Best Miami Florida Travel Books
This travel guide includes: · Dozens of full-color maps. · Hundreds of hotel and restaurant recommendations, with Fodor's Choice designating our top picks. · In-depth breakout features on Art Deco Miami, Snorkeling & Scuba Diving, Everglades Ecosystems · Multiple itineraries to explore the top attractions and what's off the beaten path. · Coverage of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Palm Beach, the Treasure Coast, Key West and the Florida Keys, and the Everglades. “Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher….aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you're interested only in the east side of south Florida, the Everglades, and the Keys, this book will work nicely for you. My plan now is to use this along with at least one or two other guides plus various websites to plan my road trip itinerary and take notes, then leave the book home. If your need for a guide to south Florida is very specific to just the few south Florida places that are covered here, and your eyesight is much better than mine, you will probably find this book a reasonable source of info."
"Used this on a trip, all the recommendations from food to places to see were accurate."
"FODOR'S SOUTH FLORIDA is a 344 page guidebook printed on glossy paper. The authors are Lynne Helm, Jill Martin, Galena Mosovich, and Paul Rubio. Attached just inside of the rear cover is a map that can be easily torn out of the book, because of perforations. One side of the map shows all of Florida, together with the southern coastline of Mississippi and Alabama. On the Orlando map, one can see main streets shuch as Beline Expressway and Turkey Lake Road. The book has six chapters, and these include: (1) Experience South Florida, (2) Miami and Miami Beach, (3) The Everglades, (4) Florida Keys, and (5) Fort Lauderdale, and (6) Palm Beach. Mr. Clyde Butcher (born 1941) is in my opinion equal to Ansel Adams, in terms of the artistic merit and compelling beauty of his photography. The main reason I like to read and review travel guidebooks, is because of the photography, but this book is more about hotels and restaurants. The text explains that this sandwich has ham, pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles. The text explains that there are many murals in the City of Wynwood and that this city has a "Wynwood Art District" and an exhibition hall of photography and art called, "Margulies Collection at the Warehouse." Page 156 shows a bronze statue of "Christ of the Deep" which was installed underwater, near Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. the price tags skew high, yet represent brands known for innovation and edge. Alaia, Givenchy, Moschino, jewelry on an artistic level including Cristina Ortiz, Lydia Courteille, and Stephen Webster." Regarding part of Everglades National Park (page 118-119), we read that, "Route 9336 travels 38 miles from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center southwest to the Floriday Bay at Flamingo. and a wealth of wading birds at Mrazek and Coot Bay ponds . Although I am a genuine expert on sightseeing and vacationing in northern California, southern California, western Oregon, and the low country of South Carolina (but have never been in Florida), my impression is that this guidebook is reliable, appears not to speculate, and it appears that the authors based the text on their own first-hand experiences."
"An old friend moved from Baltimore to the Gulf Coast, and all her talk of the fabulous birds there, as well as her recollections of a fabulous trip to the Everglades made me think 'Hmmmm. I'm hard-pressed to understand why they did not change the title to make it immediately clear that this was NOT a comprehensive guidebook to South Florida, or......expand their coverage to include all of South Florida. I will need an additional guidebook."
Explore the art-deco streets of South Beach, spot alligators amongst the Everglades' mangroves, or party all night in Key West; all with your trusted travel companion. Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, multicultural Miami, cuisine, drink, art-deco architecture, environment Free, convenient pull-out Miami map (included in print version), plus over 15 color maps Covers South Beach, Downtown Miami, Wynwood, Design District, Little Haiti, Northern Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Little Havana, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Everglades, Florida Keys, Key West and more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The only cons are my usual problems with Lonely Planet guides - one, the graphic design is not very attractive, and two, I use online reviews for accommodation and restaurants as they are the most up-to-date, so these pages in Lonely Planet are a waste for me; would rather have more descriptions of actual attractions instead."
"Turns out Miami isn't really a city you need a guidebook for."
"It is exactly what I expected from Lonely Planet."
"I get that, because they're focusing on where most people go - but given that the towns north of South Beach and south of Fort Lauderdale offer exceptional value and today with Uber and the extremely cheap rates for rental cars in Miami ($206 during spring break for 8 days for a Corolla that seats 4), I was surprised there wasn't more focus on those areas as an excellent value. They also are home to Little Argentina and some of the best homestyle Peruvian, Argentine, Venezuelan, Columbian, and Brasilian food i've found in the US. My first day in town, I took a culinary+history walking tour of Little Havana to kill time before I could check into the hotel, since it's en route from the airport to the barrier island that we call the city of Miami Beach. - Little Havana recommendations: ---- Ball and Chain jazz bar and eatery for live music 12pm-10pm every day, including live Cuban jazz 12pm-6pm and the best true mojito in the city. ---- El Exquisito restaurant - really, a tiny 10-seat cafe across from Ball and Chain - for cuban coffee and cuban pressed sandwiches. ---- Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co. - the one with the wooden Indian and 3rd-generation owner Don Bello sitting outside the door.... incredible quality even we, as novice smokers, could tell the difference from others we tried, and it's a true family-run, family-owned business - please support them! ---- Tinto Y Cafe - technically slightly outside the border of Little Havana in Bricknell, this Cuban family-run coffee shop and cafe had hands-down the best pastries in the city, incredible coffee and wine, and while the seating is limited and the space a bit dark, you feel from the first visit like you want to hang out there all day and just talk to people adn the owners. ---- Los Pinarenos Fruteria -- at the Eastern end of Little Havana, in a stand-alone, bright yellow building, is the family-owned fruit stand and juice bar that will defy your expectations, make you thumb your nose at the over-priced, over-hyped commercial juicebars, and will serve you the absolute best guaraba juice in Miami (so say the locals, the local media, and my taste buds). Like the Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co., the founders are Cuban exiles who came to the US in the 60's and have raised their families here and kept their businesses running for over 40 years. The sugarcane juice (guaraba) is astonishingly green and citrusy, far better than the flat version you get at many places or on the street..."
