[StarfishKey]

Bringing this up again. If I'm going to plan a road trip around the state, there are a lot of towns missing. Remember, I'm looking for what locals in your area like to do/places they like to eat, not a list of tourist things anyone can find in a guidebook! What gives the best idea of what it's like to be a local resident in your town?

[LakelandFLNative]

Lakeland boasts some of the best Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. It may be worth a stop to admire some of his works on the shore of Lake Hollingsworth at Florida Southern College. You could also visit downtown and do some antique shopping, feed the royal swans on Lake Morton and grab lunch or dinner at the Terrace Restaurant.

Lakeland Restaurants: Terrace Hotel Tampa Fine Dining The Terrace Grille
Florida Southern College - Florida Southern College

This sounds like a great trip. I hope you have a wonderful time!

[treeboy919]

Seafood in Punta Gorda: Peace River Seafood/Fish Camp. awesome mullet dip and everything else.

Raw Bar in Sarasota: Monks Seafood/Raw Bar. looks like a dive. but awesome crawfish oysters and shrimp.

small town, shops, quaintness: downtown Kissimmee. or Mt. Dora.

antique/collectible/'pickers junk' shops: Ellenton. or Arcadia.

nice little small quiet fishing town: Cedar Key.

[Gettingouttahere]

Brevard County stuff:

Cape Canaveral (city of) -- Jetty Park at the north end (sometimes has a fee- not sure of sked) is a good place to watch the cruise ships leave Port Canaveral - they are almost close enough to touch. Nice long rock fishing pier has great atmosphere. Bathrooms/camping/good facilities.

Cocoa Beach: Coconuts on the Beach has great beachside deck for eating, drinking and people watching. It's near Ron Jon's.

The pier on Cocoa Beach - where 520 meets A1A -- is a nice central area, and there are surfing tournaments held there.

Patrick AFB - near Melbourne on A1A ... You can sit on the beach across the street and (hopefully) see the planes overhead on their way to and from the runway.

Sebastian Inlet state park -- has a lagoon side which is great for small kids, and an ocean side. We kayak there a lot. It is where there is an inlet from the ocean to the Indian River (the intracoastal).

South Tropical Trail on Merritt Island. Nice long winding drive from Merritt Island down to Melbourne, between two "rivers" (they were just called rivers when I lived there, now they're lagoons) -- Banana and Indian Rivers. The spit of Merritt Island gets narrower and narrower -- you can see both rivers coming closer and closer -- until it ends on a point and you take a bridge off. Some huge estates have been built along this road.

Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. Great little zoo - way more animals than you'd expect at a small zoo. Giraffes and lorikeets to feed, kangaroos, flamingos, gators, tigers, little train, kayaking available, just a lovely way to pass the afternoon.

Cocoa Village - quaint downtown that rescued the whole city from oblivion. Nice ice cream shop and tea shop. Antiques and frou frou stores. Nearby city park has dancing waterfalls and nice kids' playground; borders Indian River with marina.

Another nice river drive is Indian River Drive. Head north from its entrance on U.S. 1 south of Rockledge (a bit hard to spot - north of the Goodwill store) .... all the way north to its end, again, on U.S. 1 near Sharpes. Then you will be halfway to the Titusville area and the Canaveral National Seashore, which is pretty great, along with Merritt Island wildlife refuge (huge birding fave in winter).

[StarfishKey]

So glad to see people contributing to this thread, keep it up! Everyone in the state of FL will have a different take on their personal local favorites as a resident, so keep them coming! A ton of small-town rural areas still not represented... support your local town and tell us what the people living there love most to do, to eat, favorite local businesses, etc.

[EscAlaMike]

If you find yourself in Ormond Beach (right next to Daytona), get you some chicken wings "wally-style" at Houligan's. Go to the original location at the corner of Granada Blvd. (State Road 40) and Clyde Morris Blvd. I have never found wings anywhere else that compare to the quality and flavor at Houligan's.

Also, for a scenic drive in Ormond Beach, check out The Loop OSLT_home

Be sure to stop and check out the Fairchild Oak, a truly spectacular centuries-old Live Oak tree. http://www.floridastateparks.org/bulowcreek/

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Gettingouttahere

Brevard County stuff:

Cape Canaveral (city of) -- Jetty Park at the north end (sometimes has a fee- not sure of sked) is a good place to watch the cruise ships leave Port Canaveral - they are almost close enough to touch. Nice long rock fishing pier has great atmosphere. Bathrooms/camping/good facilities.

Cocoa Beach: Coconuts on the Beach has great beachside deck for eating, drinking and people watching. It's near Ron Jon's.

The pier on Cocoa Beach - where 520 meets A1A -- is a nice central area, and there are surfing tournaments held there.

Patrick AFB - near Melbourne on A1A ... You can sit on the beach across the street and (hopefully) see the planes overhead on their way to and from the runway.

