Florida Travel guide

Florida is a state that has built its entire identity around tourism. Why should you come here? Because it is the one place everyone else has visited as well. 

That may not sound like much of a reason to travel to anywhere, but if you can’t swap stories about the lines at Disney World, the mosquitoes in the Everglades, the cold spring water at Ichetucknee, or the superiority of the white sand beaches of the Panhandle, well, I’m sorry my friend, but you’re just out of the loop. 

Florida culture 

With 16 million citizens and 170,000 square kilometers of land, Florida is as large and as varied as a medium-sized country, and as such can’t be seen in a weekend. It has been said that to truly understand a culture (and Florida has several), one must spend months immersed in it. With Florida this is a dangerous proposition. Many people who come to visit end up staying for the rest of their lives-which can make a person a little crazy. 

Florida, of course, is known for many things: the Everglades; the sun, sand, and surf that make up Florida’s 1500 kilometers of beaches; the Florida Keys; South Beach, the trendiest place in the world at the moment; and, oh yes, Disney World. But there is much more. 

Further south you’ll come to world-famous Daytona Beach, as well as the site of the American space agency, NASA, in Brevard County–well worth seeing. Central Florida is dominated by Orlando and its well known coterie of theme parks, including Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and more tourist attractions than you can shake a stick at. 

Transports in Florida

Florida is astonishingly compact, and facile to get around by car: crossing among the east and west coasts takes a couple of hours, and one of the longest travels, between the western extremity of the Panhandle and Miami, can be taken in a day. Public transportation, on the other hand, needs adroit advance planning. Greyhound buses connect all principal towns and cities, with both Miami and Orlando well served; but several rural areas and some of the most enjoyable sections of the coast are not linked.

Florida’s important interstate highways contain I-95, which operates north to south along the east coast, I-10, which operates from Jacksonville in the east through the panhandle to the west, and I-75, which accedes the state from Georgia and operates south across Tampa and along the Gulf coast. United States. Highway 1 is a historic and scenic highway which develops in Key West and continues up the east coast. This Florida Map site contains a detailed road map of the state, showing interstate, federal, and state highways.

Eating in Florida

Local specialties diverge from region to region; Jacksonville is well-known for barbeque, Miami for fine Cuban cuisine. Ethnic cuisines of all kinds can be observed throughout the state, containing good ol’ Southern cuisine in the northern part of the state. Seafood, even so, is king.

Typical American chain restaurants

Florida has a vast overgrowth of typical American chain restaurants. Circumvent these except in cases of extreme hunger; local restaurants will always dish superior food. Haute cuisine is served at a number of restaurants throughout the state, but especially in and around the wealthy enclaves of Miami Beach, Naples, and Palm Beach. You’ll pay for it, but the food is exquisite.

Cuban and Brazilian cuisine

For the visitor on a more realistic budget, there are several of ethnic restaurants around the state. In south Florida, be sure to dine on some authentic Cuban cuisine. Haitian and Brazilian restaurants are becoming progressively common in parts of Fort Lauderdale and Miami as well; both are worth a taste for the more adventurous diner.

Greek, Italian, Indian and Filipino cuisine

Greek communities in Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and the Fort Lauderdale area provide fine Greek and Mediterranean restaurants, while authentic Italian food can be had during the Miami metro area. Indian and Thai restaurants are becoming more ordinary in the state’s metropolitan areas; Jacksonville is known for its sizable Filipino community and Filipino cuisine. If you keep kosher, you’ll possess no trouble in South Florida, and will notice a perhaps surprising variety in the state’s other population centers. Vegetarian meals are dished at almost any restaurant; vegan dining can be harder, if not impossible in the north of the state.