Ten places in Florida where FLORIDIANS go on Vacation

I live where you vacation is a saying here in Florida that some people might use to try to make tourists jealous when it's 80 degrees down here in January and they're shoveling snow out from under another blizzard in the midwest but just because somebody might live in Florida doesn't mean they're on Permanent Vacation most of us still have jobs responsibilities and have to sit in traffic Monday through Friday just like anywhere else and no we're not always at the beach every day either but we still like to go on vacations down here too and lots of times we'll stay right here in the Sunshine State for some stations or long weekend getaways to take advantage of what we have right here close to home so I thought we'd go around the state and talk about some places right here in Florida that are popular vacation spots with the locals and if you have a favorite that I missed and want to share maybe let me know in the comments or don't if you want to keep your secret spot to yourself it's all good we understand so let's go here's 10 places where Floridians love to go when spending some vacation time right here in Florida I'm going to do this list in no particular order so I'm going to start with a personal favorite of mine Anamaria Island Anam Maria Island is between Sarasota and St Petersburg on Florida's Gulf Coast and this place has always been a favorite of locals looking for a place to escape for a few days but it does feel like this place has become more popular than ever and the secret is out I see this place kind of blowing up on social media a lot so if it ever was a secret it kind of isn't really anymore just one of the reasons I love Anamaria island is because there really are no highrises or chain restaurants anywhere on the island in fact there's local laws right here that say the highest a building can be here is only 37 ft and that no chain restaurants can operate on the island at all so this has kind of led to a Vibe here that still feels like old Florida a lot of small local businesses are right here most of the room accommodations here are going to be small mom and P independently run hotels or like rental homes and cottages airbnbs and stuff like that and the food scene here ranges from Little rustic Seafood checks right on the water and Mom and Pop type places that are run by really passionate chefs and owners the beach here is great and Anamaria island is a really fun place to get on a bicycle and explore the town and just really take it easy it really kind of feels like a place where people live rather than vacation so when you do kind of come here you really are kind of escaping all the touristy parts of Florida and you can kind of take it easy and kind of live like the locals do for a little bit really love this place santel Island and Captiva Island so this is a place you'll want to put a pin in for now and remember for the future because ever since hurricane Ian made a direct landfall on this area most of this area has still been closed while they've been recovering and rebuilding and if we just take a quick little look here at Google Maps you'll sadly see the temporarily closed label is still on most of the hotels and businesses here and we hope that soon enough everything will be back to normal and open for visitors again soon but santelle and Captiva are still worth mentioning because this pair of neighboring islands off of Florida's southwest coast has been a longtime favorite for Floridians looking for a quick getaway to some of the nicest beaches in Florida this area has a laidback non-touristy Vibe that's always been one of my very own personal favorite parts of Florida it's other place without any big highrises or very many tourist traps plenty of little local bars and restaurants and some amazing opportunities for seashell collecting santel island is even considered the seashell capital of the world if that's your thing and nearby boka Grand has been called the tarpon capital of the world attracting Anglers from all over the country for a chance to hook into one of the most elite game fish that swims in Florida waters this is a part of Florida that attracts people just looking for a relaxing Beach getaway and those looking to catch some monster fish I've stayed at the South Seas Resort in Captiva a couple times and I've always just loved that place in this entire area so watching what happened down here with the hurricane was really heartbreaking but the recovery here is well on the way and hopefully sooner rather than later santaella and Captiva will be open to visitors again and they're going to need our support so really I wanted to throw this one out here and call this area out for the future so we can all go back down there and give them our business even if they're not quite ready for us just yet here in early 2024 Destin Florida the Panhandle between Pensacola and Panama City Beach is called the Emerald Coast for its sparkling turquoise water and no spot along this stretch of sand is quite as beautiful as Destin the beaches here are considered by many to be some of the nicest in the entire State and some would say they even rival the beaches in the Caribbean for that classic turquoise color and as as popular as Destin is in this part of the state I kind of think it still flies under the radar just a little bit