When coming up with this itinerary of our top things to do in South Florida, a bunch of memories of the most unique places to visit in Florida came to mind. That is because South Florida is full of pure fun and entertainment. It is hard to narrow down a list of fun things to do in Florida because everything is always better in paradise, but here we go!
If you are visiting South Florida and staying in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, then be sure to have a look at our Bahamas Air Tours by plane and Bahamas Day Trips to the famous Swimming Pigs in Exuma!
Top 9 Things to do in South Florida
Most of the best things to do in Florida are found on the southern end of the peninsula known as South Florida. Here is a list of most of our favorite things to do in South Florida ranging from day trips to beach days:
1. Find the best beaches of South Florida
The world famous South Beach in Miami.
Rent a car and spend an afternoon or a whole day exploring the coast of South Florida and make your own list of best Florida beaches. After all, beachin’ it is one of our favorite things to do in South Florida.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- South Beach (obviously)
- Clearwater Beach
- Pensacola Beach
- Caladesi Island State Park Beach
- Delray Beach
Those are only a few of them — you have to find the rest on your own!
2. Take a day trip to Bahamas swimming pigs
A Miami to Bahamas day trip is becoming one of those trendy alternative things to do in South Florida that many people never consider a possibility. Due to new flying tours to the Bahamas, tourists can arrive in the Bahamas a lot earlier than they used to. Now, a whole new world of opportunities exists in the Bahamas including traveling further to the Exuma Cays where you can find the famous pigs.
In under two hours, you can be wading in Bahamian turquoise sea with pink pigs doggy-paddling to the side of you. You are allowed to feed them and pet them and take very Instagrammable photos with them.
Two Exuma pigs take a beach break on Big Major Cay.
Join our swimming pigs tours to Pig Beach to see the Exuma pigs in the Bahamas during your vacation in Florida.
3. Road trip to Key West
The Florida Keys are a chain of islands belonging to Florida at the very southern tip of the state — actually, it is the farthest southern point of latitude of the contiguous U.S. states.
It is only 90 miles north of Cuba, so, as you could imagine, there are a lot of Cuban influences there including its pastel-colored, conch-style homes. It is a beautiful island but an even more beautiful drive from the southern Florida peninsula.
Since the Florida Keys are a chain of islands, there is an overseas highway (bridge) connecting all islands so you can arrive without flying. On the drive, you see shades of blue for miles and miles. It is something to be seen — one of the best things to do in South Florida.
Cruise the overseas highway on your way to Key West with the windows down and music up — it is one of the truly cool places to visit in Florida.
Take the seaway for one of the best things to do in South Florida.
4. People watch at Miami South Beach
The amount of entertainment one can find at Miami South Beach is completely underestimated. Spend a few hours strolling the promenade casually and watch life go by. It is one of the most underrated fun things to do in Florida.
5. Experience the thrill of Orlando’s great theme parks
If you are a Disney fan or into theme parks, Orlando is the place to go and its theme parks are all some of the cool places to visit in Florida. We have listed a few of them below:
- Universal Orlando Resort
- Walt Disney World Resort
- SeaWorld Orlando
- Universal’s Island of Adventures
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley
. . . You get the picture — there are a lot! That is why it is one of the most popular things to do in South Florida.
The renowned Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
6. Explore the swampy lands of the Everglades
The Everglades National Park will forever be one of the best places to visit in Florida because of its seemingly impossible diverse ecosystem. Matter of fact, the ecosystem is so unique, there is nothing even resembling it anywhere else in the world.
You can take airboat tours of the swamps of the Everglades which is a great way to witness the ongoings of species in the marshlands but a noisy experience at that. Visitors can also hop on a new trend which is to take helicopter tours of the Everglades. This way, you can see more of the park in less time. However, it is harder to immerse yourself in the environment and more difficult to spot wildlife. Either way, still pretty fun on one of the best things to do in South Florida!
A leafy start to the Everglades tour.
7. Educate yourself on the history of South Florida
South Florida will always be an important strategic point of the United States and has been for its entire history.
Along with its important wartime tributes (namely in Key West), there is also a lot of historical significance at places like the Vizkaya Museum and Gardens which is a tribute to the Italian Renaissance and the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum which stands as a National Historic Landmark and a nod to the Gilded Age.
For history buffs, these two places are some of the best things to do in Florida.
Vizkaya Museum of South Florida.
8. Check out the local arts of South Beach
Behind the flashy resorts and skinny bathing suits of South Beach is an impressively sneaky art scene in Miami of happening art fairs, oceanside pop-up collaboratives, retro diners, and quirky dive bars straight out of the 1950s.
There is also the district of Wynwood which is one of Miami’s busiest but one of the best things to do in Florida. There are hundreds of colorful, eye-catching murals on display. Wynwood Walls is an outdoor museum displaying art done by some of the world’s best known street artists.
This, along with housing craft breweries and glitzy art galleries combine to give South Beach an art scene worth checking out and an art enthusiast’s favorite things to do in South Florida.
9. Take a one day cruise to Bahamas to swim with sharks
Many people don’t know that it is entirely possible to see a large portion of one of the most remote regions of the Bahamas within a day’s trip. There is a long list of things to do in the Bahamas when you get there, but most tourists are adamant about swimming with the Reef sharks at Compass Cay.
You don’t need any diving experience or wildlife training — matter of fact, you don’t even need to know how to swim. The sharks like to hang out in the shallow depths of the marina where everyone can stand in the crystal clear water while dozens of sharks swim around you.
Reef sharks can grow up to ten feet in length and look intimidating, but these guys are just harmless bottom-dwelling creatures which feed off the marine life on the seafloor.
Taking a Bahamas day trip by plane is one of the most rewarding things to do in South Florida on your vacation.
Book Your Staniel Cay Day Trips with Bahamas Air Tours
As you can see, there are plenty of things to do in South Florida. Exuma day trips from South Florida take off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and fly over a gorgeous section of the cays, arriving at Staniel Cay Airport early in the morning. The Florida to Bahamas flight takes just an hour which surprises some customers.
You can enjoy your flights to Bahamas aboard our private Bahamas air charter which will give you the ultimate luxury experience.
Our Staniel Cay day trips take you everywhere on a private tour of some of the best Bahamas vacation spots like Pig Island and Compass Cay to swim with the sharks.
The best part is returning home to Fort Lauderdale after an action-packed day without missing the Florida peninsula sunset. Book one of our Florida to swimming pigs tours to the Bahamas today!
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