Best getaway vacation spots in Florida?

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LocknessMobster

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Hey Gaf Im gonna be planning a trip to Florida soon and was wondering what are your favorite vacation spots in Florida? Im personally looking for something a bit more secluded from the busy hustle of the big cities. Id like to mainly relax but also enjoy the ocean/activities and eat some great food. So far Ive looked into Key West and
St Pete Beach. Any recommendations? Any fav hotels/resorts in Key West or St Petes?
 
Haven't spent much time in Florida, but Naples, FL is very nice. Pretty laid back and uncongested, and it's very close to the Fort Myers airport.
 
Shadybiz said:
Haven't spent much time in Florida, but Naples, FL is very nice. Pretty laid back and uncongested, and it's very close to the Fort Myers airport.
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I second this. My wife has family in the area and it's a really nice spot to visit. It's on the gulf-side too, which tends to have prettier beaches, I believe!
 
C-Drive said:
Might could look into Port St Joe. Planned on a trip there I didn't end up taking.
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Seconded. My favorite place in the state to vacation at.

It's cheap, has a ton to offer for outdoors and water activities, and still the "forgotten coast."

OP, what time of the year are you looking to vacation at? Since you're planning soon, I'm guessing you're thinking Winter/Spring.
 
Valkyr Junkie said:
Seconded. My favorite place in the state to vacation at.

It's cheap, has a ton to offer for outdoors and water activities, and still the "forgotten coast."

OP, what time of the year are you looking to vacation at? Since you're planning soon, I'm guessing you're thinking Winter/Spring.
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Yes in May sometime.
 
A little north of Jacksonville (technically Georgia) is Cumberland Island. You take a ferry there, you can camp, it's super secluded, there are random horses running around and some abandoned torn mansions from the Civil War.

You could always go tubing down the Ichnetucknee, its super relaxing.
 
I live in Saint Augustine and I think this place is a nice spot to visit. It has touristy things, old buildings, museums, beaches, bars, food. It's not a big city, very small. It can feel pretty touristy tho, it's hardly some undiscovered secret. Come and be eternal
 
Cumberland Island is super awesome, if camping, empty beaches, wild horses, wild peacocks, wild aligators, and wild boars are of interest to you. Orlando is awesome for obvious reasons, but not if you want to be away from the hustle and bustle. Key West is great and there is some amazing food to be had in Miami. The beaches are going to be better on the gulf side.
 
We stayed in Titusville and enjoyed it. Not too far from Myrtle Beach, and there was a private beach ($5 per carload) not far from Titusville that we used quite often. Was not busy, and you had a great spot to view Kennedy Space Center from (which I'd highly recommend checking out).
 
For Spring Break a few decades ago, my husband and I would pack our primitive camping gear and spend the week on St George Island, a short drive southeast from Panama City. Very secluded - I think we saw only two or three other humans (at a distance) for the whole week. We swam with dolphins, fished, played in the sand, stargazed at night, and just enjoyed the peace; it ended-up becoming our usual Spring Break spot.
 
Valkyr Junkie said:
Seconded. My favorite place in the state to vacation at.

It's cheap, has a ton to offer for outdoors and water activities, and still the "forgotten coast."

OP, what time of the year are you looking to vacation at? Since you're planning soon, I'm guessing you're thinking Winter/Spring.
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Not to mention that it's peculiarly overlooked. Most people love to crowd Destin and Panama City, and there's no denying how beautiful those beaches are. But Port St. Joe is just as beautiful and way more low key.

Another place OP may want to look at is Dog Island. It's inaccessible by land, requiring a ferry in from Carrabelle. There are private charters and daily ferries to take you out there.

This place is for totally turning off. The one "hotel" on the island is more like a duplex and functions more as a place to stash your stuff, take naps and breaks from the sun, make drinks. It's closer to camping. There are no stores, so what you bring is what you have. The water isn't potable, so bring that. Cell phone reception was, in my case, nonexistent.

But if you like seclusion, waking up to families of dolphins in swimming distance and utter relaxation, this is the place.
 
I also suggest Port St. Joe and the "Forgotten Coast." It's absolutely beautiful and usually devoid of crowds. There's also a great pizza place in town, I do not remember the name though.
 
killertofu said:
A little north of Jacksonville (technically Georgia) is Cumberland Island. You take a ferry there, you can camp, it's super secluded, there are random horses running around and some abandoned torn mansions from the Civil War.

You could always go tubing down the Ichnetucknee, its super relaxing.
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Or, a little North of Jacksonville, right on the Georgia boarder. Fernandina Beach / Amelia island, where I'm from and shooting location of Pipi Longstocking.
 
Little bit of a necro bump, but I would love to have some more input from locals or people who have some experience there, as I will be going there with my GF in two weeks' time.
Already a good basis here but would love to expand on it !

