A few hours south (about 200 miles) on 1-75 will get you to Everglades City (take Route 29, the first exit after the toll booth), gateway to Everglades National Park and Ten Thousand Islands.

The town lies about 20 miles south of the interstate.

From the ranger station, you can catch a tour boat year-round; in the winter, check out the canoe tour and other interesting ranger-led programs. You’ll see alligators, manatees, dolphins, and birds by the flock.

The 100-mile Wilderness Waterway trail begins here and travels through the mangrove wilderness of Ten Thousand Islands to connect to Flamingo.

Canoeists who follow the trail can camp at covered platforms called chickee huts.

Stop at Rod & Gun Club alligator tail and other Southern-style meals in Everglades City. Nearby, Museum of the Everglades gives a history lesson on the region. Outfitters and charters in the area can take you canoeing, kayaking, fishing, or airboating.

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Follow Highway 1 South out of South Miami to reach Homestead, threshold to two major national parks and crucial ecological systems. An agricultural town known for its tropical fruits and landscaping plants, Homestead lies at the crossroads of Highway 1 and Route 997 (Krome Avenue). 

Visit Tropical Fruit & Spice Park in the historic agricultural community of Redland for a taste of what’s grown in this fertile soil reclaimed from Everglades swamp lands. 

South on Route 997, you’ll come to the intersection of Route 9336, Palm Avenue. 

Head east 10 miles on Route 9336 to the 181,500-acre Biscayne National Park, photo above, 95 percent of which is under water. This begins the teeming coral reef environment that continues through the Florida Keys.

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A popular way to get some beach time when visiting Orlando is to head up to Daytona Beach. Interstates 4 and 95 make this a fast, easy drive of less than two hours. 

On the way, you may want to make time for some interesting side trips. 

Start by heading northeast on I-4. Visit historic Sanford and the nearby Central Florida Zoo, located off I-4 on Route 17/92. Hop back on I-4 for twelve miles to Cassadega, a small town known for its spiritualist community. 

Have your palm read while you’re there. 

If you discover that a trip to the beach – less amazing on Miami Beach of course -  is in your future, continue on to Daytona (I-4 intersects with I-95; head north there for 1 mile). Before you get to the beach, 2 miles east of I-95, you’ll pass Daytona International Speedway on International Speedway Boulevard (Highway 92), exit 87.

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From Orlando, take I-4 to Highway 27 South for a pleasant day trip through Florida’s rolling hills and citrus groves. Open your windows and smell the blossoms or ripening oranges.

Stop in Winter Haven (take Highway 17, located east off Highway 27, to Route 540), the home of the American Water Ski Association. The organization recently completed a new, spiffy Water Ski Hall of Fame with state-of- the-art interactive exhibits. 

Cross back to Highway 27 and continue 15 miles south to Route 60 in Lake Wales. 

Turn east on Route 60 to reach the amazing Bok Tower Gardens. The centerpiece of the lovely gardens, a 205-foot, 57-bell carillon tower, chimes classical music every 30 minutes from atop its 298-foot perch, the highest point in peninsular Florida. 

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Via Highway 41 or I-75 South, Bradenton and Sarasota offer another string of beaches close to Tampa (36 miles south).  The beaches begin on Anna Maria Island, west of Bradenton. 

To get there, head west on Route 64 for about 15 miles. Along the way, stop for a free visit at Heritage Village, a huddling of historic structures in a park setting. Pause also in downtown Bradenton at the South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium on 10th Street, north of Route 64/Manatee Avenue. 

Snooty the manatee is the star of the museum, where he has his own aquarium (that he now shares with a buddy). In its Mediterranean setting, the museum takes you through the eras with well-done vignettes. Before the Palma Sola causeway to Anna Maria, about 4 miles west of downtown on Route 64, turn right on 75th Street to visit De Soto National Monument, marking the supposed landing spot of explorer Hernando de Soto with exhibits and reenactors. 

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The best way to make this trip is north via Route A1A, which involves taking a car ferry across the mouth of the St. Johns River at the naval town of Mayport. 

Before you reach Mayport, the family may want to slop at lovely Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, where you can play in the ocean, picnic, kayak, go lake fishing, and camp. 

Past Mayport about 2 miles on Route A1A, turn off at Fort George Island to see Kingsley Plantation Historic Site. Learn how cotton was farmed and tabby homes were built. Little Talbot Island State Park lies a few miles to the north if you are looking for a place on the beach away from crowds. 

There are also hiking trails that were once followed by early explorers and colonists. 

Up A1A about 6 miles, cross the bridge to Amelia Island, known for its bluff-height dunes and white, wide beaches. 

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