Northern Florida Travel Guide: The Underrated, Adventurous Corner you Need to Explore
If you had told me that northern Florida was secretly a tropical oasis full of crystal clear springs and wild beauty, I would have been absolutely shell-shocked. But after road tripping from Tennessee all the way down to the Everglades for spring break, I couldn’t believe how much I’d fall in love with northern Florida, and now I’m dying to return to adventure and explore there even more on a future vacation. Northern Florida is somehow under-the-radar, likely overshadowed by the beaches of South Florida and Disneyland, but it is well worth a visit in its own right.
In this northern Florida travel guide I’ll be sharing an adventurous, outdoorsy take on what things to do, where to eat, where to stay, and why underrated northern Florida and not Miami should be your next spring break destination!
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What You Need to Know before Visiting Northern Florida
How to get to Northern Florida
Northern Florida is a large swath of land north of Orlando. Depending on what you want to do with your trip, you can fly into Jacksonville International Airport on the east coast, fly into and drive north from Orlando International Airport, or start more in the middle of northern Florida by flying into Tallahassee International Airport.
How to Get Around Northern Florida
When to visit Northern Florida
The best time to visit Northern Florida in the spring is March to May. In June, precipitation levels rise, and earlier in April can be stormy and rainy as well. From March to May the weather will be pleasant in the high 50s to high 80s (Fahrenheit), but if you want to visit the springs in the warmer summer months to swim, August to October the heat and humidity will be more managable. For a fall trip, September to November is a great time to visit as the summer crowds will have died down greatly.
How Long to Visit Northern Florida
The best time to visit Northern Florida in the spring is March to May. In June, precipitation levels rise, and earlier in April can be stormy and rainy as well. From March to May the weather will be pleasant in the high 50s to high 80s (Fahrenheit), but if you want to visit the springs in the warmer summer months to swim, August to October the heat and humidity will be more managable. For a fall trip, September to November is a great time to visit as the summer crowds will have died down greatly.
Where to eat in Northern Florida
- Great Outdoors Restaurant – close to Devils’s Den, a perfect lunch spot with an outdoor patio
- Swampy’s – located in Ocala close to Ginnie Springs and Gilchrist Springs, and has an incredible river view
- Jazzys Mainely Lobster-Seafood – located in Cocoa Beach and home to absolutely killer lobster rolls
- Merritt Island Pancake House – perfect breakfast stop post-birding on Merritt Island
- Cedar River Seafood – because no trip to Florida is complete without stopping for some seafood!
What to do in Northern Florida
Go paddle boarding at Ginnie Springs
The only downside is that it is privately owned, so the costs of visiting can rack up quickly: $15 admission for each individual plus a $12 rental each for a paddleboard. That being said, I thought it was well worth it for a full day of adventuring. The upside of it being privately owned is that they have a ton of facilities: a shop, rentals, bathrooms, and showers.
Want to paddleboard closer to Orlando? Try this paddleboard tour in Longwood – the guide will help point out wildlife and teach you more about the unique Florida ecosystems!
Where to Stay in Northern Florida
Coldwater Gardens: glamping and even a treehouse (!) in northwest Florida
Best Western Gateway Grand: features a pool and is centrally located to visit many of the springs, in middle-north Florida in Gainsville
Radisson Resort at the Port: has one of the most incredible pools around, located northeast Florida just north of Cocoa Beach
Flamingo Inn Beachfront: incredible ocean views from the pool, located in northeast Florida in Daytona Beach
Mystic Dunes Resort: located in Orlando, this is a great place to start or end your trip – close to the airport, beautiful pool and grounds – or you could stay here the entire time (it’s also where I stayed)!
Swim at Gilchrist Blue Springs
If you want to enjoy beautiful waters at a half of the price, go swimming at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, which is owned by the state and will only cost $6 per car to visit. There are also bathrooms and showers here plus a few picnic benches (with campgrounds too!), so bring some camp chairs and prepare to spend a full day by the waterside.
