Arts & CultureFeaturedThe places worth the drive.
Florida has 175 or so state parks. Our list has 26. In 9 cities we’ve also lined up the festivals and parades for the next twelve months.
437 places. 27 collections. 871 festivals already dated.
Festivals and annual events
Tampa Bay
See all Tampa Bay → Arts & CultureFeatured
CommunityFeatured
Holidays & ParadesFeaturedOrlando
See all Orlando →
Conventions & ExposFeatured
Conventions & ExposFeatured
Arts & CultureFeaturedMiami
See all Miami →
New York
See all New York →Los Angeles
See all Los Angeles →Chicago
See all Chicago →Dallas-Fort Worth
See all Dallas-Fort Worth →Houston
See all Houston →New Orleans
See all New Orleans →
The shortlists
The Blue Ridge list says to pick one end of the Parkway, since nobody drives it fast. The Rocky Mountains list is mostly a summer one. Several of its high roads close for the winter.
20 placesThe Best Florida Beaches
Start here if you haven't picked a coast yet. The wild beaches and the busy ones are mixed together on purpose; the separate Gulf and Atlantic lists split them out once you know which you want.
9 placesSecluded Florida Gulf Coast Beaches
Cayo Costa, Caladesi, Anclote Key and St. Vincent Island have no road to them, so you go by ferry or your own boat. You can drive to the other five, and none of the nine has a high-rise on the beach. Pack water and shade either way.
14 placesBest Florida Wildlife
Go in winter if you can. Manatees crowd the warm springs from mid-November through March, and the wading birds are thickest on the same cool, dry mornings.
63 placesThe United States National Parks
All 63, for anyone keeping count, with the famous ones up top and the quieter ones further down.
26 placesBest Beaches in the US
Twenty-six US beaches, five of them in Hawaii, picked mostly for having nothing built behind the sand. Siesta Key, Coronado, Ka'anapali and Cape May are the town beaches we kept anyway.
26 placesThe Blue Ridge Mountains
Pick one end. Nobody drives the Parkway fast, so the Virginia stretch and the North Carolina mountains make two trips.
21 placesThe Rocky Mountains
A summer list, mostly. Several of the high roads here close for the winter. July and August are the safe bet for driving all of them.
17 placesNorth Georgia Mountains
Atlanta's weekend mountains. Come in early spring, when the falls run strongest.
6 placesOffbeat North Georgia
North Georgia's odd side, for when the waterfalls start to run together.
9 placesBest Tampa Bay Breweries
The Tampa ones are close enough to string together in an afternoon if someone else is driving. The Pinellas side is across the bay. Give it a day of its own.
9 placesFlorida Gulf Coast Beach Towns
If the plan is a week in a condo with the Gulf out the back door, it's probably one of these.
18 placesGeorgia State Parks
Most people know Georgia's state parks by the mountain ones. This list keeps going south almost to the Florida line, and a couple of the best are down there.
Florida SpringsFlorida State ParksFlorida AttractionsUndeveloped Beaches on Florida's East CoastBeach Towns on Florida's East CoastWashington DC AttractionsAmerica's Best CavesGeorgia AttractionsBest Waterfalls in the USBest Dark Sky Stargazing in the USBest Slot Canyons and Red Rock in the USUtah Canyon CountryBest of New HampshireBest of VermontWhere to See Manatees in Florida
