Suggested Itineraries

Ask anyone who lives here and they'll tell you: Florida is such a long state. If you drive from Jacksonville to the southernmost point in Key West, it'll take 10 hours at least -- without traffic. Thankfully, there are flights throughout the state that make exploration much easier. Don't tear your hair out if you can't get from Disney to the Everglades in the same trip. Set your sights on what you want to do and see the most, and simply unwind -- this is, after all, a holiday. You can always come back. In fact, return visits are highly encouraged!

The range of possible itineraries is endless; what we've suggested below is a very full program covering Florida over a 2-week period. If possible, you should extend your time -- 2 weeks is not really enough time if you plan to actually explore the Sunshine State, but if you plan to veg out on a beach, then it's plenty of time -- or cut out some of the destinations suggested. You can always tack on one itinerary to the next. We've done our best to keep these itineraries geographically viable and logical. Whatever you finally decide to do, we highly recommend that you at least include a stop at one of Florida's natural wonders, be it the beaches, the Everglades, or the Keys.

Important: Should limited time force you to include only the most obvious stops in your itinerary, you will make contact mainly with those who depend on you to make a living, which regrettably could leave you with a frustrated sense that Florida is one big, long tourist trap. This is why it is so important to get off the beaten tourist track, to experience the wacky, the kitschy, the stunning, the baffling, and the fascinating people, places, and things that make this state one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world.

South Florida Literary Tour

Pompano Beach: Author Elmore Leonard took his mother to a small motel on Pompano Beach, which some say was his inspiration for the Coconut Palms Resort Apartments, to where George Moran, the main character in Leonard's 1982 book Cat Chaser, runs.

Dania Beach Pier: Harry Crews used the Dania Pier as a backdrop for a July 4th fireworks display and beauty contest in Karate Is a Thing of the Spirit.

Bahia Mar Beach Resort: Travis McGee, the protagonist in John D. MacDonald's 21 novels (including The Deep Blue Goodbye), lived at this resort, 801 Seabreeze Blvd. (tel. 888/802-2442; www.bahiamarhotel.com).

Little Haiti: The place where a no-good former oil burner repairman wanders in Russell Banks' Continental Drift.

Flagler Street: Where Brett Halliday's private eye, Michael Shayne, kept his office.

Hialeah Race Course: The inspiration for Damon Runyon's short story Pick the Winner. Log onto http://tinyurl.com/52552y.

Cardozo Hotel: Elmore Leonard's favorite backdrop -- as seen in Get Shorty, La Brava, and Rum Punch -- was this hotel, 1300 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach (tel. 800/782-6500; www.cardozohotel.com).

Barnacle State Historic Site: James W. Hall's Hard Aground transforms the Barnacle into Mangrove House, a place with a sinister history.

Domino Park: Ana Menendez's In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd reminisces about Little Havana's most hopping spot, at the southwest corner of 15th Avenue and 8th Street.

Tobacco Road: Miami's oldest bar gets is name from the 1932 novel by Erskine Caldwell.