St. Augustine & Amelia Island: Florida's Colonial & Victorian North

Florida's two most historically layered destinations sit within three hours of Orlando, anchoring the state's Atlantic coast from the Spanish colonial era to the Victorian resort period. St. Augustine — founded in 1565 — still reads as a Spanish colonial city. Amelia Island, 75 miles north, was the last piece of American soil to fly eight different national flags in four centuries; Fernandina Beach preserves 50 blocks of intact Victorian architecture from the 1880s railroad boom and holds Florida's oldest surviving bar. The arc runs from the coquina walls of 17th-century Spanish forts to the gingerbread porches of 19th-century coastal hotels.