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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Panhandle Pioneer Settlement Blountstown

Historic Sites

Discover Florida’s rich history – millennia of habitation, centuries of change – while exploring our trails

Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail

With the discovery of some of the most ancient evidence of human habitation in the Americas in the Aucilla Sinks and Fort Center archaeological sites, it’s true that you can go deep into Florida history – and pre-history – while exploring the outdoors in Florida.

Many state parks and five of our national parks are devoted to telling Florida’s backstory through their conservation of places that mark important turning points in our history, or capture a moment in time of the ancient peoples who once roamed across this landscape.

From the original landing locations of Europeans looking to colonize the Americas to Civil War-era fortresses, plantation homes, and modern memorials to civil rights, you’ll find a breadth of historic context across the state of Florida when you visit these sites.

Archaeological Sites Civil War Historic Lighthouses Seminole Wars

Resources

50 Hikes in Central Florida 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 5 Star Trails Orlando Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Featured Historic and Archaeological Destinations

Selected historic and archaeological destinations that you should plan to visit.

American Beach

American Beach

American Beach
Arcadia Mill complex

Arcadia Mill

Arcadia Mill
Atop Iron Mountain at Bok Tower Gardens

Bok Tower Gardens

Bok Tower Gardens
Bonnet House

Bonnet House

Bonnet House
Bulow Plantation Ruins museum exhibit

Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park

Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park
Camp Milton Arboretum

Camp Milton Historic Preserve

Camp Milton Historic Preserve
Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos
Constitution Convention Museum State Park

Constitution Convention Museum State Park

Constitution Convention Museum State Park
Adderly House at Crane Point Hammock

Crane Point Hammock

Crane Point Hammock
View of Crystal River

Crystal River Archaeological State Park

Crystal River Archaeological State Park
Dade Battlefield

Dade Battlefield Historic State Park

Dade Battlefield Historic State Park
De Soto National Memorial

De Soto National Memorial

De Soto National Memorial
Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park (Bob Finley)

Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park
Dudley Farm

Dudley Farm Historic State Park

Dudley Farm Historic State Park
Thomas Edison home

Edison & Ford Winter Estates

Edison & Ford Winter Estates
Brick streets on Egmont Key

Egmont Key State Park

Egmont Key State Park
Aucilla Sinks

Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks

Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks
Fort Caroline

Fort Caroline

Fort Caroline
Fort Center

Fort Center

Fort Center
Beach with historic fort behind

Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch State Park
Fort Gadsden

Fort Gadsden

Fort Gadsden
Fort Mose Visitor Center

Fort Mose Historic State Park

Fort Mose Historic State Park
Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Narrow boardwalk through swamp forest

Highlands Hammock State Park

Highlands Hammock State Park
Historic Babb Landing

Historic Babb Landing

Historic Babb Landing
Agave plants

Indian Key Historic State Park

Indian Key Historic State Park
Historic buildings and palm trees

Kingsley Plantation

Kingsley Plantation
Lake Jackson Mounds State Park

Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park

Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
Letchworth-Love Mounds

Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park

Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park
Mission San Luis

Mission San Luis

Mission San Luis
Midden shells on Mound Key (Kai Schreiber)

Mound Key Archaeological State Park

Mound Key Archaeological State Park
Mount Royal historic marker

Mount Royal

Mount Royal
Olustee Battlefield

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park
Ortona Mounds

Ortona Mounds

Ortona Mounds
Rapids in Paynes Creek as seen from the swinging bridge

Paynes Creek Historic State Park

Paynes Creek Historic State Park
Trail through oak canopy

Ponce Preserve

Ponce Preserve
Covered bridge at Princess Place Preserve

Princess Place Preserve

Princess Place Preserve
Ribault Column

Ribault Column

Ribault Column
San Marcos de Apalache

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park
Paddling Mosquito Lagoon

Seminole Rest

Seminole Rest
Project Mercury Monument Titusville

Space View Park

Space View Park
St Marks lighthouse

St. Marks Lighthouse

St. Marks Lighthouse

Weedon Island Preserve

Weedon Island Preserve
Tropical trees and quarry walls

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
Replica of cigar workers desks inside the museum

Ybor City Museum State Park

Ybor City Museum State Park

ALL Destinations with Historic Features ALL Destinations with Archaeological Features

Articles

Articles about historic and archaeological sites in Florida. Scroll through to see all.

Ormond Memorial Gardens Vietnam Veteran

Ormond Memorial Gardens

June 22, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

Spilling across the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Ormond Memorial Gardens leads you into a contemplative world mere steps from a major highway

Bartram Trail Welaka

Paddling the Bartram Trail in Welaka

April 8, 2019//  by John Keatley

Learning how botanists William and John Bartram traveled along the St. Johns River in the 1700s, I followed an experienced river guide for a look at part of the Bartram National Recreation Trail from the water on our Bartram Adventure Tour in Palatka.

The Planetary Court at Koreshan State Park

Florida’s Utopia

December 9, 2018//  by John Keatley

At the Koreshan Unity in Estero, Florida, a group of believers gathered in 1894 to build their paradise. It is now a National Historic Site and a Florida State Park. Walk the trails and streets of “New Jerusalem” to learn its story.

Old Spanish Sugar Mill at De Leon Springs State Park

Pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill

July 26, 2018//  by John Keatley

Making pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill in De Leon Springs has been a tradition since 1961. But did you know the mill’s history? Settle in and flip a flapjack after learning about its roots.

San Marcos de Apalache

Exploring San Marcos de Apalache

June 21, 2016//  by John Keatley

Where the Wakulla and St Marks Rivers meet, explore San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, a small piece of ground with a deep history under five flags.

Statue honoring the Barefoot Mailman

The Barefoot Mailman

February 18, 2016//  by John Keatley

Hiking barefoot in Florida isn’t new. Back in the 1880s, it was part of your job description if you delivered mail between Palm Beach and Miami. Learn more at the Hillsboro Lighthouse in Pompano Beach.

Osceola: Back in Time

November 14, 2015//  by Sandra Friend

On a day trip to Kissimmee, we were sidetracked by history at the 23th annual Osceola County Historical Society Pioneer Day, held, to our surprise, at Historic Babb Landing.

Indian Key

Indian Key: An unusual ghost town

August 9, 2015//  by John Keatley

John takes a trip back in time with Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli to discover the layers of history found on Indian Key, once the county seat of Dade County

Fishing boat

Cuban chugs in Key West

July 15, 2015//  by John Keatley

Sometimes we take history for granted. A walk through the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden led to a collection of Cuban chugs, which we didn’t know what they were until we learned their story.

Historic Spanish Point

December 7, 2013//  by Sandra Friend

At Spanish Point, scents hang heavy in the morning air: a moonflower in the act of closing for the day, the sweetness of citrus blossoms, the purple morning-glory clambering over mangroves, the brush of salt breezes.

At Mission San Luis

On a Mission

February 27, 2010//  by Sandra Friend

Tallahassee’s newest portal to the past is also its oldest, the reconstruction of history at Mission San Luis.

Burial mound at Fort Center

In search of Florida’s ancient past

November 20, 2009//  by Sandra Friend

Archaeological treasures unburied: in Glades County, learn about the unique archaeological finds near Lake Okeechobee, with interpretation at two different hiking trails.

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NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

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Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

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Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

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