Travel — My 3 Favorite Florida Vacation Spots (2024)

Picture Taken by Author — Destin, Florida

As you get to know me you will find out I really, really love traveling.

I want to become a digital nomad in that I want to work while traveling the country and if possible, the world.

I am an experienced cubicle dweller, but recent major life events changed things for me, and I have been given an opportunity to try my hand at being a digital nomad.

Throughout my life I have been privileged enough to have traveled the world, I was born in what was then West Germany and lived there for a good portion of my childhood.

While in the US Air Force I lived in England and South Korea and even made it over to Japan once.

Since 1992 my travels have taken me across most of the United States. I have lived in Virginia, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and North Dakota.

I have made dozens of road trips including several of thirty or more days and loved it.

I have visited over 35 states from Florida to Vermont and as far west as Arizona and California.

In all those years of traveling, Florida by far is my favorite state to visit. I love Florida and want to live there someday.

For me Florida is an exotic, beautiful place with white sand beaches, crystal blue water and animals galore.

I got my first taste of Florida back in the late 1990’s while visiting my sister and her then husband who were stationed at Eglin AFB a large air force base outside Fort Walton Beach.

It was there that my love of Florida and the small tourist city of Destin began.

With that being said here are my 3 favorite Florida spots:

1) Destin, Florida

Picture Taken by Author — Destin, Florida

Over the past years I have vacationed in Destin at least a half dozen times. It is by far my favorite city in Florida.

It is a small touristy town situated between Panama City and Fort Walton Beach on Florida’s panhandle.

Destin has a neat little bridge with a nice view of an inlet that connects the Gulf of Mexico with Choctawhatchee Bay.

In the summer you may see numerous pleasure craft and people on the bay side with a boat bar in the center of them.

There is a plethora of restaurants you can chose from including the late Jimmy Buffet’s restaurant called “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” which has a nice tasting potato chip covered in melted cheese appetizer, umm delicious!

Another restaurant I like and have eaten at several times is a restaurant called “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” which is based on the fictitious “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” of “Forrest Gump” fame, their shrimp and grits dish is outstanding.

There is a nice state park called “Henderson State Beach Park” situated in the center of the city with beautiful white sand beaches and few people.

I got the chance to snorkel multiple times while there and the abundance of sea life you can see is impressive, give it a try.

Destin is a vacation spot for Florida tourists and is known for its beautiful beaches, food and fishing.

It has been a few years since I last stayed in Destin, I am due for another trip soon.

2) Florida Keys

Picture Taken by Author — Key West Trawler

I have been to the Florida Keys only once back in 2018 but it was a memorable visit.

I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott hotel in Key Largo with a nice view of Port Largo Villas and their boat docks. After doing some touristy stuff for the day I would sit on the balcony overlooking the villas drinking a cold soda and people watch.

I chose Key Largo as my base in the area due to its central location and convenience as it made it an easy stepping off point for my day trips to Key West, Islamorada and Marathon.

I spent a day in Key West visiting Fort Zachary Taylor and the famous “Most Southern Point” buoy. I had a great time there.

I even saw free roaming chickens and iguanas which the island is known for.

On the way to Key West, I crossed over the seven-mile bridge which was neat due to the fact I had seen that bridge many times in the movies.

I wanted to take a ferry out to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortuga’s but failed to get a ferry reservation in advance and thus missed out:(!

Another reason I chose Key Largo was that I wanted to eat at a restaurant I had seen on Guy Fieri’s show “Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives” called “The Fish House”.

“The Fish House” has a great smoked fish dip appetizer that is outstanding. I also ate a delicious yellow tail snapper dish as well.

Next time I go I want to spend a day fishing around the islands and maybe do some scuba diving.

Next time I may stay in Marathon or Key West which are further down the keys than Key Largo.

Picture Taken by Author — St Georges Island Lighthouse

There are two islands on Florida’s panhandle that I really like, St Georges and Santa Rosa.

St Georges is a pretty little island right in the middle portion of the coastal panhandle. It is about fifty miles east of Panama City and a few minutes from a quaint little town called Apalachicola which is on the edge of a huge state forest of the same name.

While driving to Destin I usually go by way of St George’s and Apalachicola and spend some time visiting the forest, shopping, taking pictures and eating at some of their restaurants.

If you are ever in the area, you should stop in and pay the island a visit. You cross over a long bridge to get to the island that ends at a nice historical lighthouse (see picture above).

The other island is a long one called Santa Rosa that stretches for miles from Destin to Pensacola Beach. It starts at Destin and ends at Ft Pickens across from the city of Pensacola. This long stretch is full of white sand beaches and natural parks, beautiful place.

Well, here ends my thoughts on Florida, if you get a chance and want a vacation in the sun, try Florida, the entire state is nice to visit but these three were my favorites.

Every few years I go to Florida to get away for some relaxation in the sun. If you are looking for a place to visit on your holiday (vacation) you can do no better than Florida:)

Have any of you ever been to Florida? What are your favorite travel and vacation (Holiday) spots?

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Take care.