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.