because Panama City Beach is just sitting about an hour away to the East and that is a huge Resort town that draws tourists from all over the southeast United States so that's going to draw a lot of people over there while Destin is kind of quietly sitting over here attracting Floridians who would rather go to someplace a little bit more quiet and maybe a little bit more laid-back than Panama City Beach which can be a pretty crazy place now Destin does still have some of those touristy elements there's going to be a few highrises and chain restaurants your Margaritaville and places like that and a few cheesy gift shops of course but not anywhere on the same level as Panama City Beach does and Destin is home to one of the biggest parties at sea crab Island Crab Island is a little bit more of a sandbar than an island these days but this locally famous spot attracts hundreds of boers every weekend to come out and hang out in the beautiful blue green waters and just park party people take their partying really seriously at Crab Island there's floating tiki bars there's boats selling food like floating food trucks there's obstacle courses and sometimes even boats with live DJs and live bands playing on them and if you don't have a boat of your own there are crab Island Excursion operators in the area that will take you right out here so you can join the fun without even having to do a thing or own your own boat now this entire stretch of coast is a great place for locals looking to get a weekend Beach away if you can't find a place in dtin you might want to look at other places around this area too like sandes Rosemary Beach and seaside those are all really popular places with locals too St Augustine now of course I'm sure we're all pretty familiar with St Augustine this isn't really a secret spot but it is a place that lots of Floridians will head to for a station it is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the US that was founded by Spain in 1565 now I say continuous ly inhabited because Pensacola was actually first Pensacola was founded in 1559 but a hurricane wiped it out shortly after and the settlers basically said you know screw this place it's too dangerous and they left and Pensacola wasn't resettled for another 137 years so St Augustine then took the title of America's oldest city and St Augustine is a place that sees a lot of tourists coming to Florida from all over but it's also still a really popular place for Floridians looking for an interesting place to spend along week and I think that St Augustine really is a place that everybody living or visiting here really should see at least once yeah it is kind of touristy and I was trying to avoid the obvious tourist hotspots on this list but walking through the historic City Center and soaking up the history of this town is a great way to spend a day it really seems like everything around here is some kind of historical landmark and make sure to visit the beautiful Flagler College campus which was once Henry Flagler Hotel Pon de Leon and the nearby Lightner Museum and believe it or not I thought the Pirate Museum here was actually pretty cool I was expecting a bit of a tourist trap but I thought it was actually really well done and had a lot of fun there really enjoyed that place there's lots of interactive stuff to see and do in there and plenty of actual pirate artifacts too and of course the main thing you're going to want to see here in St Augustine is the castio de San Marcos this is the Fort that defended the town against invasions and pirates for centuries and has actually seen plenty of action over that time it's also part of the national park system and is absolutely something that everybody visiting St Augustine needs to see if you're only here for one day you really want to see the fort you want to prioritize that you won't be disappointed and of course there is a beach just over the bridge you'll find Anastasia Island State Park and a great Lighthouse and Museum that's worth a visit right over there too if you have the time ghost tours are also a pretty popular nighttime activity around here too if that's your thing the Oldtown area of St Augustine was not designed for cars obviously so getting around here by car can be pretty tough and parking in St Augustine is extremely limited I'd recommend using the Hop On Hop Off tour trams to get around or you can park at the Caso de San Marcos for I think $25 per hour and then just walk and explore the town by foot everything is pretty close to each other so this is a pretty walkable area Del R Beach inside Southeast Florida about midway between West pal and Fort Lauderdale Del R Beach is a popular little getaway spot that locals love for its artsy and funky Vibe the great local restaurant scene and of course a great Atlantic Coast beach Delray Beach has one of the coolest little downtowns in Florida with lots of art galleries and public art lots of great little local restaurants and bars all along Atlantic Avenue in the heart of town and the pineapple Grove Arts District is the cultural center of Delray Beach with a really fun mix of boutiques Beach art galleries and Spas this is a place where you can check out the work of local artists and maybe take a piece home I actually think local art always makes a great souvenir and aside from the beach of course the morakami museum and