When it comes time to plan out vacations, Florida is an obvious pick for many people thanks to its sandy beaches, warm weather and variety of attractions.
As such, it’s no surprise that Florida ranked twice on Forbes’ list of the top 20 best places to travel in 2023.
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The first of those two locations is nestled up in the panhandle along Florida’s Gulf Coast: Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
Forbes says that the Destin-based beach offers activities like reef diving, snorkeling and educational beach walks. It also features sea turtle lighting initiatives and a lionfish removal festival to help local sealife.
When visitors get a hankering for a bite to eat, they can head over to Rockin Tacos, Brotula’s Seafood House or Lulu’s (owned by Lucy, the younger sister of Jimmy Buffett).
“Do some good and order up whatever lionfish — an invasive species that prey on the area’s native fish population — is on the menu,” said freelance travel writer Kate Schweitzer, who selected the beach for Forbes’ ranking. “Destin truly is a Florida hidden gem, and you’ll be so glad you discovered it.”
For the next location on the list, Forbes moves down along the Gulf Coast to Pinellas County, which is where the city of St. Petersburg stands.
The city has some of Florida’s top-rated beaches and a notable fine arts scene, including attractions like the Dali Museum, a glass-art Imagine Museum and several ArtWalks for visitors to enjoy.
St. Petersburg also offers a wide array of amenities, including pickleball courts, dog parks, award-winning golf courses, a historic shuffleboard and lawn bowling complex, and the 45-mile Pinellas Trail.
“St. Pete presents one of Florida’s best mixes of a cool and lively urban downtown with beautiful beaches right nearby,” said Florida-based writer Terry Ward, who picked out the city for the Forbes list. “The town is known for its art scene — from the murals everywhere to Salvador Dali and Renaissance masterworks in museums — but it remains delightfully casual and approachable at every level, too.”
Here’s the full list from Forbes.
1: Phoenix, Arizona
2: Central Coast, California
3: San Francisco, California
4: Vail, Colorado
5: Bailey, Colorado
6: Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida
7: St. Petersburg, Florida
8: Savannah, Georgia
9: Portland, Maine
10: Traverse City, Michigan
11: Mississippi
12: Kansas City, Missouri
13: Atlantic City, New Jersey
14: Niagara Falls, New York
15: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
16: Portland, Oregon
17: Puerto Rico
18: South County, Rhode Island
19: South Dakota
20: Woodstock, Vermont
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