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Northeast Florida

The northeast corner of Florida is a jumble of farmland, forests and pasture, urban sprawl and college towns, built-up beaches and bucolic sea islands. You'll find spots like Amelia Island – a natural escape for the country-club crowd – a mere hour's drive north from Jacksonville, one of the most spread out, sprawling cities in the country. Hit the road for a little more and you're in Gainesville, peppered with fair-trade coffee shops and craft cocktail bars (and, to be fair, a raucous fraternity-friendly party scene).

St Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied city in the US, has something for everyone – history, architecture, culture, a gamut of excellent dining and plenty of kid-friendly tourist schmaltz. Further south, you'll find odd-duck antique-laden small towns and (hey, it's Florida) more miles of soft, sandy beach.

Explore Northeast Florida

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northeast Florida.

  • Stadium

    Daytona International Speedway

    The Holy Grail of raceways has a diverse race schedule. Ticket prices skyrocket for good seats at big races, headlined by the Daytona 500 in February. It…

  • Museum

    Florida Museum of Natural History

    The highlight of this excellent natural-history museum is the expansive Butterfly Rainforest (adult/child $13/6). Hundreds of butterflies from 55 to 65…

  • Museum

    Lightner Museum

    Henry Flagler's former Hotel Alcazar is home to this wonderful museum with a little bit of everything, from ornate Gilded Age furnishings to collections…

  • Museum

    Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

    This handsome museum, Jacksonville's premier cultural space, has an excellent collection of American and European paintings, Asian decorative art and…

  • State Park

    Blue Spring State Park

    The largest spring on the St Johns River, Blue Spring maintains a constant 72°F. Between November and March it becomes the winter refuge for up to 200…

  • State Park

    Ichetucknee Springs State Park

    Relax in a giant inner tube and float through gin-clear waters at this popular park, plopped on the lazy, spring-fed Ichetucknee River.

  • Landmark

    Bat House & Bat Barn

    Across from Gainesville's little Lake Alice, adjacent to a student garden, stands what appears to be two oversized birdhouses. However, these stilted gray…

  • Landmark

    Fort Matanzas National Monument

    The tiny, 1742-built Fort Matanzas National Monument is located on Rattlesnake Island, near where Menéndez de Avilés executed hundreds of shipwrecked…

  • State Park

    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Wild horses and bison roam the 20 biological communities that constitute 21,000-acre Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. This slightly eerie preserve's…

  • Museum

    Villa Zorayda Museum

    Looking like a faux Spanish castle from a medieval theme park, this gray edifice was built out of a mix of concrete and local coquina shells in 1883. The…

  • State Park

    De Leon Springs State Park

    Fifteen minutes north of town, these natural springs flow into the 18,000-acre Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge and were used by Native Americans…

  • State Park

    Silver Springs State Park

    This state park was once an amusement park – glass-bottomed boats were invented here in 1878 to show visitors the natural springs and stunningly clear…

  • Forest

    Ocala National Forest

    The second-largest nationally protected forest in the state of Florida, Ocala National Forest is a treasure to be savored. Hidden within 607 square miles…

  • Museum

    Southeast Museum of Photography

    We love this hidden treasure in Daytona, a service of the Daytona State College: it's the only museum in Florida dedicated solely to photography. This…

  • Museum

    Museum of Science & History

    Traveling with kids? This awesomely named museum (MOSH) offers dinosaurs, all things science and exhibits on Jacksonville's cultural and natural history…

  • State Park

    Big Talbot Island State Park

    Deposit your fee in the blue envelope and pull into the lone parking lot at this stark but lovely park. Take your camera on the short trail to Boneyard…

  • State Park

    Little Talbot Island State Park

    This pristine island (which despite the name is almost the same size as Big Talbot Island) has 5 miles of unspoiled beaches, river otters, marsh rabbits,…

  • State Park

    Fort Clinch State Park

    Although construction commenced in 1847, rapid technological advancements rendered Fort Clinch's masonry walls obsolete by as early as 1861, when the fort…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Northeast Florida.

  • Activities