There is a separate swimming area that is set aside, but past that you can go kayaking or paddle boarding up the river. We didn’t get a chance to enjoy this section on the river on our trip, but I definitely want to come back with my own gear and explore more.
Take a Scenic Drive and See Birds & Wildlife at Merritt Island
We took a scenic drive through Ocala National Forest and then spent a morning doing the Black Point Wildlife Drive, a seven-mile long auto birding tour at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It cost $10 to visit the park, and I have to say I honestly enjoyed it so much more than the Everglades! Drive slowly, put your window down to listen to the bird calls, and look out for gators as well as plentiful Roseate Spoonbills, Anhingas, Wood Storks, White Ibises, Tricolor Herons, Glossy Ibises, and more!
If birding isn’t your thing but you still want to see wildlife – you can also paddlboard to watch for manatees and even catch bioluminescence here at night if you’re lucky!
Catch a Sunset at Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach features beautiful white sands and a pier with shops (with lots of ice cream shops!). You can find parking right by the pier, which made it super easy to visit and enjoy. I loved just watching the waves crash, it was such a soothing place, and definitely less busy than the beaches in the south!
There’s also a TON of fun activites you can do here – from a dolphin watching tour to learning to surf to doing a walking food tour.
Snorkel at Devils Den
For the ultimate bucket list experience, visit Devil’s Den and snorkel or scuba dive in a CAVE (!!!). It looked and felt like a Mexican cenote, and it was easily one of the most stunning places in all of northern Florida.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to visit at first, because this is another privately owned place and it is NOT for casual swimming; you must pay a $15 admission fee and then either bring your own gear or pay $10 for a snorkel rental. But I am so happy a few locals talked me into it because it was just incredible – you can see little fish and sometimes even a turtle in the freshwater! When you go, please be super respectful of the divers, because this is actually a scuba diving training center and not set up to be an Instagram hotspot, and it gets quite packed so try to avoid the peak times.
Photograph the Local Wildlife
Visit some of the local springs in March through September (they tend to come later to northern Florida than southern Florida where the waters are warmer) to see these incredible creatures. If you see one in the water while you are kayaking, swimming, or paddle boarding, please still maintain a safe distance because all wildlife is unpredictable, no matter how friendly (and don’t ever feed wildlife!).
Hike at one of the many state parks
There are soooo so many incredible state parks in northern Florida; I feel like we barely scratched the surface. For the price of just a few dollars, you can hike, swim, float, camp, and more in jaw-dropping, tropical landscapes. I saw some of the bluest water I have ever seen in my life, and I honestly could not believe these locations existed within the United States.
Even More Northern Florida Adventures
I’m someone who loves gifting experiences > things so I’d definitely recommend checking out some of Tinggly’s Northern Florida experiences – my friend gifted me a kayak tour in Florida and we had the BEST time!
Here are some standout experiences for both Northern Florida & the surrounding areas to add onto your trip:
🏨 Two night hotel getaway for a perfect, sun-soaked weekend
🚣♀️ A clear kayak tour in St. Petersburg or a clear kayak in Crystal River
🌴A zipline adventure in Tampa
⛵ A sailing charter from Fort Lauderdale
🐊 Fun together in Florida gift experience box with 460+ experiences to choose from for 1-4 people
PS as for MY gift to you – you can use code “REBECCA” FOR 20% off any of these experiences!
Things to Do in Northern Florida if You Have More Time
How long should you visit northern Florida for?? I think 5-7 days is just perfect, so you can fit it perfectly into your spring break or take a quick summer trip. But if you have more time, here are a few options to tack onto your northern Florida travels:
- Venture west to explore the beaches near Pensacola
- Take a scenic drive through Ocala National Forest and keep going east to spend sunset at Daytona Beach
- Head down south and take a boat tour of the the Everglades – here are a couple of tour options to increase your chance of seeing some amazing wildlife
- Explore even more springs: Rainbow Springs State Park, Madison Blue Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, and many more!
