5 Florida cities top TripAdvisor's fall destinations list, but not the ones you think
Want to keep your summer vacation going? Travel guidance site TripAdvisor says 74% of American travelers are still planning trips through the fall, and five of the top ten trending U.S. destinations on its site are in Florida.
Which isn't surprising, really. Being a worldwide destination location is kind of our thing. But the cities people are going to TripAdvisor to look up aren't the cities you might expect.
What's No. 1 in the whole United States, based on places with the greatest year-over-year growth?
Little Torch Key, Florida. You don't hear about that one very much, which may be why it's popular.
(Orlando is still the actual No. 1 Florida destination, though. You're safe, Mickey.)
Also on the list of top 10 trending destinations in the U.S. are little-known Sunshine State spots such as Indian Rocks Beach and Holmes Beach.
What are Tripadvisor's top trending destinations for fall 2023?
In TripAdvisor's Seasonal Travel Index for Fall 2023, these are the locations people are searching its site the most:
Little Torch Key, Florida.
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida.
Miami Springs, Florida.
Hawley, Pennsylvania.
Carefree, Arizona.
Reno, Nevada.
Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Holmes Beach, Florida.
Rutherford, California.
Indio, California.
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Where is Little Torch Key, Florida?
Little Torch Key, one of the Florida Keys, is just south of Big Pine Key and about 24 miles from Key West.
What is Little Torch Key famous for?
Little Torch Key is a small island known mostly for being a small, private location where President Harry S. Truman used to fish.
But Little Torch Key is also home to Little Palm Beach, accessible only by boat or seaplane, where the Little Palm Island Resort & Spa has made Travel & Leisure's list of top resort hotels in Florida for several years.
It's also just a few miles away from the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary for divers hoping to see some vibrant coral formations.
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Where is Indian Rocks Beach, Florida?
To the east of Largo and south of Clearwater is Indian Rocks, a tiny, quiet town on the Sand Key barrier island.
What is Indian Rocks Beach, Florida known for?
The water. Whether you hit the beach or boat or intracoastal waterways, Indian Rocks Beach offers 2.7 miles of beachfront with lots of accommodations, shops, and over 20 beach access points. The city was started as a rich person's weekend getaway location and that relaxing feel remains. The city boasts parks, boat ramps, boardwalks and a "state of the art skateboard park," as well as the Indian Rocks Beach Nature Preserve.
Where is Miami Springs, Florida?
Miami Springs is northwest of Miami, southeast of Hialeah and just north of Miami International Airport.
What is Miami Springs, Florida known for?
Miami Springs is the quieter alternative to Miami. Created as a planned community during in the 1920s land boom (originally called Country Club Estates), the city was developed in the Pueblo Revival architectural style. If you want to be near the hustle and bustle of Miami, the casinos and the beaches but want to stay in a calmer community, here's your spot.
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Where is Cape Canaveral, Florida?
The city of Cape Canaveral is due south of the actual Cape Canaveral, on a barrier island on the east coast of Florida east of Merritt Island.
What is Cape Canaveral, Florida known for?
Space. Cape Canaveral is the home of America's spaceport, where NASA launched people to orbit, the moon, the International Space Station and sent probes out into the universe. It's also got some great beaches.
Cape Canaveral bills itself as "The Space Between," a small beachside community "nestled comfortably between family vacations and cutting-edge space travel technology." Minutes away from either the Kennedy Space Center, the Banana River or the white sandshore of the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Canaveral and an hour away from Orlando, Cape Canaveral offers a nice slice of what Florida has to show. In 2019, CNN chose the Space Coast as one of the top worldwide spots to visit,.
Where is Holmes Beach, Florida?
Holmes Beach is located in the middle of Anna Maria Island on the southwest coast of Florida.
What is Holmes Beach, Florida known for?
Holmes Beach is a quiet community on a quiet island that just happens to offer a walk-around downtown, access to the white-sand beaches and clear water of the Gulf, and a taste of old Florida. In 2021 Forbes called Homles beach an "under-the-radar Florida gem."
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What is the most popular Florida destination?
According to TripAdvisor, most people are flocking to Orlando. It's the third most popular destination in the U.S. after Las Vegas and New York City
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: TripAdvisor's Fall Destinations: 5 Florida cities make top 10 list
