If you’re looking for a fresh take on city life in the 21st century, Florida is definitely the state for you. From eclectic Key West to ritzy Palm Beach, and historic St Augustine to happening Tampa, this is an urban landscape of rich variety and surprising cultural influences.
True, there’s still a heavy beach vibe in places, as befitting a state with 8,426 miles of tidal shoreline – second only to Alaska in the US – but that coastal mindset is subordinated in most instances, giving rise to a proliferation of different styles and regional variations.
State capital Tallahassee, in the north-west, is actually far removed from most of its city brethren in both geographic and cultural terms, while much of southern Florida can feel more like the Caribbean than the US. It makes for a compelling destination that is easy to explore and throws up a multitude of unexpected experiences, especially in history and the arts.
For eight highly contrasting examples, here’s our cross-section of contemporary conurbations.
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It’s worth getting beyond the theme parks and experiencing the real Orlando
(Simon and Susan Veness)
For the majority, the biggest draw in the US is not a city so much as a collection of theme parks, which is a major loss on their part, as the actual city of Orlando is a bright, modern setting of parks, museums, performing arts and excellent restaurants (with 44 in the 2023 Michelin Guide). The downtown is a mélange of thriving districts, studded with immigrant cultures from Cuba, Vietnam and Latin America, as well as craft breweries, while the city suburbs of Winter Park and Winter Garden are inviting destinations in their own right, with a distinct café society vibe.
Key West
Key West has a ‘Floribbean’ flavour
(Simon and Susan Veness)
Known as the principal hangout of full-time drinker and part-time writer Ernest Hemingway, the US’s southernmost city of the contiguous 48 is a bubbling concoction of bars, brews and beaches, plus has a thriving LGBTQ+ scene. Built on its signature sunsets and the big game fishing that first attracted Hemingway, Key West most exhibits the ‘Floribbean’ flavour that mixes Florida with the Caribbean and treats flip-flops as de rigueur. But whisper it quietly, this is also now the place for fine dining and luxury resorts, in sharp contrast…
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