Day-Trippin'..."Florida Style!"

Southwest Florida
The southwest coast of Florida features one eccentric Florida beach enclave after another. Roaming through the region's coastal villages and small barrier islands, wayside wanderers will find pirate hideouts, unusual pioneer settlements and famous winter retreats. Many of the area's most unique, off-the-beaten-path locales are best reached by boat and best navigated on foot or by bicycle.

In Fort Myers, visitors biking or driving down McGregor Boulevard will soon discover how the town came to be known as the "City of Palms." Originally a cattle trail, the scenic boulevard is now lined by nearly 1,800 royal palms, some planted by the city's famed winter resident Thomas Edison. Edison's mark can be seen elsewhere in the picturesque city. Beyond his famed winter estate, travelers can explore the Edison Park subdivision and find the Thomas Edison Congregational Church as well as an assortment of Mediterranean revival, neoclassical and Greek revival homes dating back to the turn of the century.

Visit the Sanibel Island Historical Village and Museum, which showcases the island's history with special touches such as a pioneer-vintage island residence and 1920s-versions of a general store, post office and tea room. Or stop by the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum for a dazzling display of shells that wash up on Sanibel  island. At the east end of Periwinkle Way, travelers can get an up-close look at one of the region's most photographed landmarks, the Sanibel Island Lighthouse, which dates back to 1884 when the entire island was a wildlife refuge. Its two adjacent stilt houses are typical of Florida architecture at the turn of the century.

Next, island hop to a string of colorful communities with histories as retreats for the rich and famous. Situated at Mile marker 60 in the Intracoastal Waterway, Cabbage Key is actually a 100-acre ancient Calusa Indian shell mound. Accessible only by boat, the island centers around a white clapboard inn built by mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart and her son in 1938. Today, the inn offers rustic guest rooms and cottages, plus a restaurant wallpapered entirely in autographed $1 bills. According to legend, a local fisherman tacked the first one to the wall so he would be guaranteed a cold beer on his next visit. Subsequent visitors followed suit, and today an estimated $225,000 covers the walls. The inn's famous clientele, past and present, includes Ernest Hemingway, Walter Cronkite and Julia Roberts. Music fans will be interested to know it was the inn's delectable fare that inspired Jimmy Buffet's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Daytrippers can enjoy the inn's hospitality and climb a wooden water tower for a spectacular view of Pine Island Sound.

Tucked amid the Ten Thousand Islands strung along the southernmost reaches of the Gulf of Mexico, visitors will find Marco Island, Fl. Although today a popular Florida beach vacation destination, Marco Island still retains remnants from its days as a turn-of-the-century Indian trading post. Visitors can dine at Olde Marco Island Inn, a quaint gathering place for islanders since 1883, or stop by Smallwood's Store, a 1906 general-store-turned-museum that displays old patent medicines, ledgers and hand tools, plus pelts and hides once swapped for supplies.

For more ancient and mysterious sights, visit the remains of the Marco Island witch's watchtower, remnants of the Caxambas clam colony, ancient Indian burial mounds or the Cushing Archaeological Site, where 3,500-year-old Native American artifacts have been unearthed. On the mainland, Everglades City, known as "the town where time stood still," breathes the legacy of Indians, poachers and gun-runners. The town's historical centerpiece is the Rod and Gun Club , a grand Southern lodge built in 1840 by fur traders. Now a 17-room inn with an eccentric eatery, the club offers visitors a wide veranda where they can sit in the same surroundings that once hosted millionaires and dignitaries such as President Roosevelt. 

Southeast Florida
Florida's Gold Coast features numerous small towns and communities offering a variety of extraordinary pursuits to passers-by. Unique sporting events await visitors to Palm Beach County. Join in a game of croquet, but be forewarned - locals take this game very seriously. Of the 250 clubs around the country, 16 are located in Palm Beach County. Spend a Sunday watching a polo match at one of several area polo grounds. Called "the sport of kings," royalty and celebrities alike flock to the matches played from December through April.

In Coconut Creek, families will encounter Butterfly World, one of the most unusual zoos in the world. Wonder through aviaries where thousands of brilliantly colored butterflies fly freely, explore a tropical rain forest and hanging garden and marvel at the hummingbird exhibit. Visitors can also learn the secrets of "butterfly gardening" - attracting certain species with specific plants and flowers.