- Spend time in Orlando on your way in or out of town and check out sealife at the Orlando Aquarium
- Go camping, visit more state parks, or go on a full southern road trip up the state and into Georgia, South Carolina, and beyond!
Essential Tips for Visiting Northern Florida
- Beware of mosquitoes: mosquitoes can carry a number of diseases and sometimes appear as early as February, but are most common in the warm and humid summer months. Make sure you bring plenty of bug spray to protect yourselves, and keep in mind which sprays are safe to have in the freshwater springs.
- Be ready for high humidity: from June to September, the humidity in Florida is quite high, with August being the worst month at an average of 71%, so keep that in mind that it will make hot days feel even hotter.
- Protect yourself from the sun: Florida is called the sunshine state for a reason! Definitely bring and wear sunscreen, a broad spectrum with at least SPF 15, and reapply every two hours, or after swimming. I would recommend buying reef-safe suncreen; while there are no reefs in the springs these sunscreens are likely to be better for the health of the freshwater ecosystem.
- Watch out for tolls: if you drive south or possibly on your drive to/from the airports, keep in mind many freeways have tolls. Some you stop and pull off to pay (CASH ONLY) but most take an image of your license plate and send a bill to you in the mail. If you are visiting for a longer period of time, you might want to look into getting a Sun Pass.
What to Pack for Northern Florida
Make sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen , and a quick-dry towel. It’s also usually best to bring your own food and snacks as well; some springs have vending machines or food for purchase, but most do not.
Not all springs have restrooms or changing areas, so it’s also best to come dressed ready to swim.
You also might want to bring a rainjacket – even in summer there can be storms!
BYOKayak: Bring your own paddleboard or kayak, or simply rent one when you arrive – many springs have this option!
Northern Florida truly is a unique area unlike any other part of Florida. It is so worth a visit (and then another because you’ll fall in love with it here!).
Found this guide helpful or have any questions about this guide? Let me know in the comments below!
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Hey I’m Rebecca!
I’m a freelance travel & outdoors photographer and blogger living in the US but you can find me adventuring around the globe! On this blog I share tips to help you improve your photography, inspiration to explore the outdoors, destination guides, and travel tips, and more to plan your own adventures!
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My wife and I started traveling the world and taking pictures five years ago. We have visited over 200 cities and adding more every month. We live in Gallatin, a northern suburb of Nashville. You helped me with Instagram about a year ago. Our Instagram account is paulchaudury or Paul & Janet Around the World. We love your pictures and would look forward to learning from you. I just bought a preset from your website.
Aww cheers, so great to hear from you! I hope you love the presets! I am so happy to have you here as part of the community, thanks so much for the support! Hope you continue to enjoy the blog and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments 🙂
Considering relocating to Northern Florida from NY Catskills.
Considering you love of Nature Adventures, I would love your input.
For sure! It all depends on what you are looking for. Obviously Northern/Central Florida is a lot warmer than the Catskills so that might be something that interests you or fits your adventuring style better. Adventure-wise I’d say the Catskills has a lot more to offer since there’s more hiking, more seasonal changes, and a bit more variety. That being said, if you are not a fan of winter content or adventures, Florida would allow you to adventure more throughout the year and not have to break for snow.
You’d be looking at springs, wildlife, and ocean-centered adventures in Florida versus more hiking, lake, and mountain adventures in the Catskills. You could also road trip from Northern Florida north to Savannah or Charleston or head south for the Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks. If you are into diving I’d highly recommend it for that, those parks are very much for anyone into underwater adventures.
I also like to think about major airports where I’m living and how easy/cheap it is to get to other locations in the US or abroad. I also factor in friends and family, having them closer can be a factor to deciding as well, especially having friends to adventure with. I’d recommend joining a Florida Facebook group and asking locals what they think of the northern Florida area, they would have a lot of insights too.