Our 3 Week Florida Itinerary Experience

TLDR: In this guide I share how two guys from the UK spent 3 weeks in Florida seeking sunshine while our home country bathed in rain. This is our 21 day itinerary criss-crossing the sunshine state. And if you’re thinking about doing the same, then we hope this travel guide gives you some inspiration.

Our favourite stop? Panama Beach

Jump to: Our story | Our route | Our itinerary advice | Car hire scare story

Key points:

• This trip was done without kids – unless you count two immature males
• We used a hire car the whole journey – (Who to use? More on this later)
• We travelled in a January

About our trip to Florida

It had been a long period of time before we were able to travel from the UK to US. First there was the intolerable lockdown and then just life in general. New jobs, kids, all the usual things. Then, with a little bit of serendipity, myself and my regular travel buddy Lee found our calendars lined up, giving us a few weeks where we could square away a bit of a dream trip. Driving across the US.

After a flight into NYC, we grabbed an internal connect to Jacksonville airport and picked up the most impractical car possible and proceeded to spend the next 3 weeks travelling around Florida.

There are a number of ways you could do this yourself, but we think we managed to nail down a pretty thorough route around the Sunshine State, that covered all the key stops.

If you’re planning a trip like this yourself, then perhaps this helps you.

The 3 week Florida itinerary explained

The route: Jacksonville > Daytona Beach > Kissimee > West Palm Beach > Miami > Florida Keys > Naples > Tampa > Tallahasee > Panama Beach

Route Overview (How long per stop?)

• Day 1 – 2: Jacksonville – (1 night)
• Day 2 – 4: Jax Beach – (2 nights)
• Day 4 – 6: Daytona Beach – (2 nights)
• Day 6 – 8: Kissimmee – (2 nights)
• Day 8 – 10: West Palm Beach – (2 nights)
• Day 10 – 13: Miami – (3 nights)
• Day 13 – 16: Florida Keys – (3 nights)
• Day 16 – 17: Naples – (1 night)
• Day 17 – 18: Tampa – (2 nights)
• Day 19 – 20: Tallahassee – (1 night)
• Day 20+: Panama Beach – (2 nights)

Days 1 – 2 – Jacksonville

Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the US, and the largest in Florida. Around a million people live here. Which is surprising as we found the place to feel mostly uninhabited. We arrived into the city from our internal connection and perhaps it was due to the time of the year, didn’t feel like there was an awful lot to keep us there. As a starting point it’s very convenient, it’s close to the beach towns and has a lot of decent quality accommodation.

We spent most of our time focused on trip planning, strolling along the river, hitting the gym and taking photos of iconic looking fast food outlets. Hence the image above. Stop here for a day and move on. That’s our honest take.

What to do: The river front is nice for a stroll, and if you need civilisation to get some work done, clothes shopped for etc, its an ideal base. The farmer’s market is a quaint stop and was the one thing we can say we enjoyed here.

Best bit: The Riverside farmer’s market in the historic quarter. You can walk it yourself or use a guided tour for some local insight. Guided tour option

Where to stay: We stayed on the southbank of the river, close to the centre of the city for convenience and for a lack of any other inspiration. We got a good price on a white collar hotel. You know the type – large conference centre, terrible gym, huge reception. But the room was spacious, had big beds and the breakfast was reasonable. It was a Crowne Plaza when we checked in, it’s now a Doubletree by Hilton, so a safe bet. See if for yourself >>

Getting there and away: You’re only a short drive to the beach towns and we would suggest making a beeline for Jax Beach as it’s colloquially known. (Jacksonville Beach) It’s about 30 minutes along the I-95 and State Road 202.

Days 2 – 4 – Jax Beach

After leaving Jacksonville City, we headed out by car to Jax Beach. In the grand scheme of American driving trips, this is fairly close by, as the name suggests – Jacksonville Beach. Forming part of the Atlantic Coast on the East, you have around 5 miles of sandy flat beaches which can sometimes feel like your own piece of tranquility.

It’s a student town so it attracts a pretty lively crowd during term times and around the weekend, but also has a fairly laid back charm to it. We didn’t exactly pick the warmest month, so looks can be deceptive when it comes to what to wear. Being there in January, meant despite bright sunlight, it does get chillier later in the day.

Shorts and t-shirt on, we raced outside the hotel to get some steps in, only to race back inside and get changed into something warmer!

It’s in Jax Beach I discovered that swapping out spirits for just beer to avoid hangovers, doesn’t work. Especially when you get the attentive service levels of the bar staff at the Flask & Cannon. Also a popular spot for drinks, food and live sports. The bar gets pretty wild later on (or it was just us). There’s a ton of great places to get loose, so if you’re here for a party and it’s weekend – you’re in the right place.

