63 Best Sights in Northeast Coast, Florida

January and February are the top months for sighting sea cows at this designated manatee refuge, but they begin to head here in November, as soon as the water gets cold enough (below 68°F). Your best bet for spotting a manatee is to walk along the boardwalk. The park, which is 30 miles southwest of Daytona Beach on I–4, was once a river port where paddle wheelers stopped to take on cargoes of oranges. Home to the largest spring on the St. Johns River, the park offers hiking, camping, picnicking facilities, and two-bedroom cabins (two-night minimum weekends and holidays). It also contains a historic homestead that's open to the public.

At this Association of Zoo and Aquariums–accredited zoo you can stroll along the shaded boardwalks for close-up looks at rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs, alligators, crocodiles, lemurs, jaguars, eagles, river otters, kangaroos, sloths, and exotic birds. During zookeeper chats held throughout the day, staffers feed and highlight various animals. Stop by Paws-On, an interactive learning playground with a petting zone, wildlife detective training academy, and the Indian River Play Lagoon. Hand-feed a giraffe in Expedition Africa or a lorikeet in the aviary. Step up to the Wetlands Outpost, an elevated pavilion that's a gateway to 22 acres of wetlands through which you can paddle kayaks and keep an eye open for the 4,000 species of wildlife that live in these waters and woods. Adventurers seeking a chimp's-eye view can zip line through the zoo on Treetop Trek.

Miles of grassy, windswept dunes and a virtually empty beach await you at this remarkable 57,000-acre park on a barrier island with 24 miles of undeveloped coastline spanning from New Smyrna to Titusville. The unspoiled area of hilly sand dunes, grassy marshes, and seashell-sprinkled beaches is a large part of NASA's buffer zone and is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and 300 species of birds and other animals.

Surf and lagoon fishing are available, and a hiking trail leads to the top of a Native American shell mound, Turtle Mound. A visitor center is on Route A1A at Apollo Beach. The parks can get busy on weekends or when rocket launches are scheduled during park operating hours, as the park provides a spectacular viewing area for launches from Kennedy Space Center.

The focal point of St. Augustine, this commanding structure was completed by the Spaniards in 1695 (English pirates were handy with a torch back then), and it looks every day of its three centuries. The fort was constructed of coquina, a soft limestone made of broken shells and coral that, unexpectedly, could absorb the impact of British cannonballs. (Unlike solid stone, the softer coquina wouldn't shatter when hit by large munitions.) The fort was also used as a prison during the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Tours are self-guided, so be sure to pick up a brochure and map. Children 15 and under are admitted free and must be accompanied by an adult. Save your receipts, since admission is valid for seven consecutive days.

This district in Fernandina Beach, which is home to Florida's oldest existing lighthouse, oldest bar, and oldest hotel, has more than 50 blocks of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its 450 ornate structures built before 1927 are some of the nation's finest examples of Queen Anne, Victorian, and Italianate architecture. Pick up a self-guided-tour map at the welcome center, in the old train depot—once a stopping point on the first cross-state railroad—and take your time exploring the quaint shops, restaurants, and boutiques that populate the district, especially along Centre Street.

One of the country's best-preserved and most complete 19th-century brick forts, Fort Clinch was built to discourage further British intrusion after the War of 1812 and was occupied in 1863 by the Confederacy; a year later it was retaken by the Union. During the Spanish-American War it was reactivated for a brief time, but no battles were ever fought on its grounds (which explains why it's so well preserved). Wander through restored buildings, including furnished barracks, a kitchen, and a repair shop. Living-history reenactments of Civil War garrison life are scheduled throughout the year.

The 1,400-acre park surrounding the fort has full-facility camping, nature trails, a swimming beach, and surf and pier fishing. Fort Clinch is also the only state park in northeast Florida designated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a viewing destination for the eastern brown pelican, green sea turtle, and loggerhead sea turtle.

