If you are looking for a getaway, especially in the cold winter time, Florida is all around a great option. Generally, flights are inexpensive, and you can find other cost friendly options for where to stay and for food. Not only that, the weather is WARM! You can’t beat it. Especially to South Florida.
Florida is a massive state in the US with a ton of excitement to offer. They have beaches, cities, nightlife, National Parks, amusement parks, islands and more. Depending on what type of trip you are looking for, you can most likely find it in Florida.
I’ve been to the state several times growing up, but never got the chance to explore more of South Florida. So for my birthday, my boyfriend surprised me with a trip to the Florida keys and the Everglades National Park. We spent 4 days driving all around from Miami, all the way down to Key West, over to the Everglades National Park. It was a whirlwind but we saw a ton in a short amount of time.
If you are down to explore and looking to escape for a few days, you may enjoy my ultimate long weekend itinerary to South Florida! Take a look!
Day 1: Miami
We flew bright early in the morning to arrive at Miami International airport in South Florida. That way we would have the entire day of relaxation. Why a day of relaxation? Because my boyfriend splurged a bit on a night stay at The Standard, which is basically a relaxation hotel. They have a ton of amenities to relieve stress and get you rejuvenated for the rest of your trip.
If you’re a guest staying at the hotel, you get full access to the spa including a hammam, aroma steam room, a sauna, and treatment baths. In the spa, they also have options for massages, mani/pedis, and facials. They are a bit on the pricier side, so we ended up doing a mani/pedi.
Not only that, they also have mud baths, a pool, an onsite delicious restaurant, a juice bar and a beautiful lobby to sit and do work in. A lot of the extra things you still need to pay for, which bummed me out. If you are not tight on money and looking for a nice relaxing day, this could be a good option!
Day 2: The coolest airbnb
In the morning, we went to Pura Vida, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Miami. They have delicious açaí bowls, smoothies, and additional healthy breakfast options. Highly recommend going there before your next destination!
For our second day, we opted for another relaxing day. We got one of the coolest airbnbs that we’ve ever stayed in. It was called the Dolphin, a panoramic floating cabin in the ocean right in Key Largo.
For $40 your first stay using Airbnb, use my link here!
We spent the rest of the afternoon and night relaxing, reading, having dinner and chatting. It’s truly like a Getaway House but on water. Such a fun concept that you absolutely should look into if you’re heading to the keys.
Day 3: Florida keys in South Florida
To get from Key Largo all the way down to Key West, it takes around 2 1/2 hours. Because we just had a day, we drove straight down with no stops. We really wanted to hear what the hype was all about with Blue Heaven brunch. We made it in time, and yes, I can confirm it was worth it.
Here are some things you can look to do when visiting Key West:
- Have brunch at Blue Heaven
- Take a picture with the Southern most point
- Walk around Duval Street
- Do a wind and wine sunset sail
- Eat at the Thirsty Mermaid – a casual spot, but they catch everything they make!
- Explore Fort Zachary Taylor
If we had more time, there are definitely some things I would have looked into and added.
- Dry Tortugas National Park: Could have checked off another national park! However, you need to be prepared to leave extra early in the morning to go here. You need to either take a boat or a small plane and the best bet is to book earlier than later. If you really plan, you could even camp out there! If we ever go back, this will definitely be on our list to do.
- John Pennenkamp Coral Reef: Another adventure that would have been cool for us to do. This state park has snorkeling, kayaking, and scuba tours. It’s one of the only living coral reefs in the United States and it looks unbelievably beautiful.
Day 4: Everglades National Park
While the Everglades National Park is massive, it can easily be done in a day if that’s all you have. In this case, one day is all we had time for. There are four main entrances, and we did two of them. Here is our full day:
Start with sunrise airboat tour. This was super cool to do, especially at sunrise. You go out when it is pitch black out and all you can see is whats in front of you. The airboat will go all throughout the northern part of the everglades. Then you get to watch the sun come up (unless you have a very cloudy day like we did). We got to see alligators, unique birds and learned a ton about the Everglades from the guide. We did a private tour, but I’d say it would be fine to do a group one.
Head south to the southern entrance called Flamingo. On the way there, make sure you stop at “Robert is here” which is a fruit stand that makes smoothies and milkshakes!
Once you get to the parks main entrance, get a map. I’d recommend kayaking as you will be able to see crocodiles, birds and even manatees! They say that sometimes you could even see dolphins, but we didn’t get that lucky.
Depending on the season you are going, there are also quite a few hikes/walks that you can do. Since we were there in the wet season, a lot of the paths were closed or way too muddy. So we decided to head to the next entrance.
NOTE: the park does not have any restaurants, and you are pretty far from civilization. Make sure to bring a lunch or be prepared to have hot dogs or snacks that the general store there has.
Head north to the northern entrance called Shark Valley. This is a 15 mile loop, so I’d recommend renting a bike for this. You will see tons of alligators and birds along this. There was even an alligator just hanging out right on the grass sunbathing!