The Ultimate Florida Road Trip

I have taken many road trips, but my favorite road trip by far would have to be my Florida trip. I have taken road trips to Utah, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida. Although I love exploring all different areas, I find myself always wanting to take more and more road trips to Florida.

It is important to have a plan when you take a road trip to Florida since there is so much to do. You can’t possibly hit all of the amazing destinations in Florida in one single road trip. I am going to go over what I like to consider the ultimate Florida road trip.

Destin

The first place I started was in Destin. This is a gorgeous beach that is not too crowded, but there is still a lot to do. I heard great things about Destin before I went, and I was very surprised at the amount of shopping, restaurants, and attractions that were here.

I would recommend going to Crab Island. This is a place to anchor your boats and just hang out in the water. There were bars on the beach with bartenders serving drinks. It was a fun experience to be able to be served drinks while hanging out in the water.

Clearwater

Clearwater was the next big place we stopped. This was also an awesome experience. There were many people parasailing, kayaking, and paddle boarding around. I was impressed with how calm the water was. It made for fun water activities.

We read about Pier 60 before we went to Clearwater so we had to check it out. It was a fun place to hang out at night. There were some entertaining street performers and vendors that were impressive.

One thing I was really happy that we checked out was Caladesi Island. We took a ferry there and hung out on the beach for a little bit. This was more of a secluded island, but it was a very relaxing place.

Tampa

After Clearwater, we made the short trip to Tampa to catch a Rays baseball game. I’m a big baseball fan, so I really enjoyed this part of the road trip. We didn’t do a whole lot more in Tampa, but if you are a baseball fan too, I would recommend catching a game at Tropicana Field.

Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island was the only place that I really wasn’t too impressed with. I think this was a combination between it being a rainy and cloudy day, and that I was a little overhyped for it. I was expecting a lot out of Sanibel Island, but all I was really able to experience was a lot of traffic, rain, and an average beach. Not that I would recommend against going here since my experience is a little skewed, but I was expecting a little more.

Miami

I’ll be honest, I was a little bit nervous to go to Miami, but I had a great time here. I want to find an area that had a little more nightlife, and Miami provided just that. We spent about a half day in Miami. We hung out on the beach for a portion of the day and went out on the town at night. Big cities often times intimidate me, but I had a great experience on the beach and in the city.

Universal Studios in Orlando

The last thing we did on this ultimate Florida road trip, was going to Universal Studios in Orlando. I have been to Universal more times than I can count and I always enjoy my time here. We always get a 2 park pass for Universal and Island of Adventures.

I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a great place to relax, because of all of the activities and people around, but it is a very entertaining and fun place to be. If you are a fan of theme parks and have not been to Universal yet, it is an absolute must see.

The Harry Potter world is such a fun place to check out, even if you are not a die-hard Harry Potter fan. It is just so impressive to see what has all gone into that area of the park. This was a great experience and a great way to end our ultimate Florida road trip.

About the Author

My name is Tyler Nalbach. I love to travel, specifically in Florida. I like to explore new areas and share my experiences with others. I love to provide travel tips for people looking for new, exciting areas to travel.