Rated Day Trips from Miami

Located a 50-minute drive north of Miami, the attractive coastal community of Boca Raton is another great day trip from Miami you should consider.

Located just 23 miles to the north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale makes a pleasant day trip from always busy Miami. Part of the attraction here is the unique network of waterways and canals that dissect the town, which can be explored simply by hopping aboard one of the water taxis that regularly ply the waters, moving people from place to place; it's a particularly fun experience at nighttime.

Like Palm Beach on the Atlantic side of Florida, the Gulf Coast town of Naples has made a name for itself as a center of luxury lifestyles. An easy two-hour drive through the Everglades from Miami, its beaches, though, are certainly less busy, but equally attractive.

Whether you travel a little farther south during your Key Largo day trip or squeeze in a visit on your way to Key west, Marathon in the Middle Keys is worth a stop. In fact, it'd be easy spending the best part of a day exploring its top wildlife-related attractions: the Dolphin Research Center, the Turtle Hospital, and Aquarium Encounters.

Another extremely popular diving spot, Key Largo is just over an hour's drive south of Miami at the north end of the Florida Keys. The big draw for divers here are the extremely shallow waters and the abundance of coral reefs to explore, many within easy reach of the shore, with some Key Largo resorts having direct access to prime diving spots and offering diving instruction packages.

For those prepared to spend a full day or possibly even an overnight stay on a tropical island, an expedition to Bimini is a superb option. One of the top places to visit in the Bahamas, the Bimini islands are just 50 miles off Miami and are closer than the Bahamian capital of Nassau.

Though it takes a little longer if you take the A1A scenic route and linger awhile at any of the viewpoints along the way, expect to allocate an hour's driving to get to Palm Beach. Set due north of Miami, this fun day trip includes plenty of gawking at the ultra-luxury vacation homes of American millionaires and billionaires.

The drive along the Overseas Highway to Key West, a journey of some 113 miles, is definitely worth the 3.5 hours it takes. Much of this epic drive is on spectacular stretches of bridges, a breathtaking journey that only makes the time spent in the final destination all the more memorable.

One of the top day trips from Miami for outdoor enthusiasts is to Biscayne National Park. It's located a fun boat ride away from downtown Miami, and although it's only accessible by water, it's close enough that you can view the city from here.

Until you drive through it, or better still, explore it via an airboat ride or kayak, it's pretty difficult to comprehend the scale of Everglades National Park. Covering an area of more than 800 square miles, the park, like most of Florida, is completely flat, making it even trickier to grasp its size.