15 Things You NEED To Do On Your Trip To Florida
[ AD | This post was sponsored by Visit Florida ]
Heading to Florida soon but not sure how to spend your time there? I've got you covered with 15 of the BEST things to do in Florida!
So you're planning or have booked a trip to Florida and you're not *quite sure what to do whilst you're there? Right? Right.
Well listen up kids, I've got you covered! In this post I'm sharing my top 15 things to do in Florida, from driving the Keys, swimming with Manatees, shopping until you drop at the designer outlets to releasing your inner child in Disney!
Having recently got back from an EPIC 9-day road trip (you can check out my route guide HERE if you're planning a road trip and wondering what route to take!), I have SO many things I'd love to share from our trip, that I think you guys would absolutely LOVE to do on your upcoming trip to Florida! Whether you're into parks, shopping, adventure or chill time - there's something for everyone in this post!
Let's get started - 15 things you NEED to do in Florida!...
1.) Drive down to The Keys: Okay, I HAD to start with this as it was by far my favourite part of our road trip (I mean just LOOK at that water!!), we drove from Miami down to Marathon (a two and a half hour journey) and back in one day and it was SO worth it. I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting Florida - it's a MUST! (P.s we didn't stay over we just did the round trip in one day, it's totally doable from Miami and so worth hiring a car from Hertz to complete your road trip to The Keys!).
2.) Visit Wynwood Walls in Miami: If you're planning to spend some time in Miami then Wynwood Walls is a MUST! It's a super cool area, packed full of delicious restaurants, hip bars and wall lined with colourful murals - makes for a great picture spot too ;)
3.) Eat at DIRT in Miami: One of the best meals we had during our road trip across Florida, had to be at DIRT in Miami.. oh my GOD the food was delicious!! DIRT pride themselves on offering super healthy food, that doesn't compromise on taste! If you're in Miami then this is a MUST (they have two locations - we opted for the Bay Road location and loved it!).
Murals at Wynwood Walls and our delicious dinner at DIRT in Miami!
4.) Do some shopping at Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets: Kat and I spent our last afternoon in Orlando having lunch and shopping at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets! They had SO many bargains, we had a great shop! I picked up a delicious Michael Kors bag which was $350 and cost me just $90 (approx £60 at the time of purchase.. WINNING!). If you're looking for a little retail therapy whilst in Florida, I'd highly recommend checking out this outlet mall for some great offers!
5.) Ride the ICON Orlando 360 wheel: On our last night in Orlando we took a trip on the ICON Orlando 360 wheel (it takes 22 minutes to complete the full circle). We timed it so that we would watch sunset whilst up on the wheel and it was such a beautiful way to spend our last night (oh, and we had prosecco too, so it really was a dreamy evening!). If you're heading to Orlando then I'd highly recommend a visit!
6.) Visit the Kennedy Space Center: Okay this is an absolute MUST if you're heading for Florida!! Kat and I spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center and it was SO MUCH FUN! From meeting an Astronaut, to learning about the history and walking around the rocket garden - we absolutely loved every second of our visit and I'd love to go back one day!!
7.) Visit Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom: We spent the day at Magic Kingdom and LOVED it! I'd wanted to visit Walt Disney World since I was little and it was such a dream to see Cinderella's castle in real life! The rides in this park were super fun too; Splash Mountain and the Seven Dwarf Mine Train were my favourites!
8.) Go on safari in Animal Kingdom: On our first day at Walt Disney World we decided to check out Animal Kingdom, a personal highlight for me had to be going on animal safari in 'Africa'. Our tour guide was great and super informative - the pink flamingos were my favourite!
9.) Dine at Disney Springs: Each day we'd head to Disney Springs to grab some lunch or dinner as they had SO much choice! One day we check out Blaze Fast Fired Pizza (delicious fire baked pizzas - super affordable too!), and on our last night we went to Morimoto Asia for Sushi which was yummy!
If you're looking for somewhere to eat or shop, then I'd highly recommend Disney Springs - they had SO much option, there really is something for everyone here!
Above: waiting for our shuttle to the parks from Disney's Beach Resort | Left to right: Animal Kingdom | Magic Kingdom | Enjoying our Blaze Fast Fired Pizza at Disney Springs!
10.) Stay at Disney's Beach Resort: We spent three wonderful nights at the Disney Beach Resort and absolutely loved it! If you're looking to visit Walt Disney World then I'd highly recommend staying at the Disney Beach Resort - there is a free shuttle service that runs from the hotel to the parks which saves you working about driving!
11.) Explore the beautiful beaches of Hobe Sound, Martin County: During our time in Martin County we explored the beautiful beaches of Hobe Sound (pictured above) - soft white sand, a gentle wave and the bluest of skies. The beaches here were stunning and the perfect place to visit for a little R&R during your trip to Florida!
12.) Visit the Blowing Rocks Preserve, Martin County: Another place we stopped off at in Martin County was the Blowing Rocks Preserve, sit and watch the waves crash up against the rocks (makes for a great picture!), and wander the nature trail - a great place to spend an afternoon (pictured right).
13.) Stay at the Hutchinsons Shores Resort & Spa: During our visit to Martin County we spent two nights at the stunning Hutchinson Shores Beach Resort & Spa and loved every moment! The hotel was super impressive, from it's beach front location, to ocean inspired decor, delicious restaurant and two swimming pools - this was a great place to stop and I'd highly recommend a stay if you're planning to visit Martin County on your trip to Florida! (Pictured below).
14.) Swim with Manatees in Crystal River: My other favourite experience from our road trip; swimming with Manatees! We spent the night at the Plantation on Crystal River and arose early to swim with them in their natural habitat and it was such a magical experience! I'd highly recommend booking a tour with Plantation Adventure Center if you're thinking of swimming with Manatees - they were great and you even get hot chocolate on the boat after your swim! ;)
15.) Visit the Three Sisters Springs: If you're not planning to get in and swim with the Manatees then don't worry as you can still head to the Three Sisters Springs, take a stroll around the beautiful board walk and spot the Manatees in their natural habitat! (Even if you are planning to swim with the Manatees then I'd still recommend doing this - it's great to see them from both perspective!).
There we have it my loves - 15 things you NEED to do on your next trip to Florida! If Florida is a destination that you're thinking of visiting, then I truly hope this post inspires you to book the trip, I didn't really know what to expect from Florida, but we had the time of your lives! If you're planning a road trip then check out my 9-day road trip guide HERE to see which route we took!
[ We booked our car hire through Hertz HERE (highly recommend them, they're really affordable and we've had two amazing American road trips with their cars!). Our flights were booked with Norwegian, one of my favourite airlines! You can book with them HERE! ]
*This trip was organised by Visit Florida, our car hire and flights were organised as a part of our trip and this blog post was kindly sponsored by Visit Florida. All opinions are my own, and all images are by my beautiful friend Kat.
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