But overall – partying aside, for that Palm Springs, Huntingdon Beach vibe on the East Coast, Jax Beach comes close. Albeit less boujee. It’s clean, quite boutique, feels safe and infinitely more charming than the city which shares its name.

What to do: Flying in from the cold and wet UK, our main effort here was to unwind, listen to the sea, walk, and not a great deal else. For families, there are nature trails, beach bike hire and usual watersports you expect in beach towns. It’s also a pretty good surf spot. So, where the water was a little rougher we found ourselves sat on the sand watching others cut about the waves.

Where to stay: We stayed at Casa Marina, which is right on the beach, well rated (8.0 on Booking) and very affordable. It wasn’t exactly modern inside, which was the reason we picked it; it was cute. If cute isn’t your thing, and you prefer something both close to the beach and gives you semi apartment style hotel room with a trusted brand name, then the slightly pricier Element by Marriott is a popular choice. (Approx £150/$200 p/n)

Getting away: Well serviced by road routes, we got away from here on the I-95 and headed south to carry on our 3 week Florida roadtrip. Next stop Daytona Beach, which is just 90-100 minutes away.

Days 4 – 6 – Daytona Beach

I half expected to find nothing but Nascars and burn outs in Daytona; so I was surprised to find it looking more like a seaside holiday resort albeit than a backdrop to Days of Thunder. Albeit with a high percentage of Hells Angels. (Or whatever the brand of aged bike gang members they are)

Big long stretches of deep beaches, and promenades that run on for miles, make this a sea air joggers paradise. You’ve got the usual beachside vendors, selling toffee apples, candy floss and hot dogs, as well as blocks of amusement areas for kids. Around the town are a good handful of bars and places to dine out. It’s a great spot for a couple of days.

A lot of what I expected here was likely informed by the 1990s film and music output from the US. These days it’s a little less wild, even during Spring Break, where some of the mayhem has been cut down on. For the locals that may be a little bit of a blessing.

If you lived here during these times, it must have been a lot to tackle. Half a million Spring Breakers hitting the beach during peak MTV era in 1989 for example!

Don’t worry, if you’re here for a party, those can still be found, just don’t expect it all the time. Best spots to visit for that are Coyote Ugly, Razzles and 509. We found ourselves hitting all three one night and a discovering the most revolting cocktail known to human – the Irish Carbomb. A distasteful name and an equally as obnoxious tasting drink. But a local insisted on us trying them and it ended up being put on repeat.

What to do: After a night of Irish Carbombs and a desire to work off some terrible calories, we found a lot of charm in just strapping on our trainers and covering the miles of sandy beaches and breathing in the fresh sea air. The pier and boardwalk are charming and for fitness fans, you have a top selection of nearby gyms. It’s one of our favourite things to do, visit local gyms and spent a good couple of days at 24/7 Fitness recovering our bodies.

If you’re a petrolhead you should check out the home of Nascar and get down to the Daytona International Speedway. If there is a raceday coming up, you’re in for a treat, but you can also visit the museum there and get involved in a track experience too. If two wheels are your thing, there are a number of spots to hire a Harley and the local streets are pretty safe for riding around. The speed limit is ideal for cruising. I can’t ride a bike but Lee my travel buddy has a license in the UK, so was able to book out a Speedster and spin around town like a true biker.

Top TTD: For Nascar fans – Check out the Coke Zero 400 at the Speedway

If you prefer your activities a little more natural and want a way to meet other travellers too, you can do a lot worse than get onto a paddleboard tour seeing the local sealife stars of dolphins and manatees. These trips are really popular and we just booked the one with the highest rating. Neither of us had been on a paddleboard much before, but the pace was slow and it was easy to pick up. Cam the local guide was super helpful in showing us how to get to grips with things.
Find out more here >>

Where to stay: We stayed at the Tropical Winds, as it was one of the few available options left when in town. But it was clean and really affordable, plus had decent parking and was bang slap on the beachfront. It set us back around £60/$80 a night, which was perfect. If you have a little higher budget then you should check to see if the Hard Rock Hotel has space. If you’ve never stayed at one before, you will be blown away by their breakfast buffets. They are incredible. Expect to pay closer to £150/$200 per night. Or a good middle ground for price, location and comfort is the Delta by Marriott.

Getting away: Daytona is around an hour bus ride away from Orlando, and around 1 hour 20 into Kissimmee along the I-4W. If you want to head across and leave your car in Daytona, you can pick up bus tickets with Flixbus for the trip here. >>

Days 6 – 8 – Kissimmee & Orlando

I have put this stop on the itinerary more for readers than myself, as we missed it off mostly. A short lunch break in Orlando and then back on our way. But I’ve been here plenty of times so can speak with a degree of insight.

