Small Town Beauty in Florida

Anna Maria Island is favored for its white-sand beaches and emerald seas. This is a Gulf Coast barrier island.

Enjoy strolling along Pine Avenue lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants.

See the wooden Rod and Reel Pier that dates back to 1947.

Tiny Cedar Key is an old-fashioned destination in the Gulf of Mexico.

You can enjoy the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. The only way to access it is by boat. The refuge is composed of 13 islands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It was established in 1939 to protect native and migratory birds. Tens of thousands of egrets, pelicans, herons, cormorants, and roseate spoonbills nest in the Cedar Keys.

Visit the Cedar Key Museum State Park, encompassing 18 acres, and take an opportunity to imagine yourself as naturalist John Muir, taking a quiet walk past large pines and oaks down to view Cedar Key's expansive salt marshes. 

The historic Whitman home commemorates the life of St. Clair Whitman, whose collections of seashells and Native American artifacts are featured in the museum. 

See the historic Cedar Key Light Station situated on the island of Seahorse Key. The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is maintained by the University of Florida, which uses it as the headquarters for its Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory.

Cypress Gardens, part of the Winter Haven community, is home to the very first theme park in Florida.

The Cypress Gardens Adventure Park opened in 1936 and became famous for its botanical gardens and water ski shows. The park closed in 2009.

In its place opened the Legoland Florida Resort, which preserves the historic garden portion inside the new park.

Visitors also enjoy taking the Living Water Boat Cruise along Winter Haven’s Chain of Lakes.

Beautiful Fernandina Beach is situated on Amelia Island in the greater Jacksonville area. It is known for its boutiques, restaurants, and thriving wildlife. There are many quiet beaches to enjoy.

Those seeking luxury accommodations will love Addison on America Island.

There are many beautiful little towns in the Florida Keys lining the islands. Towns like Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo. They offer lots of water recreation such as snorkeling, diving, and boating.

Among the best known is Key Largo, where you’ll find the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, popular for the underwater statue of Jesus. The 9-foot bronze Christ of the Abyss was placed in less than 25 feet of water in 1965. It is a favorite to see among snorkelers and divers.

Quaint little Micanopy is a rural town in the middle of the state. It was named for the Indigenous Seminole chief Micanopy. It is considered to be one of the antique capitals of Florida. Visitors come to shop at the antique shops.

You can visit the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, where you can see bison and wild horses. There is a 50-foot observation tower you can climb to look over raw Florida savannah where wild bison graze alongside feral horses and alligators sun themselves on the banks of shallow marshes. It protects one of the most significant natural and historical landscapes in the southeastern United States.

The largest and most popular region is Palm Beach, with beautiful beaches.

The town offers boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants lining Worth Avenue, often referred to as the Rodeo Drive of the East Coast (original Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California).

Visit the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, home to the railroad tycoon and hotelier. This Gilded Age mansion was his wedding present to this third wife.

Enjoy hiking and biking along the Palm Beach Lake Trail, along which you can see multi-million-dollar estates.

Stay at the Breakers, a historic and glitzy hotel.