By Paul Oswell
Fancy a road trip with a difference? Try cruising a few of these more unusual Floridian thoroughfares. You can explore to your heart's content with one of our great fly-drives, and stop off to take a closer look if anything takes your fancy!
Collins Avenue, South Beach, Miami
Why drive? Running parallel to the ocean, the avenue that's also known just as The Strip is a low-rise celebration of Art Deco architecture and fabulous seaside chic. It is home to three Art Deco hotels from the 40s: the National, the Delano and the Ritz Plaza. At the intersection with 8th Street, designer boutiques compete for retail therapy dollars, and many upscale restaurants line the road facing out to sea. It's north of 41st street, though, where Collins Avenue widens to become a wonderfully Floridian palm-fringed roadway. Drive slowly to take in the fantastic buildings, wonderfully weird people and that ocean air.
Hit the Road: The
Beautiful Southwest flydrive tour lets you take in the best of funky Miami.
7th Avenue in Ybor City, Tampa
Why drive? Tampa is a fairly mainstream city until you hit the eclectic neighbourhood of Ybor City. The former centre of cigar production and magnet of all kinds of immigrant communities over the years, the streets are full of Spanish, Cuban, Jewish and Italian influences. 7th Avenue is the most engaging road in Ybor, with cafes selling hearty Cuban breakfasts, handicraft boutiques selling African weaving, biker bars, gloriously faded buildings and a true sense of history and place. It was recognized by the American Planning Association as one of the "10 Great Streets in America" in 2008.
Hit the Road: Take the Ultimate
Flydrive Tour, and cruise through Ybor on your way from Orlando to Clearwater.
8th Street, downtown Miami
Why drive? 'Calle Ocho' is probably more accurate, this being the centre of Miami's 'Little Havana'. Here you can find everything that you love (or would love to discover!) about Cuba. Small factory outlets selling hand-rolled cigars, cafes with flavourful coffees and meaty sandwiches, as well as fruiterias and Art Deco blocks with a background soundtrack of samba. Stick to the area between 12th and 27th Avenue for the most atmospheric district - you'll hardly hear any English being spoken, and it feels like a small piece of Cuba on American soil. There are also several 'Botánicas' selling all manner of herbal medicine and exotic remedies.
Hit the Road: The
Showcase of the State flydrive ends in Miami, with plenty of time to explore
its hidden neighbourhoods.
Duval Street in Key West
Why drive? The southernmost tip of the USA is also one of its most lively neighbourhoods. One of the longest streets in the country, Duval starts off with sophisticated restaurants and galleries selling work by local artists. As you near the southern tip, the vibe gets livelier, with tiki bars, Cuban cafes and eventually the ocean front, where every night, the sun going down is greeted with raucous applause. From that time, on, it's party time, and the bars - including the infamous Sloppy Joe's, legendary haunt of Ernest Hemingway - fill up with tourists and locals with their minds on cocktails and good times.
Hit the Road: Take the Ultimate
Flydrive tour of Florida to take in this extremely energetic extremity.
Alligator Alley, southern Florida
Why drive? This is officially named the Everglades Parkway, but given that it is where the most famous inhabitants of the Everglades - the gators - can be seen right from the roadside, this affectionate nickname has stuck. Connecting the east and west coasts of Southern Florida, this steamy, humid road is flanked on both sides by the lush vegetation of the national park, and if you look carefully, you're bound to see a beady pair of eyes peeking up above the swamp, watching for potential prey. The gators rarely come up onto the alley itself, mind - a network of bridges let the wildlife pass safely underneath the road.
Hit the Road: Cross from Naples to Fort Lauderdale via Alligator
Alley on the Beautiful
South Flydrive tour
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Paul Oswell is a freelance travel journalist who regularly writes for The Daily Mail, Travelmail.co.uk and Luxury Travel Magazine