For our trip, we actually spent a little longer over in Tampa to see a friend at the back end of the trip, and these days, if I’m not with my son, I’m not a huge theme park lover. (Nor is my travel buddy Lee.) However – no 3 week Florida itinerary would be complete without putting this stop in. So here you have it 😊

Stopping here gets you within touching distance of the Magic Kingdom, the Epcot Centre, Seaworld and Universal Studios. I went here last a few years ago, and will come back soon to take my son, but currently, I can’t get him on a tea cup ride, let alone a rollercoaster that goes upside down!

What to do

It’s a pretty straightforward advice section this.

• Disneyland
• Universal Studios – Check out the Kwik E Mart, Simpson’s fans.
• Seaworld – but only if by the time you’ve read this, they have cleaned up their act.

Where to stay

If you’ve got the budget and it’s a once in a lifetime, stay at one of the park hotels. Such as the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel or the very pricey Four Seasons at Lake Buena Vista. But, in truth, you are just as better off, getting better value for money and catching a transfer in. If you look for accommodation in the University area of Orlando, you have places like Homeward Suites which are much cheaper and still very clean and safe.

Failing that, there are a lot of apartment, AirBnB style options around that will do you well. I stayed with family and friends, so had the luxury of saving money on lodgings when visiting, but for you, if you’re hitting the parks, the hotel is just a place to sleep in as you’ll be worn out by the end of the day!

Getting away: Once you’re done here, do as we would do, which is head the 2 and a half hour drive to West Palm Beach. It’s accessible by trains also and tickets for the trip are around £26/$32 (As of 2025/6). We are in an environmentally ridiculous car, so we hopped onto the I-95 South and sped through Florida’s Turnpike.

Days 8 – 10 – West Palm Beach

Our visit included a brunch party, rooftop drinks, the art museum, window shopping (Rodeo Drive style), and hunting for wildlife in the State Park.

Close to Juno and Jupiter Beach – two absolute beauties to visit, WPB as it’s known to the locals is a quickly developing part of South Florida, expanding partly due to the cost of living in Miami – and for visitors, it has a lot to enjoy. I didn’t know what to expect when heading this way, which is part of the fun when doing a road trip; and I was really pleased we stopped here.

Why? You probably caught on that we like to party, but also the weather is lush, the beaches are nice, the streets are upmarket and it just feels like a fairly happy place. Where a lot of startup wannabes, or new media types are finding living in Miami a bit of a stretch, they seem to be making their way here. Which brings with it a fairly bohemian injection that blends well with the more traditional conservative nature of South Florida. What you get are cool shops, places to eat, nice bars and lively little hubs dotted around the region. Think Wynwood in Miami, or a warmer and more staid Williamsburg in NYC. Hell, lets compare it to Hoboken, NJ too!

We drove in down the I-95, which takes you through the Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park and stopped to hike a little. Well worth the stop to stretch your legs and with a load of picnic areas, it’s well worth packing a little bite to eat and enjoying the experience. It’s so easy to pass through these places and not enjoy them for what they are. So, keen to see some nature, we braved our mental demons of encountering snakes, spiders and…alligators.

From here we headed toward Downtown and checked into our little treat the AKA. With two of us, we split the cost and got a great deal on a stunner of a hotel. While it may not be ‘The Ben‘ (The best hotel in Downtown – Breakers is probably the best in Palm Beach proper), it was amazing for us and really close to everything you needed. Our hotel was on South Olive Avenue, which is a couple of streets across from Clematis, and that’s pretty much the heart of WPB. Full of bars, people, clean boulevards, the lot.

Before polluting our kidneys, we had seen on Reddit a few recommendations of things to do here, and one of those was see the Flagler Mansion and the Norton Museum of Art. So, feeling like we should do more than just stare at the sea, drink Margaritas and hit the gym, it was time for some culture. Discovering that the Flagler Mansion was across the water on Palm Beach and we were in Downtown, we saved that till the next day as you walk past it in truth when heading over there. So, the museum it was, followed by – gym, staring at the sea and getting in some skylines to sink….you guessed it – Margaritas.

Day 2, we got up early and walked the 30 minutes across the bridge to Palm Beach itself. We spent an hour ‘grounding ourselves’ in the sea. This is Lee’s recent discovery which involves standing with your shoes off in the sea. I have always known this as paddling to be honest, but let’s go with ‘Grounding’. Some sunbathing, and coffee outside at the Breakers Hotel, before strolling down Worth Avenue, a little further south, that feels a lot like shopping around Beverly Hills.