Just west of Fort Lauderdale travelers can stop in the "western" town of Davie, where every structure must be built to a western theme and even the McDonald's has hitching posts and a "ride-thru" for resident cowboys on horseback. The 5,000-seat Davie Rodeo Arena sports local cowboy action every Thursday night, and the Jackpot Rodeo is the real McCoy, complete with steer-wrestling, calf-roping and bull-riding. Davie is also the place to come for horseback riding, with miles of trails for exploring and stables with both English- and Western-style riding.

In the western reaches of Broward County, Fl, Seminole Indian traditions are alive and well and being preserved at several distinctive parks. At Sawgrass Recreation Park, in the Everglades, visitors can witness daily life in an 18th-century Indian village and taste authentic Indian dishes at the park's cafe. Off Alligator Alley, 23 miles west of Fort Lauderdale, Billie Swamp Safari offers a host of adventures, including an eco-tour by swamp buggy, folklore storytelling around the campfire and an overnight stay in a thatched Chickee hut.

Run by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the park also features guided hiking tours, reptile and alligator exhibits and sunset canoe rides. And at the Seminole Indian Bingo and Casino in Hollywood, visitors can win up to $200,000 in high-stakes bingo games, or try their luck at poker games and video pull-tab machines.

The cultural diversity that defines Miami today opens the door to a world of new experiences for visitors. Slightly off Miami main thoroughfares, travelers will find distinct ethnic enclaves that are worth a visit. South of downtown Miami, Little Havana is the hub of the Greater Miami's vibrant Cuban community. Here, the chimneys and porch piers of single-family bungalows are made of native coral limestone, and the Cuban restaurants serve mouth-watering picadillo and arroz con pollo. To the north, visitors can sample Little Haiti's singular island heritage at the Caribbean Marketplace, an award-winning, brilliantly colored building inspired by the Iron Marketplace of Port-au-Prince. Some two dozen shops offer Caribbean arts and crafts, African-inspired clothing and exotic ice creams and juices.

Northwest Florida
While sugar-white Florida beaches and emerald-green waters are the main Florida attractions for many visitors, the Pensacola area is home to hundreds of unique architectural treasures for those who seek something different. Veer off the beach roads and head for the city's three picturesque historic districts to discover a fascinating collection of restored homes, shops, restaurants and museums. The city's old jailhouse is among the converted structures now housing eclectic museums of art and history.

But if pristine expanses of sand and surf are the order of the day, drive southeast of Pensacola to Santa Rosa Island. Here, visitors will find low-key beach community living blended with miles of white sandy seashore and bits of Pensacola history. The Fort Pickens area, at the island's western tip, is a hub of seashore activities. Built more than 160 years ago, Fort Pickens figured prominently in the Civil War and later served as a prison for the famous Indian chief Geronimo. Carefully preserved, the fort is now open to visitors. Nature trails, campgrounds and a fishing pier add to the area's natural appeal. Past Santa Rosa Island's more popular public recreation areas, Navarre Beach offers miles of secluded Florida beaches where sun-worshipers can quietly commune with nature.

The century-old community of Grayton Beach, with its sand streets and wooden houses made of weathered cypress, is full of surprising contrasts. Adventurous wanderers will discover places like Patrone's, a working artist colony, with small studios featuring everything from handcrafted furniture to hand-painted children's clothes. Or Monet Monet, a spectacular re-creation of Claude Monet's home and garden in Giverny, France.

While in the nouveau-Victorian town of Seaside, visitors will find Mediterranean-style outdoor markets selling everything from fresh fruit to contemporary art.

Although Panama City's 27 miles of Florida beaches and entertainment venues can keep any visitor busy, it's worth a trip off the main drag to explore the unusual Museum of Man in the Sea. Here, visitors will be dazzled by the 500-year-old treasures recovered from sunken ships off area beaches. Underwater adventurers will want to explore one of the most famous dive sites in Northwest Florida, the sunken British tanker Empire Mica. This and other shipwrecks off Panama City Beach attract a wide variety of sea life, including vibrant yellow angelfish, 6-foot manta rays and huge loggerhead sea turtles.

