Day 1 MIAMI BEACH
Start your day by exploring the Art Deco Historic District, the largest display of Art Deco architecture in the world. It consists of hotels and apartment buildings from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. Take a stroll along the Ocean Drive – north-south boulevard that borders the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the Lummus Park, which runs along the Ocean Beach. The park offers a great view of Ocean Drive and its line-up of Art Deco Hotels. Other places of interest, worth seeing are: Washington Avenue, Lincoln Road Mall, Collins Avenue and Collins Park, Bass Museum of Art.
Day 2 MIAMI BEACH
Back on the mainland, Miami offers a vast array of sights and attractions. Downtown Miami emanates the lively atmosphere of a Latin city. Visit the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, which recounts the region’s colorful past. Grab a bite at Bayside Marketplace, which overlooks the Biscayne Bay. Walk the streets of Little Havana, one the city’s most vibrant and exotic neighborhoods.
Day 3 MIAMI BEACH - NAPLES
(130 mi / 208 km)
Check out the Latin Quarter, with its charming street lamps and brick sidewalks. South of Little Havana is the area called Coral Gables, which boasts the University of Miami campus, Venetian Pool and Lowe Art Museum. For Italian Renaissance style architecture visit the Vizcaya villa in Coconut Grove.
Day 4 NAPLES- SARASOTA
(105 mi / 168 km)
Naples, an upscale town reminiscent of Palm Beach, is the last urban settlement before the Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp. Due to its great concentration of golf courses - about 40 of them - Naples is the self-proclaimed "Golf Capital of the World". The downtown Naples district is perfect for lingering around, with its shaded courtyards offering tea- and coffee sipping possibilities, and art galleries lining 3rd St South. The area is especially a shopper’s haven with numerous individually owned shops instead of chain-stores, offering merchandise of a refreshingly individual and outspoken character. For specimens of the upscale regular retail outlet variety, head for 3rd St South. After sunset, get a bite and enjoy the festive atmosphere courtesy of the keyboard soloists, tape-backed crooners, Elvis impersonators and other archaic street side delights.
Day 5 SARASOTA
Lying on the Gulf Coast just south of Bradenton, Sarasota offers one of Florida’s best balanced menus of attractions. Here one will find the official art museum of Florida, a host of cultural and sports activities, two shopping districts that rival the swankest in Palm Beach, restaurants catering to all palates and budgets, and a 35 mile ( 56 km) stretch of superb beach.
Day 6 SARASOTA - HOMOSASSA SPRINGS
(145 mi / 232 km)
Visit the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The park is one of the best places in Florida to view manatees. Visitors can get close to the animals on a floating observatory. Black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer, American alligators, and river otter can also been seen in the park. Injured manatees are treated at the park before being released in to the wild.
Day 7 HOMOSASSA SPRINGS- ST AUGUSTINE
(130 mi / 208 km)
Arrive in Saint Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the US (from 1565). Start your visit at the city’s Visitor Information Center. It offers discount tickets for many area attractions. In close proximity to the Visitor Center are the Old City Gate and Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. The latter is the oldest masonry fort in the US. The fort’s gun deck offers great panoramic views. St George Street provides the best introduction to St. Augustine’s past and present. Along the street is Cathedral Basillica, the oldest Catholic parish in the US. St George Street is also home to numerous gift shops and restaurants.
Day 8 ST AUGUSTINE – ORLANDO
(105 mi / 168 km)
Depart St Augustine early in the morning and head towards Orlando. On your way to Orlando, you might want to stop in Daytona Beach. It is famous as the “World Center of Racing” and home of NASCAR. Daytona’s biggest attraction is the 23 – mile / 37 km stretch of white sandy beach. Check out the Boardwalk and Main Street Pier. Put yourself in racer’s shoes at Daytona USA.
Day 9 ORLANDO
If art is your thing, make sure to visit the Orlando Museum of Art. More than 600 works include 19th and 20th century American art. Orlando Science Center is a good place of interest for both children and adults.
Visit Walt Disney World Resort, a city within a city, which is twice the size of Manhattan Island. Four extensive theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney MGM Studio – will keep you occupied for the rest of your day. As an alternative to theme parks, visit Wekiwa Springs State Park (20 min north of Orlando). It has a vast network of 13.5 miles of trails allowing for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding.
Day 10 ORLANDO
If Walt Disney World Resort was not enough, check out Universal Orlando Resort, the second largest resort in Orlando after Disney. Get in touch with nature at Seaworld Orlando, the 200 acre marine adventure park. It combines entertainment and education in its numerous animal shows, touch pools and aquariums. Continue your bond with Mother Nature at Discovery Cove. Its main attraction is the 45 minute lecture and guided interaction with a bottlenose dolphin at Dolphin Lagoon.
Day 11 ORLANDO – COCOA BEACH
(60 mi / 96 km)
Depart Orlando early in the morning and head towards the “Space Coast”. It is home to Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s launch headquarters. Here you can tour the launch areas, see giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators or even experience a launch. After the Space Center drive to Cocoa Beach an internationally famous stretch of Atlantic beach. Cocoa Beach Pier is THE place for bars, restaurants, gift shops, fishing and live music..
Day 12 COCOA BEACH – MIAMI BEACH
(210 mi / 336 km)
Once back on the road, going towards Miami Beach, do not forget to make a pit stop in Palm Beach, famous for its lavish multimillion – dollar mansions
Day 13 DEPARTURE