With lunchtime landing, we got ourselves across to Lynora’s, a well known Sunday brunch party and the rest of the day ended up being a bit of a haze. Bottomless experience, you know the deal 🙂

What to do: If you get to Downtown WPB in time and it’s Saturday morning, then head to Clematis Street and see the farmer’s market. Go back there in the evening and let your hair down. The best places for brunch events on a Sunday are Breakers (More elegant) or Lynora’s (Wilder). You’ve got plenty of visible attractions such as the Museum of Art, the Flagler Museum and as we did – strolling along Worth Avenue. Probably a fitting name, although once you’ve visited, you’ll probably rename it to ‘Above my net Worth Avenue’.

• Shopping? Stroll Worth Ave in Palm Beach
• People Watching? Visit The Breakers for brunch or an ogle
• Culture? Norton Museum of Art in Downtown
• Get Ratchet? Taco Tuesdays (Or good bars daily)? Head to Clematis Street
• Rooftop Drinks? Top of the Rox or Treehouse. The Ben is also good.

Where to stay: If you can afford it, then The Breakers on Palm Beach is top tier (£1200/$1500 p/n), while The Ben is pretty impressive in Downtown. We recommend the AKA, which is where we stayed, with a night for two in a twin room (two big beds each), setting us back £65/$80 each. Really worth it, if you ask me.

Getting away: It’s around a 90-120 minute drive south to Miami from WPB, which is where we were going next. If you’re doing this overland without a rental, you have a good train route, that requires no changes and is direct for about $20-$30 and takes 1 hour 10 minutes.

Or there is also the option of a slightly slower journey with a coach. See tickets >>

Days 10 – 13 – Miami

Journey time to Miami: From West Palm Beach the route takes an hour and 30 when you consider stopping for snacks. It’s 70 miles.

I’ve been to Miami a few times and it’s a must go destination. If you want to get drunk and dance in wild bars you’ve got that in South Beach; if you want fantastic beaches to sunbathe, bbq and surf, then that’s also within grasp. It’s a sprawling city/conurbation with lots of little regions that each offer something different.

Little Havana with the Cuban experience, South Beach for excess and Coconut Grove for peace and quiet.

I first went during a Spring Break and ended up extending my trip. I also lost my passport in a drink related incident. I had the time of my life! But time hasn’t rendered this place any less appealing.

The architecture…I love. The ‘Art Deco in the sun’ style is so unique to the region, and I think with the Cuban influence down here, you just have this really striking visual backdrop. Instagram fuel it is.

Unlike West Palm, it can feel a little busy at times, with it being a tourist hub, but you don’t have to spend your time in Miami solely in SoBe. And so, for a quieter experience you may want to head to Coconut Grove, North Miami and Coral Gables. Those spots tend to attract less tourism and have a bit more of a professional demographic. It’s where locals live. Which is always a nice way to see any city. Prices become more affordable and the experience is more authentic.

Miami is a bit like a playground for Adults. You’ve got a Williamsburg-esque vibe over in Wynwood on the mainland if you like bohemian strolls; surf spots all along the coast, great shopping in downtown and also with that body conscious vibe you get in suntraps like Miami, some really nice eating options too.

By which I mean, not everything is breakfast potatos and stacked burgers. If you’ve had your fill of iHop, then you can find a mall’s worth of clean takeaways.

For me, Miami is one of the key US cities. It forms a major part of the US story and also makes a change from Southern US life, which can come across as a bit ‘Twilight Zone’. It doesn’t feel like Florida, but it doesn’t feel like LA either. Maybe parts might resemble West Hollywood or 90210, but it really has its own identity and that’s why I would advise everyone stop here.

What to do:

• Take a trip to Coconut Grove – Kampong Botanical Gardens & Nice House Spotting
• See the Miami Dolphins at the Hard Rock Stadium – or check out Miami Heat – Tickets
• Boat tour around Biscayne and celebrity home island – Indian Creek
• Party in South Beach
• Get a tattoo at Miami Ink
• See the street art in Wynwood District
• Hit the gun range

Best bit for us: Watching the Miami Hurricanes with a load of University of Miami students in Coral Gables.

Extra Tip: I wrote this guide, then when I came back to it, I realised there is something glaring, that I missed.

Just walking around and spotting the Art Deco hotels is a self-guided walking tour in and of itself. When I look back at the pictures, the thing that captures me (more than the blue skies and warm sea) is the look of the place.

So, make a list of the art deco hotels on something like Gemini/GPT etc and ask it to make you a walking route. Then get your trainers on and go check them out. Most of these hotels have featured in movies, tv shows, or been the backdrop to really significant cultural historic events.

It’s probably the best free thing to do in South Beach Miami.

