Ultimate Florida road trip itinerary 1 week

Dreaming of a Florida road trip?

I don’t blame you.

A Florida road trip promises heaps of fun from beautiful beaches, Everglades National Park, fun cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and amusement parks galore, a Florida road trip itinerary for 1 week will be action-packed!

We spent about a week in Florida as part of our trip across America in our campervan. We tubed in beautiful rivers, saw a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Centre and saw alligators in the Everglades, headed down to Key West on a road trip in the Florida Keys and so much more.

If you’re planning a cross-country American road trip the chances are you’ll end up in Florida at some point. And once you get there you’ll find there’s a tonne of things to do on a Florida road trip!

Whilst Florida wasn’t my favorite State during our road trip, I still had a great time there and I’m definitely glad we spent a few weeks exploring. I think the aspect I didn’t warm to about Florida was that it just didn’t really feel like America. It could’ve been anywhere really. The States I liked the most were the ones that felt very different and unique.

We spent just over two weeks in Florida. in that time we drove right from the north of the State down to the very tip and then up to the northwestern part of Florida before heading off to New Orleans.

Best things to do on a Florida Road Trip

See a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center

Without a doubt, one of the coolest things we did on our road trip in Florida was see a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center!

I don’t know much about space (thinking about it kind of makes my head heard with endless questions), but watching a rocket launch was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Thom had been watching the launch date for a few weeks before we arrived in Florida and the timing worked out perfectly for us.

We headed to the Kennedy Space Centre and then over to Banana Creek to watch the launch.

Go hunting for shark teeth on Florida’s beaches

As we traveled down the west coast of Florida we stopped off at a few beaches that Thom had visited before on a family holiday. He remembered finding lots of shark teeth along the shoreline and wanted to show me.

We found a good handful of tiny black shark teeth in a matter of minutes. There were also plenty of people out doing the same thing. Some even had fancy tools to help them sift through the broken shells and silt and find the teeth.

And, when you get tired of hunting for shark teeth, just relax on the beach!

Find alligators in the Everglades

When we first started looking into visiting the Everglades National Park we were quite keen on kayaking.

However when we researched companies they were all booked up! Don’t make the same mistake and check out the best kayaking tours in the Everglades in advance.

We decided to go it alone and explore the Everglades without a guide and I honestly don’t think it could’ve been any better!

We saw SO many alligators, birds, fish, and turtles. It was incredible and we still talk about it now. Definitely add a self-guided Everglades tour to your list of things to do on a Florida road trip.

Stroll the beach in Miami

We didn’t spend a huge amount of time in Miami (we had a space shuttle launch to get to!), but we did spend most of the day exploring.

If you have more time, there are loads of fun things to do in Miami.

Our first stop was the beach. The colorful lifeguard lookouts and rows of umbrellas were just as I’d imagined the beaches in America.

After the beach, we headed over to Little Havana and had some delicious ice cream at Azucar Ice Cream company.

Float down the river in Ichetucknee Springs

A fun way to spend the morning and keep cool in Florida’s stifling heat was our morning spent tubing down the river at Ichetucknee Springs.

I’d heard there were supposed to be Manatees in the water. Even though I didn’t see any we still saw some turtles and had a fantastic morning floating along the water.

Drive HWY 1: Florida Keys to Key West

The drive down Florida’s Highway 1 is often said to be one of the most scenic drives in the whole of America. It’s hard to disagree with that statement when you drive it.

There are so many beautiful places to stop on Hwy 1 to Key West and it’s easily one of the prettiest drives we did on America’s Eastern Coast.

Once you leave mainland America you’re driving down the road with clear turquoise waters to either side of you, the occasional lizard crossing the road, and palm trees everywhere. It’s pretty spectacular.

Watch the sunset in Key West

Pretty much everyone in Key West heads to the same spot for the sunset. That means there are huuuge crowds.

However, you can avoid the crowds and still get a great view of the sunset if you head to the west of Mallory Square nearer where the boats are tied up.

Cool off at Alexander Springs

We slept in the Ocala forest one night during our Florida road trip and decided to head to Alexander Springs the next day for some relaxation.

The water here was incredibly clear – way clearer than I’d expected! There were people scuba diving and you could take a walk around the springs too.

Go early as it gets super busy!

And a few extra things we didn’t do, but which would be fun to add to your list of things to do on a Florida road trip

• Visit the theme parks in Orlando
• Visit Dry Tortugas
• Relax on Clearwater Beach
• Watch the speedway at Daytona Beach

Last Updated on July 25, 2023 by Hannah