The highly regarded zoo offers the chance to hop on a train and see animals from different regions of the world, from the Land of the Tiger, a 2½-acre Asian attraction featuring Sumatran and Malayan tigers, to the African Plains area, which houses elephants, white rhinos, and highly endangered leopards, in addition to other mammals and birds. The Range of the Jaguar takes you to a 4-acre Central and South American exhibit, with exotic big cats and 20 other native species.

The Reptile House showcases some of the world's most venomous snakes, and the 2½-acre Wild Florida has black bears, bald eagles, white-tailed deer, and other of the state's creatures. Play Park contains a seasonal Splash Ground, a forest play area, two mazes, and Stingray Bay with a 17,500-gallon pool where you can pet and feed the mysterious creatures. The zoo also has a Manatee Critical Care Center. What's more, parking is free.

This 450-acre, oceanfront city park and campground just north of Atlantic Beach is beloved by surfers, swimmers, campers, hikers, and especially cyclists, who regularly hit the many off-road trails that range from novice level right up to those named Grunt and Misery. You can rent canoes, kayaks, or paddleboats to go out on the 60-acre freshwater lake. The Kids Splash Park is open April through October, and younger kids delight in the lakefront playground. There are restrooms, picnic areas, and grills throughout, and, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, lifeguards supervise all water activities. Camping is available for tents and RVs, and there are cabins to rent. The popular Dolphin Plaza offers a unique venue for weddings and other special events.

America's space program—past, present, and future—is the star at this must-see attraction, just 45 minutes east of Orlando, where you're treated to a multitude of interactive experiences. Located on a 140,000-acre barrier island, Kennedy Space Center was NASA's launch headquarters from the beginning of the space program in the 1960s until the final shuttle launch in 2011. Thanks to an invigorated NASA program and to high-tech entrepreneurs who have turned their interests to space, you can once again view live rocket launches from the Cape. In fact, there were a record 56 of them from the Space Coast in 2022, with even more expected in 2023.

The visitor center is divided into Mission Zones, with tours and exhibits organized chronologically, beginning with the Heroes & Legends attraction, which celebrates the men and women who've journeyed to space and features the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. The original Mercury 7 team and the later Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle astronauts have contributed artifacts and memorabilia to make it the world's premium archive of astronauts' personal stories. You can watch videos of historic moments in the space program and see one-of-a-kind items such as Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 Mercury space capsule, Gus Grissom's space suit (colored silver only because NASA thought silver looked more "spacey"), and a flag that made it to the moon. Throughout the visitor center, a wide range of hands-on interactive exhibits teach about space travel. One of the more challenging activities is a space-shuttle simulator that lets you try your hand at landing the craft—and afterward replays a side view of your rolling and pitching descent.

Opened in 2022, Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex simulates the Space Port of the Future, offering a glimpse of a world when catching a flight to a distant planet is as routine as jetting from Chicago to Boston. You choose from among four journeys and are taken on an immersive ride packed with interstellar marvels. The Red Planet trip soars over Mars' ancient oceans, while the Uncharted Worlds journey ventures 40 light years away to the Trappist-1 system of exoplanets. While waiting in the main concourse to board your flight, you can check departure and arrival listings and view rockets landing, taking off, and taxiing to their gates. 

The IMAX film Journey to Space, narrated by Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart, fills a five-story movie screen with dramatic footage shot by NASA astronauts during missions highlighting the bravery of all space travelers and capturing the spirit of the human desire to explore and expand. The film also honors the milestones of the Space Shuttle Program—deploying and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, assembling the International Space Station—and then looks forward to the deep-space exploration missions to come, offering a glimpse of the Space Launch System rocket that will send the Orion crew capsule toward Mars.

The drama of the IMAX films gives you great background for the many interactive programs available at the complex. The bus tour included with admission (buses depart every 15 minutes) takes you past iconic spots, including the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and launch pads, where rockets once more await departure. Stops include the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you can look up in awe at one of three remaining Saturn V moon rockets, the largest ever built. Attractions include artifacts in the Treasure Gallery and the Lunar Theater, which shows the first moon landing. You can also dine next to a genuine moon rock at the cleverly named Moon Rock Café.