We will be renting a car and cruising around Florida for 12 days :
we're arriving in Miami from New York, by plane, and were planning on staying there for 2days, then drive down and visit random stuff on the way to Key West, head up into the Everglades, go back up the "forgotten coast" and end up in Orlando where we depart.

Thanks

Obligatory :
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As a previous poster said, its hard to go wrong in Captiva. If you are looking for something more north, I would suggest Destin. If you want to relive the Truman Show, go to Seaside, Florida.
 
I've just come back from Miami Beach and had a blast but it was a lot of partying and drinking, maybe not what you are after. You should check out the beach though, plenty of places to eat and drink, I'd recommend the Abbey Brewing Company for a drink.

https://goo.gl/maps/LQQV2FFsmJx

And this French place for dinner.

https://goo.gl/maps/KTCKvGwbFa22

Between midtown and downtown Miami there is Wynwood Art District, every second Saturday of the month they have a lot of food trucks out there. It's a cool area to walk around in, some good bars, galleries and places to eat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynwood_Art_District
http://www.wynwoodmiami.com/
 
If you're looking at Key West, I always stay at the Southernmost Point Guest House. Best prices you'll find for a good room on the island, and it's on the quiet side of the island too.
 
Destin/Ft Walton beach area is very nice. My brother lived down there for a few years. It's part of the "Emerald Cost" on the gulf side of the ocean. Beautiful white sand beach and not as crazy as some of the other popular Florida beaches.
 
Darryl said:
I live in Saint Augustine and I think this place is a nice spot to visit. It has touristy things, old buildings, museums, beaches, bars, food. It's not a big city, very small. It can feel pretty touristy tho, it's hardly some undiscovered secret. Come and be eternal
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I've been there and it's an absolutely amazing little town! But it was pretty damn busy and touristy, even to an outsider. It was between Christmas and New Years though, so that could definitely be why. Not sure what it's like outside of the holidays, but if it's not that busy I would second this, I'd love to live there.
 
I would look into renting a vacation house on Anna Maria Island. It's never overwhelmingly crowded and they have great little shops and restaurants. Definitely a "get away from everything for a while" type of place.
 
Key West is super tiny so there isn't a ton of difference between the "quiet" side and the "busy" side. It's not really a place for a relaxed time but more bars, restaurants, and water sports type of spot. There's a lot of cool performers and such too.

If you want a more relaxed Keys experience, you'd probably want to look at something more in the Middle Keys.. maybe Marathon.
 
Big fan of Key West and St. Augustine. Rest of Florida I've seen (Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville) didn't do it for me.

I particularly like Key West because of its small size and great places to eat. Touristy in a more laid back and welcoming way.
 
If you're looking for a quite place I'd say St. Augustine. St. Pete/Clearwater for a little more lively beach area. I can't speak of Miami and the Keys, I haven't been there yet. I'd avoid Orlando and Jacksonville but that's me. I've only driven around the Space Coast/Daytona area but it was beautiful beach's with plenty of bars and restaurants. Take a look at Fort Myers also.
 
Sanibel and Captiva Islands

This is the Island Inn on Sanibel. Over 100 years old and completely empty most of the year. These photos were from our trip in 2013.

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Other options
- Naples
- Marco Island
- Merritt Island
- Amelia Island
- St. Augustine
- Clearwater
- St. Petersburg
- Ormond Beach
- New Symrna Beach
 
Florida is a larger state. Keep in mind the distance between places can be many hours.

You need to figure out where in FL you are actually going.

My family always went to Amellia Island which is right over the border into FL.

St. Augustine is nice too if you want a little more to do.

I love Saint George Island for something along the Panhandle that isn't crazy.

Also Anna Maria Island in Clearwater is great on the gulf side.

Key West is nice, but overrated for the actual beach part. Much better for boating, sailing, fishing, scuba diving ect... IMO.
 
Jest Chillin said:
Key West is super tiny so there isn't a ton of difference between the "quiet" side and the "busy" side. It's not really a place for a relaxed time but more bars, restaurants, and water sports type of spot. There's a lot of cool performers and such too.

If you want a more relaxed Keys experience, you'd probably want to look at something more in the Middle Keys.. maybe Marathon.
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While agree the middle keys are more relaxed, I disagree on Key West. The quiet parts of Key West can be more mellow. The north side of Duval St. is always going to be a party, but the further south you go, the more it slows down. I also especially love the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach.

If you want the best beach in the keys though, you need to go to Bahia Honda which isn't far from Key West.
 
HylianTom said:
For Spring Break a few decades ago, my husband and I would pack our primitive camping gear and spend the week on St George Island, a short drive southeast from Panama City. Very secluded - I think we saw only two or three other humans (at a distance) for the whole week. We swam with dolphins, fished, played in the sand, stargazed at night, and just enjoyed the peace; it ended-up becoming our usual Spring Break spot.
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Vanillalite said:
I love Saint George Island for something along the Panhandle that isn't crazy.
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We don't talk about Saint George, that's how we keep it peaceful.
 
