Over forty million tourists come to Florida each year, and although a great many visit Central Florida's theme parks, many more visit the resorts and towns of Coastal Florida. With nearly 1,200 miles of coastline, the second longest coastline of any state, the coast of Florida is probably one of the least tapped resources in the United States. Beyond its beaches, you'll find fascinating historical sites, hikable tropical forests, canoeable rivers, and enough golf courses to play a different one every day of your vacation.

The first place that most people think of when someone mentions Coastal Florida is Miami Beach. Its glamorous notoriety through much of the twentieth century has made it Florida's premiere beach resort. But there are so many more — lively Fort Lauderdale, sedate Jacksonville Beach, historic Saint Augustine, elegant Naples, cultural Sarasota, family fun land Panama City, nautical Pensacola, artsy Key West, plus many others. Each has its own personality, its own lifestyle, and its own attractions. All have a laid-back feel — an “I'll get to it sooner or later” attitude found nowhere else in the country.

And maybe that's what endears Coastal Florida to so many return visitors. They're looking for a place to escape the hectic pace of life. In the northern cities in particular, they can hang back and enjoy life by just lying on the sand and looking up at the rolling blue sky above.