Several in-depth tours (extra charge) offer more intimate views of the VAB and the Cape Canaveral launch pads, where NASA, SpaceX, and the United Launch Alliance rockets await takeoff. Other iconic images include the countdown clock at NASA’s Press Site, a giant crawler transporter that carried Apollo moon rockets and space shuttles to the launch pad, and the Launch Control Center.

The space shuttle Atlantis attraction offers views of this historic spacecraft as only astronauts have seen it—suspended as if in space, rotated 43.21 degrees with payload bay doors open and its robotic arm extended, as if it has just undocked from the International Space Station. The attraction includes a variety of interactive highlights, including opportunities to perform an Extravehicular Activity (EVA), train like an astronaut, and create sonic booms while piloting Atlantis to a safe landing.

Don't miss the outdoor Rocket Garden, with walkways winding beside a group of vintage rockets, from early Atlas spacecraft to a Saturn IB. The Children's Playdome enables kids to play among the next generation of spacecraft, climb a moon-rock wall, and crawl through rocket tunnels. Astronaut Encounter Theater has two daily programs where retired NASA astronauts share their adventures in space travel and show a short film.

More befitting a theme park (complete with the health warnings), the Shuttle Launch Experience is the center's most spectacular attraction. Designed by a team of astronauts, NASA experts, and renowned attraction engineers, the 44,000-square-foot structure uses a sophisticated motion-based platform, special-effects seats, and high-fidelity visual and audio components to simulate the sensations experienced in an actual space-shuttle launch, including Max Q, solid rocket booster separation, main engine cutoff, and external tank separation. The journey culminates with a breathtaking view of Earth from space.

A fitting way to end the day is a stop at the black-granite Astronaut Memorial, which honors those who lost their lives in the name of space exploration.

A few miles south of Fernandina Beach, the Talbot Islands State Parks system consists of seven parks, three of which have beach settings. All the oceanfront parks have picnic areas and a small admission charge but free parking. Little Talbot is popular for swimming and beachcombing; however, swimming is restricted on parts of the beach because of swift currents. Sand dollars are often found at the far north end. Big Talbot, with its Boneyard Beach of wind-twisted trees, is not recommended for swimming but is a photographer's paradise. Amelia Island State Park is best known for letting you horseback ride on the beach as well as for the adjacent George Crady fishing pier. Kayak and canoe tours can be booked through the parks system's vendor, Kayak Amelia. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; swimming; walking.

This museum celebrates the resilience and preservation of the American Beach community founded during the Great Depression in 1935. A.L. Lewis created this resort-style beach community for African Americans, providing a destination for "recreation and relaxation without humiliation." The museum also honors area preservationist MaVynee Oshun Betsch by telling stories of her life as well as of the community. 

In this recreation area you'll find a campground, as well as a stream for swimming, canoeing, and kayaking. At a constant temperature of 72 degrees, the clear waters are popular for fishing, too.

In 1935, at a time when segregation laws banned African Americans from Florida beaches, this historic beach was founded as a safe haven for people of color. It's the first stop on Florida's Black Heritage Trail, and the nearby A.L. Lewis Museum has exhibits that explore both segregation and the history of the beach. Although parking is limited, this historic beach is a prime spot for quiet walks, sunbathing, and searching for shells. Amenities: parking. Best for: solitude; walking.

This intriguing attraction honors police officers. In addition to movie memorabilia like the Robocop costume and Blade Runner car, informative displays offer insight into the dangers officers face every day: drug dealers, homicides, and criminals who can create knives from dental putty and guns from a bicycle spoke. Other exhibits spotlight the gory history of capital punishment (from hangings to the guillotine to the electric chair) and crime scene investigation, terrorism, and a poignant memorial rotunda where more than 10,000 names are etched in marble to honor police officers who have died in the line of duty. A 24-stall shooting range provides rental guns.

