Last updated: September 26, 2023

For 2021, Kris and I decided to spend Valentine’s Day week road tripping through Florida. We visited Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park, but I really want to focus this post on the other things we did while we were there.

Let me begin by saying, this was by far my favorite vacation I’ve ever had. We were busy doing so many things and only spent a few hours on the beach! So what’s there to do in Florida? I’m happy to share how we spent our time.

Watch the Sunrise on Miami Beach

Miami Beach was quite busy with all the Valentiners set up with their blankets watching the sunrise and I don’t blame them. It was gorgeous. There’s a life guard house that makes for some great photo ops. Shamelessly get some photos of yourself like I did.

Paddle Board to an Island and Feed the Local Raccoons

While in Miami, we decided to give stand up paddle boarding a shot. I have personally never been paddle boarding, but wow; who knew it could be so fun? We visited Arch Creek East Environmental Preserve and went through what felt like the Amazon and then sat down and used our boards as a small boat to paddle through the sea over to the Sand Spur Island (affectionately referred to by the locals as Beer Can Island). The local raccoons were awaiting our arrival and and were anxious to find out what food we had for them.

Our tour guide was pretty cool and took photos of the group and had watermelon for us at the island. The day was gorgeous and I would 100% do this again.

Eat Nitrogen Ice Cream

We stopped at the coolest ice cream shop; Lulu’s Nitrogen Ice Cream. I was a little skeptical but this was by far the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever put in my mouth. They fresh made the cone right in front of me. I would 100% go back here!

Take a Boat Tour of Miami at Night

I highly recommend a night boat tour to see Miami lit up in all of her glory. This was quite beautiful with the lights reflecting off the water.

Eat Fish Tacos

We stopped at the Fort Lauderdale 411 South Bar and Grill and the mahi mahi tacos were out of this world. I still think about them sometimes.

Paddle through Fort Lauderdale at Night in a Glowing Kayak

I never stopped liking glow sticks and will enjoy them anytime they are incorporated into an activity. This was no exception. I made bracelets, a crown and a necklace to accompany me on our glowing kayak as we navigated the waters and enjoyed the beautiful lights of Fort Lauderdale.

Stroll along West Palm Beach

We took an evening to stroll West Palm Beach and it was beyond gorgeous.

Visit Lion Country Safari

Loxahatchee offers a unique wildlife drive through safari. Lion Country Safari is an awesome one time experience and the giraffes are certainly the stars of the show.

Stop at a Fresh Fruit Stand

A local recommended us to Robert Is Here fresh fruit stand and I was particularly excited about it because they offered fresh fruit smoothies. The fresh flowers and fruit was a delight, but let me tell you something about Robert; he has a petting zoo out back. So grab some flowers, your fresh fruit and slurp your freshly made smoothie whilst petting a goat or an ostrich. Don’t forget to say hello to the friendly parrot!

As stated at the beginning of this post, we also visited Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Parks so this vacation to the Sunshine State was just over the top fantastic in my book. I had such a good time, Florida just about had me convinced to move there! I’ll definitely be visiting again to get Dry Tortugas National Park checked off my list and plan to have another action packed trip to blog about upon my return.

Have you been to Florida? What did you love?