Sebastian Inlet state park -- has a lagoon side which is great for small kids, and an ocean side. We kayak there a lot. It is where there is an inlet from the ocean to the Indian River (the intracoastal).

South Tropical Trail on Merritt Island. Nice long winding drive from Merritt Island down to Melbourne, between two "rivers" (they were just called rivers when I lived there, now they're lagoons) -- Banana and Indian Rivers. The spit of Merritt Island gets narrower and narrower -- you can see both rivers coming closer and closer -- until it ends on a point and you take a bridge off. Some huge estates have been built along this road.

Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. Great little zoo - way more animals than you'd expect at a small zoo. Giraffes and lorikeets to feed, kangaroos, flamingos, gators, tigers, little train, kayaking available, just a lovely way to pass the afternoon.

Cocoa Village - quaint downtown that rescued the whole city from oblivion. Nice ice cream shop and tea shop. Antiques and frou frou stores. Nearby city park has dancing waterfalls and nice kids' playground; borders Indian River with marina.

Another nice river drive is Indian River Drive. Head north from its entrance on U.S. 1 south of Rockledge (a bit hard to spot - north of the Goodwill store) .... all the way north to its end, again, on U.S. 1 near Sharpes. Then you will be halfway to the Titusville area and the Canaveral National Seashore, which is pretty great, along with Merritt Island wildlife refuge (huge birding fave in winter).

(oops getting forgetful---------already posted on this . but here is sort of a recap sorry)
Add some ideas to these.......

Check out Spaceview Park in Titusville. while there eat at El Leoncito Mexican & Cuban Restaurant - Titusville, Florida our favorite restaurant up there or at Dixie Crossroads.

Taking a trip around Florida you have to visit at Kennedy Space Center. I agree that they should also go out to the National Seashore near Titusville. Take the nature drive to see the mangroves and marshes of Florida. Keep your eyes on the ditches along the road out to the space center for gators.

Take a air boat ride at Lone Cabbage Fish Camp on 520 near Cocoa or Campp Holly near Melbourne.

Might want to visit Turkey Creek in Palm Bay or Goode Park to hopefully see some manatees or a gator or 2.

[Crane's Rooster]

Orlando/Central Florida

SKIP THE THEME PARKS! You can visit them anytime, for the "real" Central Florida must sees are:

Thornton Park/Downtown Orlando- take in Lake Eola, the Farmer's Market on Sunday to get a real feel for local Orlando. Stop in at one of the restaurants in Thornton Park for brunch, I recommend Dexters.

Park Avenue in Winter Park - great pedestrian strip with restaurants, boutiques, and just overall great people watching. Just about all the eateries here are good. Small museum on the north end of the strip and Rollins College on the south end. Both are very picturesque and worth seeing.

Mills 50 - An ecclectic mix of locally owned restaurants and bars. Also home to Central Florida Little Saigon/Asian District. Good authentic Asian food.

Loch Haven Park - Home to Orlando Museum of Art, Science Center and several smaller museums.

Wekiva Springs/Wekiva Island - old natural Florida. Take a swim in the ice cold springs or paddle down to Wekiva Island for an ice cold one at CFL's inland beach.

Downtown Sanford - recently revitalized it has great new beer gardens, restaurants and shops, and great views of Lake Monroe along the refurbished Riverwalk.

Mt. Dora - a picturesque little town along a large chain of Lakes. It's in the rolling hills of Lake County. You can take guided excursions out on the lakes as well.

Green Mountain Scenic By-way - great drive where you may even forget you're in Florida at times. Great views of the hills and in some areas you can even see the downtown Orlando skyline in the distance. Take plenty of pictures. You can also stop at beautiful places such as Bella Collina or Monte Verde Academy. Nearby Lakeridge Winery is also worth a visit.

Some of my favorite restaurants

4 Rivers BBQ, Hawkers, Pho Vinh, Antonios, Bosphorous, Pio Pio, Zaza, Oh Que Bueno, Kasa, Kohinoor, Izzaban Sushi, Shari Sushi, Roccos Tacos, Big Fin Seafood, Lola Sushi

Favorite Parks - Lake Eola, Crane's Roost Park, Blue Jacket Park, Sanford Riverwalk

Favorite Drink Spots - downtown, Lake Ivanhoe, Park Avenue, Sand Lake Restaurant Row.

[Last1Out]

Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, always a very nice place to visit and chill.

Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda, great spot for a cold beer and sandwich at Harpoon Harry's right on the water, and interesting shops with weird stuff.

Rick's on the River in Tampa, a favorite and fun local hangout.

[kellygirl925]

Citrus County: If in Crystal River, Hunter Springs is very pretty, 3 Sisters Springs, Ft. Island Gulf Beach, not good for swimming but very pretty. Heritage Village has cute little shops.

If in Dunnellon, which is in both Marion & Citrus counties: Swampy's is fun, decent food, right on the river. And check out Rainbow Springs, it's beautiful there with waterfalls, plants, and clear blue water!