The Apalachicola working waterfront charm and historically significant structures provide a rare glimpse into Florida's past. On a scenic walking tour of more than 200 historic sites, visitors will pass stately Greek Revival homes dating from the 1830s, cotton warehouses that once housed the city's prosperous cotton export, and the unusual sponge exchange, where the thriving sponge industry was once headquartered. At the nearby Victorian-era Gibson Inn, visitors can lounge on a wide veranda overlooking the Florida Apalachicola Bay.

Northeast Florida
In this region of Florida, small towns are the norm and large cities the exception. Tucked off seaside roads and backcountry rural routes are the special hidden places that add to the unique appeal of Florida's First Coast.

For a scenic drive along the Northeast Florida coast, follow the historic Buccaneer Trail on its 52-mile trek past some of the area's most renowned historical and natural sites, such as Little Talbot Island State Park and the Kingsley Plantation. Along the picturesque route, from Mayport to Ponte Vedra Beach lie quaint oceanfront towns known collectively as "The Florida Beaches." Ships of all sorts still set sail from the historic fishing village of Mayport, strategically situated where the St. Johns River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors can hop aboard the Mayport ferry for a scenic trip to Fort George, or head out to sea on a casino boat cruise. The nearby Mayport Naval Station offers visitors a tour of destroyers and frigates.

Further south, Jacksonville Beach always attracts plenty of Florida beach combers, but history buffs will find the town is worth a visit as well. The Pablo Historical Park explores the role of the Florida East Coast Railway in developing the area and offers guided tours of historic buildings. Over at the American Lighthouse Museum, visitors can gaze at authentic scale models of famous lighthouses and view more than 300 oil paintings, many dating from the 1800s.

In Ponte Vedra Beach, active vacationers can enjoy world-famous fairways and championship tennis courts. The prestigious home of the PGA Tour headquarters, Ponte Vedra Beach offers visitors the opportunity to play the same courses that challenge professional golfers. The area also features premier tennis facilities, such as the ATP Tour International Headquarters, where many of the world's greatest players train. Guests at select resorts can also use the facility.

The Buccaneer Trail ends in , where 300-year-old stone forts and opulent turn-of-the-century hotels provide visitors with plenty to explore even before they reach the beach. But just across the historic Bridge of Lions from St. Augustine lie the Florida beaches of Anastasia Island, where sabal palms and sea oats grow wild on 15-foot-high dunes. On the way to the surf, take a slight sidestep to the distinctive candy-striped St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum. Purported to be the site of Florida's first lighthouse, the view from the top is worth the climb. 

Southwest of St. Augustine, along the banks of the St. Johns River, Putnam County offers quiet, unassuming historic sites, like the Bronson Mullholland House , the Putnam Historic Museum and the David Browning Memorial Railroad Museum. At these small museums, exhibits tell of the story of Putnam County, including the impact of the Civil War, the advent of steamboat travel along the St. Johns River and the gilded age of the Flagler Railroad.

Azaleas bloom in odd places at Ravine State Gardens, in Palatka. The 182-acre botanical garden is set in a deep ravine along the banks of the St. Johns River and features camellias, azaleas and other flowers. Walking trails lead around the ravine and along a spring-fed creek at the ravine's bottom.

West Central Florida
Dotting the region's coastline, a host of unique diversions await on the roads less traveled. Down scenic bayfront avenues and tucked off quiet Gulf Florida beaches, gilded architecture, ethnic enclaves and historic villages can be explored at a leisurely pace reminiscent of a by-gone era.

Rising above the Hillsborough River, the six silver onion-shaped minarets atop the former Tampa Bay Hotel are the first clue that travelers are approaching a hallmark of the city's gilded age. The former hotel, with its distinctive Moorish architecture, still stands but now operates as the University of Tampa, with one wing - the Henry B. Plant Museum - furnished as it was in the late 1800s. Visitors can wander through opulent rooms, such as the restored parlor suite, domed dining room and magnificent solarium. The museum also showcases Victorian art, furniture and fashions. 