Japanese Gardens are the most popular attraction here in delay Beach this is a Japanese cultural History Museum and botanical garden and it's a great way to spend a peaceful day in the sunshine from Del re now let's head about 80 Mi North up the coast to another locally favorite Florida Beach getaway Vero Beach Vero Beach is a pretty laid-back area that's a nice little mix of culture outdoorsy activities golf courses and just relaxing in the sand it's a spot where Floridians will head you if we want a nice little Atlantic Coast getet away it's not too far from Orlando not too touristy but still has plenty to do aside from relaxing at the beach or playing in the waves the Indian River cuts right through town which makes for some great chances for some outdoor Adventures you can go kayaking or fishing and there's a pretty big system of nature trails right here for hiking and mountain biking the historic jungle Trail is a popular 8mile trail that runs from Pelican Island at National Wildlife Refuge the very first bird sanctuary in the country south through the Barrier Island through some really amazing Florida Coastal scenery Vero Beach also has several public golf courses some really nice public spaces like their Oceanside parks and mcke botanical garden and the Vero Beach Museum of Art are the two most popular attractions here and if you happen to be here in May while the Vero Beach Air Show is in town you'll get a chance to see the Blue Angels in person which is always an amazing thing to see Isa Morada and kargo for Floridians making the drive down to the Keys both Isa marata and kargo are popular places for a getaway it's not that long of a drive from South Florida the scenery is spectacular and it really almost starts to even feel like a different country down here the atmosphere and Vibe are just totally different in the keys than they are from the rest of the state I included both of these Keys here because while they're both kind of similar they each have a few different things they offer and depending on what you're into you might want to stay on one of these Keys over the other and they're only like 15 miles apart so it's really easy to see both while you're down here if you're coming down here for more water sports related stuff like snorkeling scuba diving or exploring the keys on a kayak keyara might be more your speed this is where John penic Camp Coral Reef state park is and it's one of the best scuba and snorkeling spots in the country kilargo also has a few more family friendly things to do like visiting the Dolphin Research Center and the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehab Center are both right here there's also a lot of cool mangrove forest and tunnels that you can explore by kayak you can bring your own down here or take a mangrove Forest Eco kayak tour with one of the different Outfitters down here Island Morada another island in the keys is just 15 Mi West and that might be the slightly better choice for those into boating and fishing island marada is actually nicknamed the sport fishing capital of the world for the huge variety of fish that can be caught right here sailfish Marlin Tarpon Bone Fish permit mahim Mahi they're all here in huge numbers the year round warm weather means the fishing never stops and lots of record fish have been caught right here in Isa marada you can also visit the theater of the sea and you can hand feed wild Tarpon from right under the docks at the world famous Robbies of Isa marada the keys can be pretty expensive though and accommodations are pretty limited down here most of the places are going to be small hotels Motel home rentals airbnbs stuff like that and believe it or not the keys don't really have much in the way of beaches that kind of surprises people there are a few but they're usually going to be pretty small compared to the beaches up on the peninsula and up in the Panhandle Cocoa Beach Floridians are drawn to Coco Beach usually for two big reasons surfing and spaceships this is some of the best surfing in Florida where surfing Legend Kelly Slater even got his start this is his hometown and it's home to the world famous t-shirt store ronjan Surf Shop which also sells surfboards I think but most people are just going to go there to buy the t-shirt and the bumper stick the breaks at Coco Beach aren't usually the biggest in Florida the biggest are usually going to be down at Sebastian Inlet but the waves at Coco Beach are usually pretty consistent and a great place for beginners and longboarders the beaches over on the Gulf Coast are usually pretty flat so a weekend over to this Coast is a popular little trip for Surfers chasing some Florida waves and I did say spaceships too Coco Beach is one of the closest beach towns to Cape Canaveral and some people will even try to plan their little Beach weekend around getting to see a launch from right up close you could always go to the cape itself and watch from one of the observation areas but right on the beach is also a pretty awesome spot to watch a rocket take off and with SpaceX launching stuff seemingly like all the time now it's easier than ever to witness a launch in person back during the space shuttle days launches were a lot less frequent so you really had to get the timing just right and hope that a launch doesn't get scrubbed and that's still a possibility bad weather