Where to stay:

For a few days in Miami, I would opt for South Beach as it’s so walkable and has a lot more to do in one concentrated area than some of the other districts. Which is the nature of a ‘holiday spot’. If you’re a couple, or a group of friends and like your nightlife, then this is my top pick. I stayed at the Colony Hotel, looks good, has a ton of history and is actually very affordable, plus it’s really central.

For families, you may want to consider North Miami (where David Beckham lives) and Coconut Grove as these are quieter, both very safe and have less tourists around – which means less wild drunk groups of breakers. You can always hop in an Uber, or take your car to any attractions or places you want to go.

Solo travellers can of course consider hitting up South Beach, but Wynwood makes a nice stop as it’s also very visually occupying and is full of cute little shops, eateries etc. So walking around here, is an event in and of itself.

Getting away: Being a major city, there isn’t a destination you can’t reach from here. It’s a gateway to the Keys too, which makes it a perfect stop. Getting down to the Keys, depending on which part, will take anywhere from 90 minutes to Key Largo, and 3 and a half hours to Key West. Max speed limit is 60 mph, which is a little frustrating.

Day 13 – 16 – Florida Keys

3 and half hours after leaving Miami Beach we reached Key West. Our stop here included hunting for nature, walks around the state parks, eating shrimp and window shopping.

The last time I visited the Keys was with a partner and we probably spent most of the time getting up to no good in the local reserves. Didn’t do that with my pal Lee!

The Keys are a popular tourist spot for US nationals and international tourists and its not hard to see why. You’re close to the Everglades, the weather is great and the pace of life is very relaxed. We took our ride down on what we hoped would be an epic road journey and while it was nice, the speed limit kills it for us.

A lot of 50 and 60mph roads. So don’t expect it to be a Mustang roof down burn out trip. Don’t judge the Keys on that though obviously.

We spent a few days here; mostly naval gazing on the beach and could have done it in a little less time. The Keys are lovely and have been framed in my mind by Tom Cruise’s Cocktail movie in the 80s, but as we had seen scenically similar parts of Florida already on our 3 week road trip, it probably muted the impact of the experience.

We drove straight to end of the Keys, and booked in to a lovely historic building in Downtown Key West, a few minutes from Duval St, which is the heart of the place. This is one of the best parts of the Keys, and that’s the historic buildings and quaint shops. Do as we did, buy ice cream, bimble around the shops, get your classic ‘Southernmost Point’ (of the US) photo and eat shellfish. Then in the evening hit the Duval Crawl – which is what you might imagine. A popular drag of bars and nightlife and came as a nice surprise to us, as we didn’t expect this would exist in this sea of retired folks.

From here, you’re a short drive to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park which has a lovely sandy private beach and great snorkelling options too.

Day 2, after a workout and a lovely breakfast at Harpoon Harry’s, we took ourselves to Big Pine Key for the day. We heard it had amazing nightsky views after sunset, which was something we wanted to check out. I’m not Astrophotographer but I’d seen some great shots. It took us just under an hour to get there, and it’s a nice place to spend the day regardless. After dinner, we headed back ready for a trip back out and into the Everglades on day 3.

NB: Harpoon Harry’s is a bit of a local hero for great breakfasts and it’s close to the ferry point if you’re going to head to Dry Tortugas National Park. Worth visiting if you’re heading over there.

What to do: Some of the beaches in the Keys are quite small (and crowded – South Beach for one), some are man made and some are rocky. But…there are some outliers which don’t feel so crowded and are well worth visiting. Smathers Beach is the biggest beach in Key West, and Higgs Beach has the iconic wooden pier photo opportunity for your instagram.

• Stargazing? Loggerhead Beach – Big Pine Key
• Coral Life? Go Snorkelling at Cannon Beach or around John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
• Bar hopping? The Duval Street Crawl in Key West
• History Fans? Take a cruise around Dry Tortugas National Park by getting the Yankee Freedom cruise from Key West. See the old fort.
• Iconic bits? South Beach’s Southernmost Point photo and play beach volleyball on Smathers Beach.

Where to stay: Key West has the best range of hotels, not that many are in the affordable zone. We stayed at The Artist Guesthouse and can’t recommend it enough for style, comfort and price range. Amazing location and around £130/$150 per night for two adults.

Getting away: The same way in, was the same way out. Traffic can be temperamental or a little slow around weekends or peak seasons, so have that in mind. Takes around 3 and a half hours to reach the Everglades by road using the Route 1. Distance based on heading to Gator Park.

Days 16 – 17 – Naples

Our trip here took us via the Everglades and an airboat tour – that is highly recommended.

Naples was our next stop as we began to head out of South Florida and was a couple of hours across from the Everglades. We used it as more of a stopping point, as my previous trip here had given me a pretty good brief on what to expect.

