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Miami and Miami Beach. Greater Miami is hot—and we’re not just talking about the weather. Art deco buildings and balmy beaches set the scene. Vacations here are as much about lifestyle as locale, so prepare for power shopping, club-hopping, and decadent dining.
The Everglades. Covering more than 1.5 million acres, the fabled “River of Grass” is the state’s greatest natural treasure. Biscayne National Park (95% of which is underwater) runs a close second. It’s the largest marine park in the United States.
The Florida Keys. This slender necklace of landfalls, strung together by a 113-mile highway, marks the southern edge of the continental United States. It’s nirvana for anglers, divers, literature lovers, and Jimmy Buffett wannabes.
Fort Lauderdale with Broward County. The town Where the Boys Are has grown up. The beaches that first attracted college kids are now complemented by luxe lodgings and upscale entertainment options.
Palm Beach with the Treasure Coast. This area scores points for diversity. Palm Beach and environs are famous for their golden sand and glitzy residents, whereas the Treasure Coast has unspoiled natural delights.
The Tampa Bay Area. Tampa’s Busch Gardens and Ybor City are only part of the area’s appeal. Culture vultures flock to St. Petersburg and Sarasota for concerts and museums, and eco-adventurers veer north to the Nature Coast.
The Lower Gulf Coast. Blessed with beaches, this was the last bit of coast to be settled. But as Naples’s manicured golf greens and Fort Myers’s mansions-cum-museums prove, it is far from uncivilized.
Orlando and Environs. Theme parks are what draw most visitors to the area, yet downtown Orlando, Kissimmee, and Winter Park have enough sights, shops, and restaurants to make them destinations in their own right.
Walt Disney World. The granddaddy of attractions, Disney is four theme parks in one—Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Plus, it has a pair of water parks and Downtown Disney (an entertainment zone featuring Cirque du Soleil).
Universal Orlando. The movies are brought to life at Universal Studios, while Islands of Adventure delivers gravity-defying rides and special-effects surprises—and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Nearby Wet ’n Wild is full of watery adventures.
SeaWorld Orlando. Marine mammals perform in SeaWorld’s meticulously choreographed shows, and thrill seekers find their adrenaline rush on coasters. Sister park Discovery Cove offers a daylong, swim-with-the-dolphins escape. At Aquatica water park, one slide even dips into a dolphin habitat.
Northeast Florida. Though time rewinds in historic St. Augustine, it’s on fast-forward in Daytona Beach and the Space Coast, where horse-drawn carriages are replaced by race cars and rocket ships.
The Panhandle. Southern gentility and redneck rambunctiousness make the Panhandle a colorful place—but it’s the green gulf waters and sugar-white sand that keep devotees coming back.