If you don't mind paying a modest entrance fee for beach access, this park offers some outstanding choices. At one end of the beach, there's a playground and snack bar, where you can order sandwiches and cold drinks or rent a beach chair, umbrella, surfboard, or other beach paraphernalia. If you walk north along the beach, however, all traces of civilization seem to vanish. An offshore break makes the park a good surfing spot, there's a boat launch, and canoes and kayaks can be rented. The campgrounds are very popular, too. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: solitude; surfing; swimming; walking.

In addition to typical beach activities, visitors to this beach on the northern end of Canaveral National Seashore can also ride horses here (with a permit), hike self-guided trails, and tour the historic Eldora Statehouse. From I–95, take Exit 220 and head east. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

If you're looking for sun-soaked relaxation, head for Atlantic Beach, where you can sink your feet into white, sugary sands or catch some waves in the warm surf. Beachgoers with canine companions are welcome during the day and evening as long as the dog is leashed. Atlantic Beach and next-door Neptune Beach share the trendy Town Center, which has lots of tempting dining and shopping within a block of the shore. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); showers; water sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

This charming museum has exhibitions on the history of the beach communities, the St. Johns River, the fishing and shrimping industry, and the area's early settlers. Its gift shop is a good place to find Florida souvenirs of every variety, from tasteful histories of the area to pure kitsch. The adjacent historical park features a 1911 steam locomotive, railroad foreman's house, and the Mayport Depot. An on-site beaches visitor center is open Thursday through Saturday.

This is the place to come to get the lay of the land in other eras. Not to be missed are Ice Age–era creatures such as a fully articulated mastodon, giant ground sloth, and saber-tooth cat, all of which lived in the area. The Windover Archaeological Exhibit features 7,000-year-old artifacts indigenous to the region. In 1984, a shallow pond revealed the burial ground of more than 200 native people who lived in the area about 7,000 years ago. Preserved in the muck were bones and, to the archaeologists' surprise, the brains of these ancient people.

Hands-on activities draw in children, who love the Imagination Center, where they can act out history or reenact a rocket flight. Newer displays include The Hubble Space Telescope: Eye on the Universe, provided by the Kennedy Space Center. Nature lovers appreciate the museum's butterfly garden and the nature center, with 22 acres of trails encompassing three distinct ecosystems—sand pine hills, lake lands, and marshlands.

This quiet beach south of St. Augustine played a role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when it attracted national attention for a "wade-in" that later led to Martin Luther King Jr. visiting St. Augustine. Today, it is a county park that still provides access to the beachfront. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Opened in 2018 and named after Dr. James Robert Cade, the lead inventor of Gatorade, this museum is designed to inspire future inventors and creators with hands-on activities and learning opportunities for children. Permanent exhibits explore the solar system, space and time, and inventors. The Sweat Solution tells the story of how Cade used science and creativity to make Gatorade. At First Flush highlights the history of soap, toilets, and other bathroom essentials.

This cathedral has the country's oldest written parish records, dating from 1594. The circa-1797 structure underwent changes after a fire in 1887 as well as restoration work in the mid-1960s. If you're around for the holidays, stop in for Christmas Eve's gorgeous Midnight Mass, conducted amid banks of flickering candles that reflect off gilded walls. Regular Sunday masses are held throughout the year at 7, 9, 11, and 5.

This is one of the Space Coast's nicest beaches—and the place where the great professional surfer Kelly Slater got his start. It has one of the East Coast's steadiest surf breaks, as well as wide stretches of hard sand that are excellent for biking, jogging, power walking, and strolling. In some places, there are dressing rooms, showers, playgrounds, picnic areas with grills, snack shops, and surfside parking lots. Beach vendors offer necessities, and lifeguards are on duty in the summer. A popular entry road, Route 520, crosses the Banana River into Cocoa Beach. At its east end, 5-acre Alan Shepard Park, named for the famous astronaut, aptly provides excellent views of launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Facilities here include 10 picnic pavilions, shower and restroom facilities, and more than 300 parking spaces. Parking is $15 for the day. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance. Another enticing Cocoa Beach entry point is 10-acre Sidney Fischer Park, in the 2100 block of Route A1A in the central beach area. It has showers, playgrounds, changing areas, picnic areas with grills, snack shops, and plenty of well-maintained parking lots ($20 per day). Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