or a technical issue could cancel launches so they're still not always a guarantee but they do go up a lot more often now so it's a lot easier to come back and try again now let's go even further up the Atlantic coast to another little Beach town that locals like to escape to for a relaxing little weekend on the beach Flagler Beach is in Northeast Florida it's about halfway between Daytona Beach and St Augustine it's a fairly quiet Beach town that doesn't really draw too many tourists and it's one of those places that still has a little a little bit of an old Florida feel to the place and that is exactly why locals love it this part of Florida quite honestly doesn't really have a bunch of attractions museums or any of that kind of stuff it's more of a laid-back place to come and just unwind enjoy the outdoors hang out at the beach read a book maybe go fishing that kind of stuff just a place to get away from it all that's still within a easy Drive of most people in Florida as of right now in early 2024 the fishing pier is still damaged from hurrian Ian but you can still go kayaking and fishing inshore along the matanzas river which is another great place to get on the backwaters and enjoy some really natural Florida scenery and one of my favorite things is just to go and take a scenic drive along A1A and stop for lunch at one of those little local waterfront restaurants along the way there's no big high-rise hotels or condos here just little Beachside towns that give off a very nostalgic feeling of Florida beach towns from decades ago and if you're in Flagler Beach make sure to go visit buo Plantation ruins historic State Park this was the location of a large early 19th century sugar Plantation that was destroyed in 1836 during the second seminal War and the charred Co brick ruins still stand here today it's a really interesting and really unique place to visit St Pete Beach and passag gril Beach now this is another personal favorite of mine and since I do live in the Tampa B area when my family are planning a beach day nine times out of 10 this is where we're going it has a really nice laidback but kind of funky Vibe and Passa Grill has a little beach bar that's right there on the sand that sometimes has live music art shows and little events happening things like that right on the waterfront it's also just been an easier Beach to find relatively easy parking that's still close to the beach I know a lot of locals to this area are going to be mad at me for spoiling the secret but I'll give this one away if you hung on and you you got this far so thanks and how about hitting that subscribe button too while you're here pasag gril Beach is technically considered part of St Pete Beach and this entire stretch of beach in pellis County from passag gril up to Treasure Island is very popular with locals looking for a beach getaway in this part of the state while avoiding some of the more popular places with Out of Towners like Clearwater Beach this stretch of beach towns right here has a lot of cool old architecture that's still hanging on to that 1950s and 1960s look so it still has a bit of nostalgic old Florida beach toown atmosphere and there's lots to do over here too it is a little bit touristy I will admit that because this is kind of a big area St Pete is kind of a big town so there's going to be a lot of touristy stuff and cheesy gift shops and things like that but there's kind of a lot to do too passag Grill beach at the end of St Pete Beach doesn't have any big highrises or condos and most of the accommodations are going to be small hotels and home rentals but just north of there you will find a lot more beachfront hotels and the most famous is the Don CeSar this is an iconic Pink Palace that opened back in the 1920s and it's appeared in quite a few TV shows and movies over the years it's pretty pricey to stay there but it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area it feels like stepping back into time into an F Scott Fitzgerald novel when you walk into the lobby and this beach is not far from downtown St Petersburg which I think might be one of the best downtowns in Florida St pet has a very artsy almost hipster Vibe even though I really hate using the word hipster to describe anything anymore but I I don't know what else to call it you know what I mean lots of art galleries music venues breweries the Salvador Dolly and the Chuli Museum are both right here and the whole downtown area is covered in cool art murals St Pete is really cool and it's really easy to get to if you're over here for a little beach weekend so that's going to do it for our list of places in Florida where Floridians like to go on vacation please let me know if you've been to any of these and which one is your favorite and maybe let us know if we missed any that you think we should call out or don't if you want to keep your secret spot a secret we totally get that and I would super appreciate it if you hit that Thumbs Up Button And subscribe and hit the notification Bell so you'll be notified the next time we post a video about fun things to do in Florida I will talk to you guys next time have a good one [Music]

Channel: Sunshine State Insider

Views: 845,357

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Id: J4SfO0X-H9A

Length: 20min 37sec (1237 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 15 2024