Before our trip to Cuba, we are spending 10 days in Florida, both to visit family and tour the state. From San Jose CA we fly
Southwest to Jacksonville FL. It pays to carefully research plane fares to Florida. Depending on your final destination in Florida, air fares can differ by hundreds of dollars. For example, it costs much more to fly in and out of Miami or Orlando versus Jacksonville or Fort Lauderdale.
As always rental cars are well worth shopping around for. Since we were picking a rental car up in Jacksonville and dropping it off in Miami, we found
Enterprise to offer us the best one-way deals, especially using my membership and USAA discounts. For a few dollars more, we upgrade to a
Ford Fusion hybrid, which saved us more in fuel than the cost of the upgrade. Overall we were pleasantly surprised by how well we liked the Ford Fusion.
Below is an interactive map showing the places we visited and the route taken:
Favorites - our top three
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| On the Silver River with Captain Tom |
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Although we initially didn't plan on visiting this area we're really glad we did. A neighbor who grew up in Florida spoke glowingly of her trips here as a child. She was right, it's an incredibly magical place. We especially enjoyed our morning with Captain Tom on his tour of the Silver River.
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| Inside the entrance of the Kennedy Space Center |
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After watching many space launches at Cape Canaveral on TV over the years, we both wanted to visit this important center. We went as a family group and all enjoyed ourselves. By the end of the day, we all agreed one day is simply not enough time to explore this center. |
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| 'Gator at Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress |
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Several years ago I was invited on a women's kayaking trip through the Everglades. As tempting as this offer was, I wasn't able to go due to family and work obligations. Since we were in the area, driving Hwy 41 through the heart of the Everglades gave us a taste of what it's like. Yes - I'm still thinking about a more extensive trip. Although having to camp on special elevated platforms to keep safe from the gators, does give me pause. |
Best Resources/Reading
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| Road map of Florida |
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We forgot to bring a AAA road map of Florida with us, so we had to buy one. We were surprised to find out it was harder to find one than we expected. If you're just going to stick to the main freeways between cities, you probably won't need one, but if you want to see more than asphalt, concrete and steel, a good road map is recommended. |
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Pictured here is just one of Carl Hiaasen's many funny and insightful books about Florida's politics, environmental issues, and the colorful characters that inhabit this state. |
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Who hasn't dreamed of sunken treasure? I certainly did as a child reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. So when Robert Daley's new Kindle book was offered via BookBub at an introductory low price, I jumped on it. Although a little uneven at first, he tells the decades long tale of Mel Fisher's obsessive and eventually successful search for the Atocha, the richest of the sunken Spanish galleons to be found yet. It's a real page turner. My only regret is it doesn't have any photos of the recovered treasure. Looks like we'll have to come back to see Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum.
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Warning
If you plan a road trip through Florida, you'll probably want to take some of the toll roads. They are worth taking as you'll save time on these nice wide highways, without heavy traffic. Other than carrying a bag of quarters to pay tolls, it's faster and easier to sign up for a
Florida Sun Pass. We certainly intend to purchase one before our next trip to Florida.
Wrapping up the Wrap-up
We both have to admit that we enjoyed Florida much more than expected. It's a fun state with lots to do. Admittedly, heavily populated Florida is short on wide open spaces, but traces of "Old Florida" can be found and the beaches are excellent (oh yeah, the dive bars are fun too). We'll be back.
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