Florida Region Guide

Florida offers subtropical wilderness, 1,300 miles of coastline and the largest concentration of theme parks on earth, and it has no state income tax to fund any of it — which is part of why it is cheaper than it looks.

The friction is that the seasons work backwards. Winter is peak: January to March brings the best weather, the highest prices and the biggest crowds, while summer is hot, humid, thunderstorm-prone and the middle of hurricane season.

The smart approach is to aim for the shoulders — late April to May, or November — when the weather is still good, the crowds have thinned and rates drop sharply. If you do come in summer, plan outdoor activity before noon: the afternoon storms arrive on schedule, and this is the most lightning-struck state in the country.

If you travel slowly

Take the single road down the Florida Keys over several days rather than one. The drive is a hundred miles of causeways and the point is stopping.

If you want to see the essentials

A few days at the parks if that is why you came, two or three in Miami, and one full day in the Everglades. Do not attempt both coasts in a week.

If you seek local character

A Cuban coffee and a sandwich in Little Havana, a Gulf-coast fish shack at sunset, and the oyster towns of the panhandle, which feel like a different state entirely.

If you want to go beyond the obvious

The freshwater springs of north Florida — clear, cold and full of manatees in winter — and the fort seventy miles beyond the end of the Keys, reachable only by boat or seaplane.

Do not touch or feed a manatee. Both are federal offences. They gather in the warm springs and power-plant outflows from November to March, and harassment is the reason the population struggles; boat strikes are the other. Observe from a distance and keep well clear if you are on the water.

The coral reef off the Keys is the only barrier reef in the continental United States and it is in serious trouble — bleaching, disease and physical damage. Use mineral sunscreen without oxybenzone, never stand on or touch coral, and snorkel from a moored boat rather than an anchored one.

Sea turtles nest on both coasts from March to October. Beachfront lighting rules are legally binding, holes must be filled and furniture removed at night, and red torches are the only acceptable light on a nesting beach.

Feeding alligators is illegal and gets the animal destroyed. The Everglades is under a multi-decade public restoration programme, and the airboat operators inside the national park are limited for a reason — choose licensed ones.

January to March is the high season: warm, dry, low humidity, and the most expensive and crowded time of the year. It is also manatee season in the springs.

Late April to May and November are the sweet spots — good weather, thinner crowds and noticeably lower rates.

June to September is hot, very humid and wet, with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. It is also the cheapest time to come, and the mornings are usually fine.

Hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November and peaks from mid-August to early October. Travel insurance matters in those months.

March also brings spring break, which transforms particular beach towns and leaves others untouched — worth checking before booking.

What a day costs, by how you travel

The winter-to-summer swing is the widest in the country and runs opposite to most places — the same room can cost half as much in August as in February.

There is no state income tax, but sales tax applies and hotel taxes are high.