Florida tours can give you local expert insights into your vacation destinations. From the many unique tours Florida has to offer, you can choose from backstage Disney tours in Orlando to helicopter rides over Miami Beach travel landmarks, and top your Florida vacation off with an eco-friendly Everglades tour by canoe.
Tours in Orlando
Walt Disney World offers a variety of behind-the-magic tours that give you a glimpse into the working of their high-tech amusement park rides and hidden spots not seen by the general public. Fascinating for some, they may sometimes have the somewhat disillusioning effect of a magician giving away their trick.
For those over 15, Backstage Magic is a 7-hour self-propelled bus tour through non-public areas of Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and Disney-MGM Studios, limited to 20 adults. You’ll see Disney “imagineers” working on animatronic robots, travel through unseen employee-only tunnels, and catch Disney actors taking a break from their costumed characters.
Of special interest, the Hidden Treasures of World Showcase explores Epcot’s 11 national pavilions, and Backstage Safari at Animal Kingdom tours the park’s veterinary hospital. The Gardens of the World tour is great for gardeners, with inside tips from the landscaping experts at Epcot.
Children 3 and up can go on a scavenger hunt around the Magic Kingdom on the Family Magic Tour. Those 8 and older accompanied by adult can swim with exotic sea life in a 5.7 million gallon aquarium on Epcot’s Aqua Seas Tour.
Miami Tours
Miami Beach travel highlights often include its unique architecture. The Miami Design Preservation League leads 90-minute day or night walking tours of the city's historic Art Deco District. The league led the fight to designate this area a National Historic District. The Miami Beach Bicycle Center offers monthly 2-hour bike tours of the district as well.
Known on the street as “Mr. Miami,” Dr. Paul George is a college history professor and past president of the Florida Historical Society. He leads neighborhood and theme tours of areas like Little Havana and Miami cemeteries.
Key West tours
Key West is perfect for self-guided walking tours. Pick up a free copy of Sharon Wells' Walking & Biking Guide to Historic Key West to explore the history, architecture, and cultural sites of this pedestrian-paced town.
Other specialty tours include pub-crawls, ghost tours, and a Gay Key West tour. Only in Key West will you be able to join Parrotheads on Parade, where Jimmy Buffet fans meander from Captain Tony's Saloon to the Margaritaville Café.
Everglades tour
Giant fan airboats seem almost synonymous with the Everglades. But they actually inflict severe harm on indigenous plants and animals, and are outlawed from the National Park. A more eco-friendly way to top off your Florida vacation is with a backcountry Everglades tour by canoe. Ecologist-led tours are also available. If that’s too adventuresome, naturalist-led open-air tram tours run from the park’s Shark Valley entrance. Be sure to bring along your camera, sun block, extra water, and plenty of mosquito repellant.
