Florida is probably best known for its epic theme parks, bright white beaches and reliably warm (often hot) weather. All of that can be explored on a road trip, whether you’re looking at a day or weekend getaway, or an adventure that covers swathes of Florida. The state also has gorgeous scenic byways that will appeal to nature lovers, routes taking in charming towns that whisper of Old Florida and loops around beautiful lakes and past seaside communities. Here are 10 of our favourite road trips in Florida.
Take the slow road from Perdido Bay to Palm Beach to discover a scattering of gleaming seaside gems, ideal for beachcombers. Highway 98, which also weaves into Mississippi and Alabama, runs for around 670 miles (1,078km) from the Alabama state line at Perdido Bay all the way to Palm Beach (pictured), with portions that slice through forest and others that cruise close to the ocean. The prettiest part hugs the blue-grey Gulf of Mexico between Pensacola and the arty, former oyster village Apalachicola.
This was the original part of the road, opened in 1933, before it was extended in either direction. It also skims by Destin, perfect for a few days strolling the boardwalk and trying the seafood restaurants. Another gorgeous stop is Seaside, where the 1998 Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show was filmed. Along the way are bays, overwater bridges and swathes of state forest to be explored.
These two fun-loving cities, while very different in many ways, share a certain lust for life – making them the perfect bookends for a leisurely coastal cruise through the Florida Keys. Starting in Miami, the route runs for 165 miles (266km), most of which follows the breathtaking Overseas Highway from Key Largo down to the quirky island city of Key West. The road really does soar over the water and the views alone make the trip worthwhile.
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Be sure to stop at Islamorada – home to galleries, shops and a craft brewery – and Bahia Honda State Park, whose clear, gentle waters are perfect for snorkelling and kayaking. From there, it’s just a short cruise to the wonderfully weird Key West, where free-range cockerels roam the roads, a nightly party is held for the sunset (at Mallory Square), and everything from the decor to desserts is over the top. Be sure to grab a photo at the southernmost point in the continental US, marked by a buoy.
Covering around 90 miles (145km), this is the sort of trip you could do in a day or weekend, and it’s perfect for nature-lovers. Despite the short distance, it packs in more urban and natural attractions than many longer journeys. Start off in Tampa, whose downtown is an appealing blend of laid-back bars, innovative restaurants, independent galleries and cool souvenir shops. Stroll the Riverwalk at sunset before hopping on the free streetcar to Ybor City, founded by cigar magnates in 1885 and still seeped in Cuban culture.
The drive up to Crystal River takes around two hours, if you take the coast-hugging scenic route, passing mangroves, swamps and wildlife preserves. It’s all leading up to the best natural attraction of all: swimming with manatees. Crystal River is the only place in the US where you can swim with the mammals in the wild, and snorkelling in the presence of these gentle, seagrass-munching giants is a humbling, surprisingly peaceful experience.
This 85-mile (137km) trip offers a wonderful peep into a more serene side of Florida, with a good mix of nature and quaint towns along the way, making it ideal for families. It’s the kind of quiet road and easy drive road-trippers often seek, following Highway 40 through small communities like Barberville – home to a Pioneer Museum – and Astor, by the pretty St Johns River. It’s the natural beauty that really makes this trip though, with Ocala National Forest (pictured) an undoubted highlight.
Allow plenty of time to explore and admire this vast area, lauded for its gloriously limpid natural pools, springs and lakes including the huge Lake George, surrounded by pine forest. Camp at Alexander Springs, where you can swim, canoe, kayak and even scuba dive, and be sure to save a day or two for the final destination. Mount Dora, with rows of 19th-century houses facing a lakefront laced with beaches and parks, is about as idyllic as they come.
This scenic road trip from the state capital (pictured) to DeFuniak Springs is around 130 miles (209km), and can be done in just a few hours. But with so much to see and do at either end and along the way, this charming route is best enjoyed over several days. Perfect for history buffs, with a little natural beauty thrown in, it starts with the museums and mansions of Tallahassee and passes through antebellum towns including Quincy, Chattahoochee and Chipley.
