Southern vistas in North Florida include its old-growth forests bisected by tranquil rivers once paddled by native populations, a practice still enjoyed by visitors today. Groups can traverse the fabled Suwannee River, which begins its 170-mile trek to the Gulf of Mexico in the riverboat-era town of White Springs. Some intrepid paddlers go the entire distance, but your group can make a day trip out of it, stopping to explore historic towns or take a dip in the refreshing springs that dot the entire area.
Some of Central Florida’s “mane” attractions are its horse farms and equestrian events, especially in the countryside surrounding Ocala, known as the “Horse Capital of the World” due to its concentration of thoroughbred breeding and training farms. Among the many events, Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) Ocala Winter Circuit is a series of horse-jumping competitions held over a seven-week period. Heading east, St. Lucie County is one of the few places in the state where you can ride horses on the beach. Guided rides depart from Frederick Douglass Memorial Park on South Hutchinson Island.
In South Florida, the southern end of Miami Beach is dotted with Art Deco hotels, the tropical jewel boxes sporting the rounded corners and geometric ornamentation of 1930s architecture and part of what is today the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world. Groups can explore the treasures on guided walking tours offered by the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL), a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving the area’s architectural heritage. The MDPL also spotlights Miami Beach’s other architectural styles, including Miami Modern (MiMo), which is defined by asymmetry, cheese-hole cutouts and futuristic forms, a style associated with the 1950s and most common in Mid-Beach and points north.