This 2-acre living-history museum with costumed re-enactors provides a vivid sense of life in St. Augustine from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The De Mesa–Sanchez House dates from the 1740s; though built on original foundations, other buildings—including a soldier's home, print shop, blacksmith's shop, and gunsmith—are replicas. Climb the 35-foot watchtower for a panoramic city view, dig for replica artifacts, create a leather medallion, take part in a musket drill, or watch a 16th-century ship being built. Tours start daily at 10:30, noon, 1:30, and 3. The complex also includes three restaurants: the Taberna del Caballo, St. Augustine Seafood Company, and Bull & Crown.

Parents looking for a nonsandy way to occupy the kids for a few hours or a whole day may find their salvation at this colorful complex that features go-kart racing, an 18-hole miniature golf course; a 3,000-square-foot laser tag arena; a 25-foot rock wall; the Sky Maze ropes course and zip line; a video arcade with 80 games; and a water park featuring slides galore, a lazy river, and seven different water attractions. There's a bar for adults as well as two eateries, Wave Grill and Paradise Grill. Poolside cabanas are available for rent.

The spring water at this lovely park 15 minutes north of the city, constantly at 72°F, might make swimming here a bit chilly, but there are plenty of other attractions if you're not up for it. The 4-mile Wild Persimmon Hiking Trail cuts through areas inhabited by deer, turkey, wild boar, and Florida black bears. You can take a 50-minute eco-history boat tour, walk through a butterfly garden, and rent canoes and kayaks. Need some fuel for all these activities? Start the day at the on-site Sugar Mill Restaurant, where you make your own pancakes on a table-top griddle.

Scientists surmise that, thousands of years ago, an underground cavern collapsed and created this park's most noteworthy geological wonder: a 500-foot-wide, 120-foot-deep sinkhole that's a designated National Natural Landmark. You can pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the park's picnic areas, and hike its nature trails. Guided walks typically take place on Saturday at 10 am. And you can bring Spot on a visit here, too; just keep him on a leash.

The best view at Port Canaveral is no longer from the top of a cruise ship. In fact, the view from atop this towering seven-story structure makes the cruise ships look—well, not so massive after all. The tower, a short walk from the cruise port, is equal parts museum and scenic overlook. From the seventh-floor deck you can see the cruise port, the Atlantic Ocean, the Banana River, and even the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Displays on others floors highlight everything from space flight to surfing and marine life to maritime history. Don't miss the interactive exhibits, including a virtual ship's bridge that lets you pilot a boat through the Canaveral Channel and into the Atlantic. A theater shows a 20-minute film on the history of Brevard County, and a small café sells refreshments and baked goods. The ground floor houses a visitor information center.

On the campus of the University of Florida, the state's official museum of natural history (and the largest of its type in the Southeast) has more than 40 million specimens of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, mollusks, reptiles, vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, recent and fossilized plants, and archaeological and anthropological artifacts. It also holds one of the world's largest collections of butterflies and moths. Permanent exhibits include those on Florida's geological and fossil history, its early Indigenous peoples, and the biodiversity of its flora and fauna. Enjoy live butterflies at one of many feeding stations, experience a life-size limestone cave, and see fossil skeletons of a mammoth and mastodon from the Ice Age. The museum also features changing temporary exhibits.

Memorabilia from the early days of beach automobile racing are on display here, as are historic photographs, Native American and Civil War artifacts, a postcard exhibit, and a video that details city history. There's a shop for gifts and antiques, too. Admission is by donation on Thursday; on Saturday, kids 12 and under are free.