It’s a wealthy part of the state and a popular retirement spot for the well heeled. It has the feel of a slightly more urbanised Florida Keys. The local town is clean and safe, with some lovely restaurants and you can spend an age strolling around 5th Avenue or 3rd Street, or just getting some steps in along the beach by the Pier.

It’s more geared toward an older audience, and while it’s a lovely place, felt like there wasn’t much here I hadn’t seen already during our 3 week trip of Florida. Which is why we spent just the night here. Having done a lot of driving, we got dinner at Caffè Milano, which is one of many fantastic Italian restaurants around Old Naples and got our heads down.

What to do

Do some people watching from the outdoor cafes on Fifth Avenue South (3rd St is lovely too), which is in Old Naples. There is a nice artistic culture here too, and a good selection of galleries, trendy stores etc. Go out to Cape Coral in Fort Myers for some amazing seafood spots – you can hire a boat around here too. On another day, nip across to Keewaydin Island and laze in the sand. Naples Beach is a great 10,000 stepper too, it’s also one of the nicest beaches on the Gulf Coast.

Where to stay

Check in, somewhere around Old Naples, so you’ve got the beach, pier and great food/drink spots in short walking distance. Sure you can drive in, if you stay on the outskirts, but one of the nicer things to do in Naples is the restaurant culture and if you can’t sink a locally produced wine or three, then you have just limited the experience.

We stayed at the Cove Inn, on Naples Bay, which is about a km from the beach and had great views across the water. That was lovely, not the cheapest, but probably one of the best rates in an area that is arguably quite pricy.

Getting away: From here, you’re around 3 hours drivetime (160miles) North to Tampa. You can grab a bus also, but if you’re going via car, you can stop off in Fort Myers to see Cape Coral.

Days 17 – 19 – Tampa

Nothing says party town like a one hour extra closing time allowance. This is Tampa! I’ve wanted to go here for a long time; from a purely hedonistic standpoint; but while on the trip, we had noticed that nightlife tended to wind down early. So, being somewhere with an extra hour or two on the clock to stay out, was well received.

It’s also where a friend of mine lived down in St Pete’s, which meant margaritas and beers were always going to happen here.

We tried to avoid making Tampa only about parties, but it’s what we came for, so I make no apologies. Consider this part of my 3 week Florida itinerary guide – things we could have done, but didn’t because….alcohol 🤣

After a 3 hour ride, we made a beeline to stay in Ybor City. Which is famous for being one of the wilder neighbourhoods in Tampa. For us, it was just a matter of what came up on Booking and somewhere we had heard had bars. So booked it, checked in – done.

If you want peace and quiet don’t stay in Ybor, or Soho (South Howard Street) and maybe just ride on through. Within a couple of hours of our arrival as the sun dipped down, the whole area is garnished with basslines. One thing that was fairly apparent early on, is that Ybor is for a much younger age group than us. Something we love about visiting the US is that the party crowd tends to be older than the UK – NOT IN YBOR THOUGH!

This is in part that the bars let in those under 21 – although you need to be over 21 to drink. So it does bring the age range down. If you’re a younger traveller, then this is great for you. The area has clubs and bars, so you can do the bar crawl thing, or just visit a big club and stay there the night.

After a beer or 2 in the Dirty Shame, which is the usual fun dive bar you find around college areas, with shuffleboard, dartboards etc, we ventured around the area to ‘experience’ what I would describe as Florida’s Bourbon Street.

Where we went:

• Reservoir Bar – Spray paint, games, vending machines with vibrating panties, cheap beer and tunes from the 60s. Think NYC dive bar and you’re there mentally. Check it out >>
• The Dirty Shame – Slightly better kept visually than the Reservoir Bar, but the same experience. Makes for another stop on a bar crawl and likely to be preferred by those who want something a little less divey. Both are good.

The rest of our evening was just more of that, meaning ‘Day 2’ needed to start with a ton of steps and some breakfast in a traditional American style diner.

Our walk the following morning took us from Ybor down to Tampa Riverside to get something a little more scenic than neon signs of bars that are being cleansed of the previous night’s detritus, and through some cute suburban streets, checking out the houses, with the sole intention of reaching the 3 Coins Diners.

The 3 Coins Diner has been going now for 40 years and is a well loved 24 hour dining spot which had exactly what we needed at that time of the day – bottomless coffee, pancakes, maple syrup, eggs and the usual.

A classic, American diner. ❤️

The journey back was a little more indirect, courtesy of an Uber and a desire to do some shopping for a Saturday outfit. 2 and a bit weeks living out of suitcases and constant packing, meant we wanted to treat ourselves to something a little fresher. The best place for shopping in Tampa we found was the International Plaza, close to the airport, which had recognised brands as well as more boutique names. If you want a Ralph Lauren shirt, or some fresh Nike sneakers, its fixed here. You can also shop around Soho at the Hyde Park Mall.

