Road Trip · 5–7 days · ~240 miles

Florida Atlantic Coast

Orlando → Space Coast → Palm Beach → Miami / South Beach

Theme parks to rocket launches to Art Deco — Florida's east coast in one run.

About This Route

This is the Florida trip that gives everyone in the car what they came for. Start with a day or two in Orlando — the theme parks, or just the pool decks of the country's deepest hotel market — then head east to the Space Coast, where you can watch a rocket launch from the beach if the calendar cooperates. From there it's a straight, easy run down A1A and I-95: Vero and Jupiter's quiet sand, Palm Beach's old-money waterfront, and finally Miami, where the Art Deco hotels of South Beach close the show.

The hotel math on this route is wonderfully lopsided. Orlando's oversupply means rates stay friendly almost year-round; Miami's winter season means they don't. Member rates earn their keep at the southern end of this drive — book South Beach first, then fill in the rest. And if the trip leaves you wanting more, the Overseas Highway to Key West starts where this one ends.

— Our Travel Editor

The Route

4 stops · book hotels at member rates in each city.

Stop 1

Orlando

Start in the theme park capital. One park day or zero — either way, the hotel deals here are the best of the whole route.

Full guide to Orlando See hotels in Orlando

Stop 2

Cocoa Beach / Space Coast

Kennedy Space Center, surf-town pace, and — if the launch schedule cooperates — a rocket climbing out over the Atlantic.

See hotels in Cocoa Beach / Space Coast

Stop 3

Palm Beach / West Palm Beach

Worth Avenue, the Flagler Museum, and a waterfront dinner. The elegant overnight of the drive.

See hotels in Palm Beach / West Palm Beach

Stop 4

Miami / South Beach

Finish among the Art Deco hotels of Ocean Drive. Stay two nights — Cuban food, warm water, and the best people-watching in Florida.

Full guide to Miami / South Beach See hotels in Miami / South Beach

Travel Editor Tip

Check the launch schedule before you lock your Space Coast night — a launch viewed from the beach is the single best free attraction in Florida. And book the Miami end first; that's where the rates bite.

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