Lucky in Love: Jacksonville, Florida
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Floridian Nature
Manatees, airboats and old Florida charm, from Miami to Jacksonville.
Florida is best known for its theme parks and beaches, but its wilder side is just as easy to reach. Freshwater springs stay warm all year, wetlands stretch to the horizon and barrier islands line the coast. In the Lucky in Love episode, Mara and Danny head to Jacksonville. This self-drive trip keeps the same spirit of chance from the episode and widens the map. It opens in Miami Beach, works up the Gulf coast, crosses to the Atlantic and ends in the city where the episode took place. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
Miami Before the Wild
You start at Circa 39 in Miami Beach, a barrier island where the beach, city neighborhoods and wilderness sit close together. A South Beach bicycle tour follows the shoreline past Art Deco buildings, the pastel hotels and apartments that give the area its look. Then a guided tour of Little Haiti takes you to the center of Miami's Haitian community, where murals cover the walls and markets sell food, art and crafts.
The wilderness is next. A five-hour Everglades airboat tour, with round-trip transfer from Miami, takes you out into the sawgrass, a vast wetland of shallow water and tall grass. The flat-bottomed boat skims across it, and the wide-open views make a strong contrast with the city you left behind.
Snorkeling with the gentle giant manatees in Crystal River is an experience you'll remember for a lifetime.
Swim With Manatees
From Miami, the route heads up the Gulf coast through Naples and Bradenton Beach to Clearwater Beach, with easy shoreline days in between. These are the days to slow down, swim and watch the sun set over the water.
The centerpiece comes at Crystal River. Its springs hold steady at 72 degrees year-round, and in cooler months manatees, the large, gentle marine mammals sometimes called sea cows, gather in the warm water. A three-hour guided swim puts you in the water with them, so you can watch them drift past from just a few feet away.
Finish on the Atlantic
From Crystal River, the route crosses the state to the Atlantic coast and the city of St. Augustine, which Spanish settlers founded in 1565. Its old town has narrow streets and colonial buildings, and it rewards a slow walk.
St. George Street is the historic heart of the old Spanish Quarter in St. Augustine.
The trip then ends on Amelia Island, a barrier island with thirteen miles of beach. You stay for the last stretch, close enough to Jacksonville that the episode's city is within reach, and the car goes back at the Jacksonville airport (JAX) before your flight.
The link below opens the full trip, with hotels and car rental included. Trade beach time for more wildlife, or stretch the finish on Amelia Island. Click through and shape it into your own.
Floridian Nature
Manatees, airboats and old Florida charm, from Miami to Jacksonville.
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