Late lunch, or more like early evening dinner was over at Babushka’s in Soho. This is an amazing Eastern European restuarant, with a good selection of authentic beers and quite hearty food. Which makes it a good pick vs something like Koya an incredible Japanese restaurant, when you know your evening is going to involve a fair amount of alcohol.

We met up with Lindsey my US buddy from St Pete’s, and after lining our stomachs headed to the Edge which is a rooftop cocktail bar, south of Downtown. Lovely views of Tampa from here and you can watch the sun go down. It’s a bit of an institution and it’s lively. There are some bars in life which are quite good people mixers. This is one of them. But our next stop would have loads of them!

Soho proper.

Soho is bar crawl central. Hop from one place to the next, on a drag that resembles a residential street that was taken over and then flattened in parts with a bar crawl district in mind.

Somehow they’ve achieved something remarkable here, they’ve retained the aesthetic of a partly residential area, thrown in some local convenience store lots, added some derelict land and converting where a bunch of shops and houses would have been, into bars instead. Consequently in the daytime it has this ghost town effect, but turn the sun out, set the calendar to weekend and you have got a great place to party.

This was where we spent the rest of our evening, before grabbing pizza by the slice from Bella Roma (one block down from MacDintons) and going home to regret our life decisions in the morning.

What to do

Party in Florida’s Bourbon Street, check out Busch Gardens for thrillseekers, hit the beach in St Pete’s or do something very wild (and discreet) in Tampa’s famed ‘lifestyle’ club scene.

If you follow our footsteps and head into Ybor and it’s February, you should check out the Krewe of the Knights of Sant Yago Parade. Undoubtedly this descends into street party time and a wild evening. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.

Adrenaline Junkies? If you didn’t stop in Orlando and wished you had for theme park fun, you’ve got Busch Gardens near be, which is an internationally respected rollercoaster mecca.

Hedonists? Parties in Tampa are amongst the best in Florida, and if you’re interested in spicing up your marriage (or someone else’s) then Tampa is world famous for….well, you already know if you know! But putting that to one side, with later closing hours, Ybor, Downtown, Riverside, Soho and St Pete’s you’re spoiled for choice.

Sun worshippers: Getting away from all things drink related, you are a short drive to St Pete’s, which when it’s not home to Cyclones, Hurricanes and all other freak weather gods, has a great stretch of beach and a very nice pace of life. It’s arguably worth a day or two itself.

Sports fans (Or fans of live entertainment) should make the time to see the Buccaneers. Catching an NHL game is also recommended as it’s over faster but if you have the time, get yourself to an NFL game.

See NFL Football ticket prices >>

NHL Hockey Tickets for Tampa Bay lightning >>

Finally – one of my favourite things to do in any city, is take a tour with a local. They never cost much, you get a chance to chat to a human who lives here on a more personal level and you’re supporting a local small business. We had a friend here, but they don’t know what a local historian does. So we hopped on to a tour with Steve on our arrival, and it was a nice way to do some light activity after a long drive, and feel like we did do something cultural here too.

It also helps with framing a new location. Getting your bearings and helping to recognise where things are. It’s actually really good for that, in the same way I love doing open top bus tours in new cities also. Highly recommended and cost less than £25/$30 – See Steve’s Tampa walking tour >>

Where to stay

Tampa Bay Harbor, South Tampa for Price vs Location; Ybor for parties; and St Pete’s for the beach.

Tampa Bay Harbor and South Tampa tends to be where you’ll find the better priced accommodation. We stayed in Ybor City which was probably midway in terms of price.

For that, we got a location with lots to do nearby, places to drink, places to drink and places to drink! It is actually quite architecturally pretty, but it’s famous for its night scene. Another spot for parties is Soho or South Howard Avenue, which is a bar crawl mecca in Tampa, but accommodation tends to be a lot higher in price and a bit more sparsely available. For example you have the Epicurean hotel in SOHO, which is around £400/$500 per night and doesn’t do anything for me that, this budget should.

I could be wrong, but I’d rather save my money.

Back to Ybor City, buildings have a vintage style to them, there are quirky shops in the neighbourhood and you’re fairly central if you want to walk downtown. That said, Tampa central to its credit is all fairly walkable if you like a stroll.

Our pick for price in Ybor City: The Hampton Inn Suites – or get across to St Pete’s and there are a couple of winners. The Avalon looks great, is really well reviewed, has a location close to plenty of things to do and often has some really affordable booking deals on. Another St Pete’s gem is a really nice motel called The Molloy. It’s along the beach and out of season the price as you imagine comes down significantly. Which means if you’re from a colder part of the world and just like listening to the sea, you’re in paradise. See here >>

Getting away: A 4 hour drive from Tampa takes us up to Tallahassee on the I-75 N and I-10 W. The route arcs around Florida to the West and puts you in the direction of Panama City Beach and on to Alabama, New Orleans et al.

