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Florida's State Road A1A is one of the most scenic road trip routes in the nation. It runs along the most eastern border of the state, about as close to the water as you can get. In fact, pay attention to the weather when planning your vacation, because stretches of this route are known to close down due to tropical storms. But when the weather is grand, the views couldn't be better. A1A is a beach-lover's paradise, because it hops from beach to beach.
As a bonus, Florida tends to be less expensive than California except for a few regions near Jupiter Beach , making this beach-hopping car tour both budget-friendly and super laid-back. Catch a flight into Miami and head north, where you can hug the edge of Florida for long stretches, nearly all the way to the Georgia-Florida state line. A1A is by far the slower route than other north-south options, but making good time is rarely the point of a road trip, right? Although we could make a top list of our favorite places to stop on A1A, here are 10 must-dos, starting in Miami Beach and heading north to Amelia Island.
There's tons to do in Miami you could make a full vacation out of just this city , but a great way to start your road trip is to fill up here with a food tour. Miami Food Tours runs unique guided tours through the area, where you can experience local-fave restaurants, learn about the history, architecture and culinary scene, and chat with other foodies.
It's a unique way to tour the region and start your road trip on a high note. By Mike Miller. Marys river and extends south miles to Miami. Many of the towns along the way are famous for their laid back beach culture. Highway 1 comes into Florida across the Georgia border on the St.
Marys River near Boulougne, and extends miles to Key West. A1A is the beach highway, while US-1 goes through older towns that followed the extension of the railroad down the state in the s and s. In the days before interstate highways, U. When State Road A1A comes to inlets or other barriers, it sometimes jogs back and forth across the Intracoastal Waterway to join US-1, but generally you will be near the ocean on the entire length of both these roads.
But that's no fun. Take a day or two more and enjoy the towns along the way. In this section, A1A is lined with thick forest and huge moss-draped oak trees. If you bring your bikes, I recommend using this trail to explore this stretch of A1A and the small roads that lead off it to the beach. We especially enjoyed Mala Compra Beach because this is designated as an equine area and a local outfitter, Equestrian Adventures of Florida, offers beachfront horseback trail rides.
You must reserve in advance. We loved watching the horses on the sand where the guides also do cleanup duty after the horses. As you drive by, you might think it is just a boat launch with a big parking lot, which it also is. The park also has shaded picnic tables and piers with great viewing spots for the Matanzas River, where it is common to see dolphin and the occasional manatee. There is even a short trail on the south end end of the park. Under a big covering surrounded by an elevated boardwalk, you look down into the excavated site of the Mala Compra Plantation house, active from until it was burned down in the Second Seminole War in There is information on the enslaved people who lived here, but the treatment of this history falls a bit short.
The strength of the exhibit is your ability to peek into an archaeological site and the explanation about what was found here. On the west side of A1A, the park offers lovely formal gardens — ancient spreading oak trees, a meandering waterway fed by a clear spring, plantings of roses and azaleas and a gazebo. On the east side of A1A is one of the most unusual beaches in Florida.
But if you did your research or read Florida Rambler , you know that the beach at Washington Oaks is lined with coquina rocks carved by the elements into swirls and bowls and all sorts of fantastical shapes. Just over 2 miles north, you come to a complex with a rich history where you have another excellent opportunity to admire the dunes and beach. Marineland opened in primarily to film underwater scenes for television and motion pictures. Housing marine creatures, the facility was on the forefront of understanding the care and training of dolphins.
Today it is owned by the Georgia Aquarium and specializes in human-dolphin interaction. The main attraction is a boardwalk atop the sand dune bluff with excellent signage about the region. The final 2. With its long bridge and views of undeveloped beach and lagoon lands, the inlet is one of the most beautiful scenes along A1A.
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