals, and exotic critters. Spend the day spotting alligators, giraffes, sloths, capybaras, and more during a drive-through safari—and don’t leave before going on an adventurous airboat ride at this popular family attraction.