Cold weather’s coming and it’s time to plan that winter getaway. Here’s a look at a dozen great Florida escapes from freezing temperatures, snow and ice!
Get a jump on Winter and plan some serious beach time. There’s no better time for sun on the beach than Florida in the Winter with its hundreds of miles of sandy beaches lined with palm trees and lapped by crystal turquoise waters. If you’ve been dreaming about a Florida beach vacation here’s some top choices.
First, Florida is not all hot tropical weather all the time. The state actually has three primary temperate zones:
- A sub-tropical zone with mostly warm winter months that includes the Florida Keys, Miami through Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast and Marco Island up to Tampa on the Gulf. High season is in the Winter.
- A moderate zone with cool evenings and nights through the Winter months that stretch from the sub-tropical zone north for 50 to 100 miles on both coasts. Can at times see very cool days.
- A mild temperate zone with a climate stretching through Northern Florida that can see average winter days in the 50° to 60° range and where frost is not uncommon. This is where you’ll find popular Summer season beaches.
Florida’s Popular Panhandle Beaches
The Panhandle – This piece of Florida is a popular vacation destination but its season actually runs from Spring to Autumn because of its mild temperate zone location. Also because there are no major airports nearby it is often a summer driving vacation destination for Southeastern families as well as Spring Breakers.
Destin
Destin Beach
A stretch of Florida coast heading east from the Alabama line features some of the cleanest, whitest sand in the whole world, gorgeous Gulf waters and frequent sunshine. Centered on Destin this stretch of Florida coast is one of the state’s most affordable beach areas. Along with stretches of resort hotels and beach communities Destin also offers some remarkable state park beaches like June White Decker Park and Crystal Beach. Again season runs from Spring to Fall.
Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach’s 27 miles of beautiful white sand beaches offers a range of accommodations. Because of its resort vibe and wide selection of activities and restaurants it’s a popular Spring Break destination and a Summer family destination.
Florida’s Treasure Coast
The best moderate Winter beaches are mostly found on the central East Coast and include wildlife refuges, long barrier island beaches, the Space Coast and all within easy driving distance from Orlando.
Daytona Beach
Famous for its wide expanse of white sand beach, Daytona also draws Spring Break crowds, a biker week and the famous Daytona 500 race. It also has the advantage of the theme parks of Orlando only an hour plus drive away. If you’re looking for a bit more action than just lounging on the beach this city has a lot to consider.
Driving On Famous Daytona Beach
Merritt Island
The unincorporated “town” of Merritt Island is located on Florida’s largest island and is adjacent to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It also serves as the home of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with its launch activities and its popular Visitors Center. Located on the north end of a stretch of coast that includes Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville, Vero Beach and the two long strips of the Hutchinson Islands. There’s a lot to explore.
Florida’s Gold Coast
The coast from West Palm Beach south to Miami includes the beautiful beaches of Pompano, the Fort Lauderdale area, the excitement of Miami’s South Beach with its incredible diving and sport fishing just offshore.
The Intercoastal In Ft. Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
Ft. Lauderdale Beach
Located on a strip of land south of Boca Raton and North of Miami between the Florida Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean, it includes towns like Pompano Beach, Hollywood and Dania Beach. This area draws Winter vacationers to its warm weather, white beaches and crystal clear waters all packaged with the excitement of a major metropolitan city.
Miami and Miami Beach
Miami Beach
This world class city has a decidedly Latin vibe with its famous South Beach, incredible resort hotels and magnificent wide beaches. You could spend a month here and never run out of things to do.
St. Petersburg
The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys draw boaters, sport fisherman, scuba divers and snorkelers to its warm clear waters. Hundreds of islets, islands and quays (keys) stretch south from Miami to Key West. But, if you are looking for fantastic beaches this isn’t what you are looking for, with only a few small exceptions.:
Key Colony Beach
Contrary to most people’s belief, the Florida Keys are actually not famous for beaches. But still located just east of Marathon this small town features one of the best beaches in the Keys. The beach stretches for less than a mile in front of a row of classic beach motels but you are only minutes away from the attractions of Marathon, Islamorada and just 50 miles from iconic Key West.
The West Coast Beaches
Florida’s Southern Gulf Coast includes another hundred plus miles of fantastic beaches. After crossing through the Everglades from Miami to the Gulf Coast you’ll discover a number of famous islands and beach resorts. Starting in the south is Marco Island, farther north is Sanibel and Captiva and in between is the upscale beach town of Naples. Traveling north along the coast are great beaches at Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Dunedin along with stretches of numerous sandy barrier island beaches.
Naples
Wall to wall with golf courses, gourmet restaurants and fancy boutiques, Naples is a seriously upscale Florida beach town. While the luxury resorts and fancy restaurants can make Naples seem a bit expensive there are moderately priced accommodations to be found and luckily, the beautiful beaches are free to enjoy. Watch for the frequent dolphins swimming near the beach and visit Naples’ iconic fishing pier.
Naples Beach
Sanibel Island
Great beaches and one of Floridas best places for shelling. Shell hunting there even has a name – the Sanibel stoop. Like its sisters, Marco and Captiva, Sanibel has a laid back feel that benefits from its sense of being off the beaten path. Perfect choices if you are trying to just get away.
Sanibel Island
Tampa Bay & Clearwater Beach
Another major metropolitan center is Tampa Bay with its string of white sand beaches the area also offers major attractions like the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens, the Dali Museum and some of the best Sunsets anywhere. At Clearwater Beach’s Pier 60 watching a breathtaking sunset is a popular pastime. The 1,000-foot pier with its lights draws anglers here at night to fish.
When the cold gets you down and your dreams start drifting to tropical climes, remember Florida has an antidote for cold and snow just waiting for you.
Becoming Floridians
We’re not sure why but years ago a lot of people had strong feelings about Florida; they either loved it or they hated it?? Almost fifty years ago The Intentional Travelers were living in Northern Virginia and truth be told, we really disliked Winter. We moved to Florida because of a business opportunity and we’ve never looked back. At that time Florida’s cost of living was much lower, it had good access to the Caribbean (where we did business) and maybe it got hot in the Summer* but the rest of the year was great and who wouldn;t like going to the beach on Christmas Day?
After moving to Florida we discovered that Summer off-season had hotel rates that were incredibly low. So we got in the habit of often spending weekends at different beach areas around the state and discovered that they were all really different, (unfortunately, today those bargains are mostly now gone as Florida enjoys year-round tourism (Disney accounts for much of that).
*Actually I got in the habit of checking weather in Washington D.C. in the Summer where Fort Lauderdale was often cooler. I enjoyed letting our friends up north know what our temperatures were on a regular basis…
Planning A Cruise? Start With The Intentional Travelers Port Guides
