Florida

If you visited Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa during its first twenty-nine years in business, you likely went for the golf. Before the sixty-five-acre resort turned thirty last year, it served as a sprawling love letter to the sport.

"Five years ago, none of this was here,” artist Derek Donnelly says as we wander through the brick-paved alleyway that runs behind the 600 block of Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg. He’s not referring to the buildings, some of which date to the early 1900s, but to the arresting murals splashed across their backsides.

Islamorada sits between Miami and Key West, roughly eighty miles from each—and a world away from both.

When you live in landlocked Tennessee, taking small children to the beach is kind of like childbirth: long and painful at times, but ultimately worth it. Eventually, you wind up forgetting the hard parts and want to do it all over again. After eight-plus hours in a car bound for Amelia Island, Florida, I wasn’t so sure that was going to happen this time.

Take the plunge at these unique Southern scuba-diving destinations. Come face-to-face with West Indian manatees, explore the 120-foot-deep lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, and marvel at the northernmost coral reef system in the country.

  CABBAGE KEY Pineland, Florida Accessible only by boat, this eighty-acre, palm-lined island is home to an irresistible 1930s open-air tavern. Enjoy peeling fresh shrimp and cracking stone crab claws as gopher tortoises mosey past. Don’t miss...

What do Judge Judy, Sheryl Crow, and Derek Jeter have in common? They love vacationing in the Gulf.

The Gulf is something of a mecca for anglers, who reel in a bounty of grouper, trout, and tuna, to name a few. There’s pier fishing, inshore charters, and deep-sea expeditions from which to choose, and plenty of pros ready to share a story or tip.

From a palace to a houseboat, check out our favorite luxe weekly vacation rentals on the Gulf of Mexico.

Check in at one of these full-service establishments, among the most storied in the Gulf, from the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi to the legendary Loews Don CeSar (aka: the Pink Palace).