Days 19 – 20 – Tallahassee

Like Naples, we broke up the journey here in Tallahassee, with the goal of spending a bit longer in Panama and readying ourselves for the second part of our roadtrip beyond Florida. (We were going to drive to New Orleans next!)

So, this means, we didn’t do a lot here, apart from hitting the gym, eating and sleeping. A university town, it was a bit quieter for us just outside of Semester and that suited us fine. I could easily see us finding our way on to a college party and feeling like death the next day. If you are here during College time, then stay where we did, which was Midtown. This makes the local bar scene a bit more walkable, otherwise it can feel quite a sprawled out town.

What to do

You’re near a lot of lovely hiking trails and during termtime, you’ve got a good bar scene. As you would imagine with a large Uni campus around.

• Hiking? Lafayette Heritage Trail Park over to the East of the city in Piney Z, is a lovely spot for walking around the lake and getting away from being on the road.
• Partytime? Midtown’s cocktail bar scene is well known and CollegeTown had two absolute slammers in Poor Paul’s Pourhouse and Burrito Boarders. Fun bars, with people that chat outside of their social circles and good prices. Poor Paul’s recently shutdown but there is hope it may open again once more. They were based just north of FSU building, but anywhere around here and south toward W Gaines St has a good range of dive bars.

Where to stay

Pick Midtown, Old Town or around the University campus for access to good places to eat and grab a beer. For a bit more peace, Lafayette area is the best shout. We stayed at a motel just around the historic area and not far from Lafayette, to save money and get back on the road the next day. But overall, found prices in the town were pretty good going. We paid around £70/$95 per night. So, pretty reasonable compared to the Keys and Naples!

Our choice here >>>

Getting away: 2 and half hours on the road from here got us to Panama City Beach, taking the I-10 W and FL-79 S. Not a terrible journey, and some weird petrol (gas) stations stopped at on the way that sell alligator heads to amuse us.

Days 20-21+ Panama Beach

If you find yourself here during Spring Break or Summer, your experience may be very different to ours. What I can say, is that I absolutely loved Panama Beach in the off-season.

We didn’t stay anywhere fancy, we didn’t go to posh restaurants and my best mate was dying from a tooth infection, that made him temporarily addicted to very strong pain killers.

So, why was it so nice?

We had just driven 1400 miles, had continously moved from location to location and been on the road for nearly 3 weeks. It was about time we stopped and chilled. Panama Beach offers vast stretches of pure sandy beaches, a touch of traditional seaside resort – think Santa Monica but 30 years ago, or Weston Supermare in the UK – and a very slow pace of life.

Being outside of the peak season meant we got a really affordable place to stay by checking in to a motel called Casa Loma. Not exactly the most luxurious pile of bricks, but it had unspoilt views of the beach and sea from every room, which was moment of absolute delight. We paid around $60 a night and it was worth every penny.

Much of our time was devoted to me working remotely while listening to the waves crash; walking the beaches and eating. With the UK’s miserable wet weather waiting for us back home, it’s was more than enough for us to smile.

What to do

• Sunbathe
• Dolphin watching trips – or be their competitor and go deep sea fishing
• The usual family resort things to do – amusements, go-karting etc
• Hire a bike and hit the trails
• Paddleboard the calm beachside waters
• Put some weight on by eating out every few hours. Try the All American Diner here – top rated place for breakfast/brunch
• Hang out in the peak months and get some cocktails down you. Yes, there is a Senor Frogs here! 😂
  
  NB: Out of season, some of the bars and nightspots are on reduced timetables

Where to stay

Budget for accommodation costs out of season between 75 and 130$ USD or £60-100 GBP per night for a twin room and add 50-100% on that number during peak times.

We stayed at Casa Lomo, which had great views and well kitted out rooms, but if you fancy something more modern you have a Marriott on the beach. Need a bit more space and somewhere to knock up a barbecue? We wished this had been available: Ocean View Condo – failing that you can always check out Airbnb too if you have a larger group to accommodate.

Getting away: To get to Panama City Beach, Fl, we drove for about 2 hours from Tallahassee, which apart from some rush hour traffic, was pretty plain sailing. To get away from here, you can fly internally from Northwest Florida Beaches International airport and then make a connection to all major global cities to exit the US. We carried on our trip to Texas via New Orleans, but from Panama you can drop your car off and fly across to Tampa, Orlando or Miami for the widest choice of flights globally.

What else to know about travelling Florida?