Historically interesting places
St. Augustine
The city of St. Augustine in northeast Florida on the Atlantic coast today has around 12,000 residents. The city was founded in 1565, making it the oldest city in North America. Due to this long history, many interesting buildings can be admired in St. Augustine and immersed in the past.
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Find common acronyms associated with Florida. Also see top 10 cities by population in Florida.
- Allcitycodes: Lists of all area codes of Florida. Also includes state overview and counties by area code in Florida.
Fort Mose Historic State Park near St. Augustine
A town was built here from 1738. It doesn’t sound particularly interesting at first, because it was here that the first free settlement of African Americans in the area of what is now the USA was created. Many slaves fled the British colonies to convert to Catholicism and live in freedom. Today the actual settlement is no longer preserved, but you can find out about the past in the visitor center. At the same time, the area is a state park.
Art Deco District in Miami Beach
The Art Deco District is located at the southern end of Miami Beach. The district is also known as the “American Riviera” and includes architecturally protected buildings from the 1930s and 1940s (hotels, restaurants, clubs and boutiques). With approximately 1,200 Art Deco buildings, the highest density of Art Deco structures is found here all over the world.
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
The approximately 186 km² Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve is located in the city of Jacksonville. Not only are there archaeological sites here, but also the oldest plantation in Florida.
De Soto National Memorial
Located near the city of Brandenton, the De Soto National Memorial commemorates the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1539. Visitors can follow the expedition’s reenactment, marvel at historical items, and even try on historical armor. Visitors can follow in the footsteps of the explorers on the hiking trails, some of them on guided tours.
Special buildings and structures
Old Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee
The Florida State Capitol in the city of Tallahassee was completed in 1845. Over the years, the building was gradually expanded. When the new capitol was built in 1978, the old capitol was restored to its 1902 state. Today, behind the old capitol, there is the new capitol, which has the shape of a high-rise and is 105 m high.
| Contact | 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399 www.flhistoriccapitol.gov |
Florida Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee
The Florida Governor’s residence in the city of Tallahassee dates from 1956 and has been on the list of historic sites since 2006. The neoclassical building has 30 rooms and a total area of approximately 1,400 m². It is surrounded by a park with an area of 6,100 m².
| Contact | 700 North Adams Street Tallahassee, Florida 32303 www.floridagovernorsmansion.com |
Villa Vizcaya in Miami
The Villa Vizcaya was built from 1914 to 1916. The Renaissance castle used to be the residence of industrialist James Deering. From 1953, however, the building served as the seat of the Dade County Art Museum. Nowadays it is worth visiting the museum and the gardens that surround the museum. In the past, Villa Vizcaya was also a meeting place for the special. So in 1987 there was a meeting between Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. Today the garden and building complex covers an area of 200,000 m².
| Contact | 3251 South Miami Avenue Miami, Florida 33129 www.vizcayamuseum.com |
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
The Castillo de San Marcos is a historic fort from 1695 in St. Augustine. The fortification is located on the Atlantic coast and was used to defend St. Augustine, which was then still Spanish. It is the oldest stone fortification in the entire United States today. Visitors can hike through the fortifications and sniff the scent of history or marvel at old weapons. There are also information boards on the history and a film screening. The demonstrations of old weapons are also particularly interesting.
| Contact | 1 South Castillo Drive St. Augustine, Florida 32084 www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm |
Seven Mile Bridge
The Seven Mile Bridge connects the islands of the Florida Keys chain, more precisely Knight’s Key with Little Duck Key. The bridge has an incredible length of over 10 km. The bridge can be seen in numerous films and should therefore be known to most, and there is still a marathon running on the bridge every year.
Daytona International Speedway
The Daytona International Speedway in the city of Daytona Beach is one of the most famous racetracks in the USA. The Daytona International Speedway was opened in 1959.
Around 170,000 spectators can admire the race around the track. However, the races are not always particularly pleasant, and 27 drivers have lost their lives since the race track opened. The route actually consists of 2 routes, a D-shaped oval and a curvy indoor course. The lengths of the routes are approx. 4 km for the oval and approx. 5.7 km for the indoor course.
| Contact | www.daytonaintlspeedway.com |
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
With its length of 8,851 m, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is one of the longest bridges in the world and spans Tampa Bay in western Florida. The suspension bridge was built from 1982 to 1987 after a previously built bridge collapsed. Nowadays, the bridge connects the cities of Terra Ceia with Saint Petersburg. Because of its length, location and much more, the bridge is a popular motif for car advertising.
Cape Canaveral
Spaceport on Merritt Island Cape Canaveral Spaceport, officially known as the Kennedy Space Center, is located on Meritt Island on the east coast of Florida. All manned space missions in the USA, such as the Apollo missions, began from this spaceport in 1968. From 1981 to 2011, the space shuttles also started from here.
Information can be found in the visitor center and guided tours to the public areas of the site start from here.
In addition to a museum and a 3D cinema, visitors to the Shuttle Launch Experience can experience firsthand how the launch of a space shuttle feels.
| Contact | Kennedy Space Center Florida 32899 www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html |
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Florida
Browse a collection of state, city, national park, monument, and historical maps of this US state.
Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/florida.html
Florida – Casey’s Florida Map Page
Offers almost 100 different maps of Florida, including historical and demographical illustrations.
Website: http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~jbm4162/map.html
Florida – FloridaNetlink.com State Map
View a map of Florida that shows the state’s highways and cities, and use the provided links to check out the Florida county pages.
Website: http://www.floridanetlink.com/statemap.htm
Florida – National Geographic Map Machine
Discover a shaded-relief map of the Sunshine State and find out where all the major cities are. Includes an overview of the economy.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/atlas/usstates/sflori
Florida – University of Texas Library
Find an array of maps. Highlights include an orthophoto map of Key West, a 1920 Orlando city map and a detail of the Everglades.
Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/florida.ht
Florida – US Census Bureau Map
Find out about this southern state by using a clickable map that’s divided into counties. Includes a state profile.
Website: http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/12.html
Large Clear Maps of Florida – maps.of-florida.com
Check out these maps of Florida that showcase cities, highways, tourist attractions, and beach resorts. Maps include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the Florida Keys.
Website: http://www.maps.of-florida.com/
South Florida Beaches
Access directions to Boynton, Delray, Boca Raton, Deerfield, Pompano, Fort Lauderdale, Dania and Hollywood beaches.
Website: http://www.homespot.com/homespot/r2beac1.htm