For another fine example of ornamented architecture, tour the Florida Tampa Theatre, a restored 1926 movie palace, built to resemble a Moorish courtyard, complete with colonnades, balconies and Greek and Roman sculpture replicas.
Interesting museums nearby include the Tampa Museum of Art, specializing in classical antiquities and showcasing Florida's acclaimed and emerging artists; and the Tampa Bay History Center, featuring exhibits on the area's historical and multicultural influences. Visit these and other cultural sites on walking tours of the city's art and architecture.

Across the bay, St. Petersburg's trolley service provides travelers with easy access to a variety of downtown cultural treasures. Stops along the route include the world-famous Salvador Dali Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of works by the Spanish surrealist; the Florida International Museum, the state's premier museum for blockbuster exhibitions such as the "Treasures of the Czars" and "Titanic: The Exhibition" and Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a waterfront Mediterranean villa and noted for its collection of French impressionist paintings.

Since relocating from nearby Madeira Beach, the Tampa Bay Holocaust Memorial Museum and Educational Center, which features a concentration camp boxcar from Treblinka, Poland, has been added to the trolley's route. And near downtown St. Petersburg, one of Florida's original roadside attractions still thrives. Sunken Gardens features an exotic collection of more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers as well as a walk-through aviary, wax museum of biblical characters and gator wrestling shows.

Pinellas County's particular blend of culture and history is also wonderfully preserved in several vibrant communities awaiting discovery. Strolling through Tarpon Springs, vacationers get the impression they are visiting a seaside Mediterranean village. Here, the aroma of freshly baked Greek pastries and festive melodies fill the air, while fisherman and shopkeepers exchange greetings in Greek. This special flavor is an outgrowth of one of Florida's most fascinating, one-of-a-kind industries - sponge diving. Considered "America's Sponge Capital" at the turn of the century, Tarpon Springs has retained the colorful traditions and atmosphere introduced by Greek sponge divers over a hundred years ago. Today, visitors can explore the Sponge Exchange, once the "Wall Street for Sponges," now converted into a shopping and dining district featuring Greek foods and handicrafts. Learn about the history of the community at the Spongeorama or get a first-hand look at a diver harvesting sponges on sightseeing cruises. Nearby, visitors can marvel at the neo-Byzantine architecture of Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral St., featuring Grecian marble, elaborate icons and exquisite stained glass windows.

Wandering down Sarasota County's shimmering Gulf Coast, travelers will find fragrant gardens and numerous small towns offering quiet and refreshing points of interest. Overlooking Sarasota Bay, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens fills nine tranquil acres with more than 20,000 colorful plants in 20 distinct garden areas. Renowned for its rain forest canopy research, the garden also features 6,000 orchids, a banyan grove, bamboo pavilion and butterfly garden. Nearby, Sarasota Jungle Gardens showcases lush tropical vegetation and exotic waterfowl as well as a petting zoo and Sarasota shell museum.

At Historic Spanish Point in Osprey, visitors can explore a late Victorian-era pioneer homestead, Native American burial mound, archaeological dig, 19th-century chapel and cemetery and the remnants of a turn-of-the-century estate's formal gardens. Further south, the delightful island village of Venice offers Florida beaches that are rarely crowded and avenues graced by northern Italian architecture and fine shopping centers. In North Port, visitors can take a rejuvenating dip in one of nature's original health spas, Warm Mineral Springs. Relax in 87-degree, mineralized water that soothes aches and pains right away.

Driving along the fresh-smelling back roads of Florida's three Nature Coast counties - Citrus, Hernando and Pasco - travelers will be enchanted by glimpses of small-town America. The Floral City village-like atmosphere is accentuated by the Avenue of Oaks, a cathedral of trees planted in the 1880s. The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, located in the Citrus County town of Hernando, is also worth a stop. Baseball buffs will love the museum's memorabilia and may even catch sight of Williams himself, who lives nearby and annually picks new inductees into his hall of fame. At Skydive City in nearby Zephyrhills, adventurous vacationers can leave the beaten path altogether for the experience of a lifetime. Join the ranks of skydiving enthusiasts who travel from across the globe to the world-famous "drop zone" for a plunge through Pasco's brilliant blue skies. Expert training, full equipment, group rates and video and photography services are available.