Kaladin said:
While agree the middle keys are more relaxed, I disagree on Key West. The quiet parts of Key West can be more mellow. The north side of Duval St. is always going to be a party, but the further south you go, the more it slows down. I also especially love the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach.

If you want the best beach in the keys though, you need to go to Bahia Honda which isn't far from Key West.
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I lived there for a few years and even the South Side of the island can get crazy, especially since that's where the free public beach is. How busy/crazy it gets depends largely on the season and how the weather is in other parts of the country but generally the only actual quiet parts are residential or not on Key West itself.
 
Jest Chillin said:
I lived there for a few years and even the South Side of the island can get crazy, especially since that's where the free public beach is. How busy/crazy it gets depends largely on the season and how the weather is in other parts of the country but generally the only actual quiet parts are residential or not on Key West itself.
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Ah, I actually never experienced Smather's Beach in my time there other than riding by it. I enjoyed South Beach for a bit, but the fort was the best beach on the island for my money if I was to stay on the island.

In my experience though, the south side of Duval was never that bad, with the exception the southern most point buoy which always had a line of tourists wanting to take pictures. I wouldn't consider it a quiet vacation spot, but certainly a laid back experience when you compare it to the party atmosphere of north Duval St.
 
Kaladin said:
Ah, I actually never experienced Smather's Beach in my time there other than riding by it. I enjoyed South Beach for a bit, but the fort was the best beach on the island for my money if I was to stay on the island.

In my experience though, the south side of Duval was never that bad, with the exception the southern most point buoy which always had a line of tourists wanting to take pictures. I wouldn't consider it a quiet vacation spot, but certainly a laid back experience when you compare it to the party atmosphere of north Duval St.
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It's definitely contextually quiet when compared to North Duval but definitely not what I would consider a quiet vacation spot in general. That's not to say people can't enjoy their time there but it's a specific kind of town. During Spring Break a bit more like South Beach... during Fantasy Fest a bit more like Mardi Gras.. but hardly ever is it a lounge-in-a-hammock-all-day-and-only-see-a-handful-of-people kind of place.
 
purg3 said:
Destin/Ft Walton beach area is very nice. My brother lived down there for a few years. It's part of the "Emerald Cost" on the gulf side of the ocean. Beautiful white sand beach and not as crazy as some of the other popular Florida beaches.
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I agree! And this time of year, it's not too bad. The work traffic is kinda crappy on Highway 98 from like 4 to 7, but other than that, it's kind of nice now. Traffic will get real bad around spring break and obviously summer.

It is pretty low key here. We have 2 Air Force bases and the Naval base is in Pensacola, which is about an hour drive away from Fort Walton Beach. The Naval museum is pretty awesome and free!

If you stay more toward Destin, there is more to do and places to see. More food options and touristy stuff to do. If you want to do a bit of driving, you can head to Panama City or go down 30A down to Seaside or Watercolor. It's beautiful down there.

Beaches are nice, but it's pretty damn cold out there now. Also lots of seafood places to eat that aren't chains.
 
Thanks for all the input folks, we're starting to get a clearer picture of where we want to go.
We'll be there late january, early february so I don't think we'll be able to enjoy swimming too much (although the water temperatures don't seem so bad right now, slightly hotter and it's our usual european sea temperature!), but if we can get lucky on / or around Key West and sneak in a day or two of beach & swimming that would be lovely.

We'll definitely visit the Gulf Coast as it seems to have some great places / sights with a relaxing atmosphere.
 
Zee-Row said:
St Pete and Clearwater beach are so underrated. You should go there if you wanna avoid the hassle of South Beach.
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Yes! Come here and see me~!

St. Petersburg was something of a miniature mecca of tourism a while back, but it kind of fell off the radar for a slew of reasons. Still, places like John's Pass continually attract a crowd.
 
Zee-Row said:
St Pete and Clearwater beach are so underrated. You should go there if you wanna avoid the hassle of South Beach.
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Clearwater is fine if you only visit the nicer parts and ignore the trash that surrounds the area.
I agree St. Pete is legit and much better since they've upgraded a good portion of the city.

St. Augustine is fun to visit for the history and the unique vibe it has.
 
St. Augustine is probably the best spot since there's so much to see.
Tampa Bay area is second just because of the convenience of having a lot of cool spots fairly close to one another (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tampa).
 
Key west is the opposite of laid back. It's a very touristy (yet fun) destination. Always crowded even in the off months thanks to cruise ships

If you want something a little more secluded/relaxing I'd go with Sanibel or Captiva

If you are looking for a place that is relaxing but also has close proximity to a small city. St Augustine beach is really nice. You can hang out at the beach most of the day, and then hit the city at night.
 
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