16 hidden gems that make Florida a memorable vacation destination

Created for VISIT FLORIDA

If there’s anything Florida is known for in addition to beaches and theme parks, it’s for being a little extra. Use the Sunshine State’s unique brand of fun to your advantage on your next trip. There’s a plethora of quirky spots to visit that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. So whether you’re on your way to and from Florida’s most famous spots or just looking for experiences off the beaten path, hit up these memorable places to eat, stay and play.

STAY: Outrageous overnight​

Look past room service and sprawling spas (though those are nice, too) and have a brag-worthy stay at accommodations you’ll be talking about for years to come.

The Don CeSar Resort in St. Pete Beach.

There’s no shortage of elegant hotels with decades of lore from the early 20th century. Florida’s history as a vacation spot has made many accommodations a coveted stay, particularly The Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, the Casa Monica, Autograph Collection, in St. Augustine, and the impeccably restored Belleview Inn in Bellair, just south of Clearwater. But, if you want some space—a whole private island, perhaps?—you’d do well to head south to the Florida Keys and stay at one of the state’s only all-inclusive properties. Little Palm Island Resort & Spa on Little Torch Key is an adults-only paradise in paradise boasting idyllic stays in cozy thatched-roof cottages.

Stay at the Plantation on Crystal River any time of year and you’ll experience Florida’s natural beauty like nowhere else. In the summer, head out from the adjoining Plantation Adventure Center for scalloping with a captain and a guide. You’ll journey into Kings Bay where the seagrasses grow and bay scallops are abundant. Shuck one right on the boat and enjoy the briny bivalve just moments from your harvest. In the winter, manatees gather nearby at Three Sisters Springs and the Adventure Center will take you (clad in a wetsuit) to swim with these gentle giants in their natural habitat, the only place in North America where you can legally do so. Don’t worry about a waterproof camera: your guide will snap photos of you with the manatees to purchase as a digital gallery.

Inn On The Lakes in Sebring

The best place to post up for the famous Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring endurance race in March is Inn on the Lakes, a gorgeous Tuscan-inspired boutique hotel with 155 spacious guest rooms and suites. Just minutes from downtown Sebring and the raceway, the hotel is ideal for a mid-Florida hideaway where golfing, spa treatments and antiquing can accompany the speed fest at the track.

Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo

Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo is an authentic dude ranch meets luxury glamping property where you can opt to lay your head down in a luxury teepee (complete with a copper soaking tub), an enormous fully furnished tent that sleeps up to eight, or one of the newest options: a Conestoga wagon. Enjoy activities akin to those found at a summer camp, including archery, horseback riding, airboat rides, minigolf and more, plus a well-attended rodeo on Saturday nights.

EAT: Distinctive dining

Well-travelled foodies no doubt have an idea of what to expect when they step inside a celebrated restaurant. Local beach bars, lively celebrity-owned haunts and national brands are all part of Florida’s culinary landscape, but so are some unexpected options.

Old Sugar Mill Pancake House, The Rodriguez Group.

At DeLeon Springs in Central Florida, tables at the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House come complete with a griddle in the middle for cooking your own pancakes, topped with whatever fixings you like. Reservations aren’t accepted, and the restaurant is beloved by locals and visitors alike, so it’s best to arrive as early as possible.

Epcot has grown famous for dining, but there’s a restaurant hidden away in the France pavilion that most theme park–goers never experience. Monsieur Paul is a fine-dining establishment on the second floor of the Les Chefs de France restaurant, serving a fixed-price menu with high-end French ingredients on full display. Named after France’s most-celebrated chef, Paul Bocuse, it’s also one of the best spots in the park to view the new nighttime fireworks spectacular, Luminous: The Symphony of Us, each night.

Wreck Bar at the B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale.

Sidle up to the Wreck Bar at the B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale and you’ll be treated to a show unlike any other spot in the state. Since the hotel’s opening in the 1950s, the pirate-themed grotto features large windows all around serving as “portholes” to view mermaid shows. Order a plate of fresh seafood (or steak, for the landlubbers) and enjoy a mermaid or “aquaman” burlesque show, or the Mermaids & Mimosas brunch show on weekend mornings.

PLAY: Extraordinary experiences

Visitors flock to the Plant City Strawberry Festival each spring to gorge on some of the plumpest, ripest, juiciest strawberries in the state. Come for the A-list music acts (the Black Eyed Peas, the Beach Boys and Foreigner are all on deck this year), livestock exhibitions, craft fair and strawberry shortcake eating contest.

Everglades Airboat Tours

If getting up close to Florida’s elite flora and fauna is of interest, a visit to the Everglades National Park is a must. Even better, hop onto an airboat, a shallow boat that can zip through water or swampland with the help of a giant above-ground propeller that acts as a fan. Tour operators are located throughout the park, including Everglades Swamp Tours just outside Fort Lauderdale. Visit in the winter and you’ll be sure to see plenty of alligators and other cold-blooded creatures soaking up the sun’s rays. Bird lovers will especially enjoy spying waterfowl, birds of prey and songbirds flying from palm to palm.

Watching sea turtles dig their nests and their tiny hatchlings make their way to the sea is one of the most memorable experiences you can have. On the beaches of Martin County, from Jensen Beach to Hobe Sound to Jupiter, you can see the protected nests along the beach starting in March and the tiny turtles emerging through October. Join a nighttime sea turtle walk with the Florida Oceanographic Society, Loggerhead Marine Life Center and other organizations.

A sea turtle in Martin County.

Christmas on Amelia Island, a Civil War–era military stronghold turned charming escape, is a special experience. Take the ferry ride from Jacksonville Beach and get ready to tour historic pastel Victorian homes decked to the nines with holly, poinsettias and Christmas lights. Each home also features a different Christmas cookie—an important detail to divulge when persuading the kids. Also be sure to visit the oldest continually running bar in the state, the Palace Saloon, opened in 1903, and explore Fort Clinch State Park on rented bicycles, finishing with the fort itself, which sits on the St. Mary’s riverbank.

As the old saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Consider this a nudge to step outside your Sunshine State comfort zone and let Florida’s hidden gems excite and entertain you for a visit you surely won’t forget.

Excited to discover the path less travelled in Florida? Enter here for your chance to win our Florida Flyaway Contest to Sebring and enjoy a vacation package for two!

Learn more about Florida’s incredible hidden gems here, including the best places to eat, stay and play across the state.