The rural Highway 90 makes a refreshingly quiet alternative to the I-10 and you might well drive long stretches without seeing another vehicle. The final destination, DeFuniak Springs, is home to a Victorian gated campus whose buildings remain remarkably intact. Explore the antiques stores and stroll around Lake DeFuniak, notable for forming an almost perfect circle. The lake itself has a chequered past, having closed in the 1960s to evade desegregation and just reopened in 2021.
Start in the small town of Havana and end up in the home of Little Havana, Miami’s vibrant Cuban district (pictured). This is the perfect trip for those looking for an epic journey through classic Americana. Highway 27 is known as the backbone of Florida – officially because it resembles a spine, but it could just as easily be because it weaves through some of the state’s most fascinating towns and cities, and past some of its most inspiring scenery. The road officially starts in Fort Wayne, Indiana and this part covers more than 500 miles (805km) of central Florida.
Havana itself was named for the cigar industry that once flourished there, and is now a hub of antiques stores and galleries. Allow at least a day to explore the museums and State Capitol Building in Tallahassee before continuing on the road, interspersed with lakes, freshwater springs, citrus groves and pine forest. Don’t miss Robinson’s Pecan House, which sells all things pecan in Lamont, and the town of Ocala, known as the Horse Capital of the World due to its huge number of thoroughbred farms.
There’s not too much driving required for this trip along the 30A, perfect for beach bums. It only stretches for 24 miles (39km), though each inch of the route is a treat for the eyes. The designated Scenic Highway skirts close to the Gulf of Mexico, connecting 15 beach communities in South Walton County. Cruise by rows of pastel-coloured cottages, coastal dunes with lakes and beaches so blazingly white it’s inadvisable to look at them without sunglasses.
It makes a delightful detour on a longer road trip along the Gulf coast, or can easily be stretched out over a long weekend with days spent on the sand and exploring charming seaside towns. It’s like stepping into a series of hazily sunny postcards, while greenway trails connect the route to state parks and preserves for hiking stops along the way. Rosemary Beach makes an idyllic end to the trip, blending Southern charm with glorious stretches of sand.
Get a glimpse of old Florida with this nostalgic trip through a less-explored part of the state. Start in the city of Arcadia, the heart of Florida’s cowboy country with a history of cattle-raising. It weaves in a bit of natural beauty too, with wood-lined streams you can canoe down and air that’s fragranced by orange groves. The 230-mile (370km) route then loops around Lake Okeechobee (pictured), skirting close to the eastern shore of the state’s largest freshwater body of water.
Stretches of the road are refreshingly quiet, making it feel like road trip nirvana. The loneliness is interrupted by timeless towns like Pahokee, Belle Glade and Clewiston, a lakeside town known for sugarcane – it hosts an annual Sugar Festival. And, because the best road trips end with the chance to rest your driving feet, allow a few days to relax on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The shell-scattered islands have endless white beaches, great seafood restaurants and not a traffic light between them.
For around 115 miles (185km) from Brickell Village in Miami all the way across the state to Naples in the west, the US-41 opens up some of Florida’s wettest and wildest scenery. The Tamiami Trail, as this portion of the road is known, slices across the northern Everglades. The vast, verdant national park covers a staggering 1.5 million acres, and it's thick with mangroves, marshes and pine forest. Highlights include Naples (pictured) with its pretty marina and boutique-filled downtown.
Aside from the views of the wetlands and the occasional turtle or alligator crossing the road, highlights along the way include boardwalk nature trails, airboat tours in Coopertown and the smallest post office in the US, in Ochopee. The trail officially continues up to Tampa, so you could choose to extend the adventure and take in coastal beauties like Fort Myers and Sarasota.
The A1A swoops all the way down Florida’s Atlantic coastline and this portion includes the loveliest part, officially designated a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road. It hugs the coastline at Ponte Vedra Beach, just south of Jacksonville, and holds on tight all the way down to Daytona Beach – equally famous for its fun-loving spirit and the Daytona International Speedway race track. The total journey is around 80 miles (129km) and each of them should be savoured.
It really does stick close to the ocean, skirting the edges of golden beaches and often with water on either side of the road. Be sure to stop in St. Augustine, and perhaps spend a few days there. The oldest city in the US (founded in 1565) is famous for Spanish colonial architecture and sandy beaches. Otherwise, you’ll cruise by many places to hike, boat or just feel the sand under your feet – so allow plenty of time for spontaneous stops.