"Great resource for a week-long stay in Miami."
"You have to search through different areas of the book to get info on activities, hotels, and restaurants, which are all in different areas of the book."
"Poorly designed, it's difficult to browse sights, restaurants, etc in one area for Miami given that they lump all options together in the respective sections and not by neighborhood."
A miles by mile anchorage and cruising guide to traveling the Atlantic East Coast Intra-Coastal Waterway from Norfolk, VA. to Miami, Fl.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very helpful for saving money on fuel, places to get your pet ashore, and anchorages along the Intra-Coastal waterway."
"Lots of good information."
"A must have guidebook for cruising the ICW."
"More of a cruising log than a guide."
Best Tampa Florida Travel Books
DESCRIPTION: Robert La Follette s images of the cities and surrounding areas of Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg include the stunning coastline from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg Beach and along Hillsborough Bay to the fabulous Tampa skyline of period and contemporary architecture. Robert s photography also appears around Tampa Bay, most notably with the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, where his images showcases the beauty and attractions that make Tampa Bay a world-renowned vacation destination.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Tampa Bay is a very nice photographic portrait of the Tampa Bay area."
"Great book with fantastic photos!"
Best Orlando Florida Travel Books
During the last twenty-five years, thousands of professionals from more than thirty-five countries and more than forty industries have attended business programs at Disney Institute and learned how to adapt the Disney approach for their own organizations. He has ghostwritten seven books for Booz & Company, Prime Resource Group, The Walt Disney Company, LIF Group, and IMPAQ, Inc.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After returning from an awesome trip to Disneyworld, I was inspired to read this book and am now even more in awe of the Disney culture and found plenty of things to apply to my real estate business."
"Excellent read if you'd like to get into the mind of Disney Guest Service."
"Any company in this niche should take the time to read it."
"Disney built an entire experience for their guests that isn’t topped."
"Im a retail manager that often looks for ways to drive my teams and actively engage my customers. The book even points out those elements taken for granted that would detract from the experience if they werent there; like pavement textures and garbage cans and it all makes sense. Forget the old corporate templates and listen with your heart to Walts vision of how to please your customers."
"Great book and we received the order in a timely manner."
"I was hoping for more specific examples as opposed to the long sell on the Disney Institute."
Best Florida Keys Travel Books
Updated annually, the Waterway Guide Southern 2017 edition is the indispensable cruising companion for boaters exploring Florida's East coast, the St. John's River, the Okeechobee Waterway, the Keys, Florida's West coast and the Gulf of Mexico to Brownsville, Texas.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Pretty much the same every year."
"Very well organized with lots of helpful info."
"Buy one every year for boating."
"On time delivery and does the job."
"A weighty tome indeed and it is loaded with info."
Best Jacksonville Florida Travel Books
This guide covers all of North Florida and the Panhandle south through Gainesville, including Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine. She is also the author of Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in Central Florida; Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in North Florida; Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in South Florida; Florida in the Civil War: A State in Turmoil, and Sinkholes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't know why but published travel info on the Emerald Coast of Florida is hard to find."
"Great book full of detailed info."
"Nice overview of this specific area."
"We found this guide to be fairly helpful."
"Very helpful for our trip!"
Best Disney World Travel Books
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. And because they've found that "spontaneity and self-discovery work about as well at Walt Disney World as they do on your tax return," The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is packed full of essential advice for anyone braving the frontiers of the mother of all theme parks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you’re lookin for info about making a trip to Disney World, this book is absolutely amazing!"
"You don't want a rained on Kindle (God forbid ) It seemed as thought there was a lot of "filler" in this book, I understand this is a subjective book , but just my opinion."
"If you get it, go ahead and spend the $10 for their online access (touringplans.com) - it's an essential piece to customize travel plans in the parks for what you want to see and when."
"However, many rides in WDW have been closed (Maelstrom, Backlot Tour, Pirates of the Caribbean, the sorcerers hat in DHS, etc) that are so significant they need to urgently put out a revised edition."
"This book was very valuable in planning our Disney World trip in March."
"So informative, it's insightful, and it's the go-to book for how to successfully navigate Disneyworld."
"I have used this book every time to help plan my trip. I have learned that if you do not plan a WDW trip as a "type A" personality, you will lose out not only on time, but money, and in the case of Walt Disney World....time equals your money spent."
Best General Florida Travel Guides
Kids and grownups alike are sure to ooh and aah, and laugh out loud as gifted writer Karen T. Bartlett takes them on a supersize Chicago adventure, with fascinating stories, quirky factoids, and a generous helping of silliness. Karen T. Bartlett is an award-winning professional photojournalist whose travel articles and photography appear regularly in magazines, travel guides, newspapers and books throughout North America and the Caribbean.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A fun book with great info for my kids."
"There are several guidebooks to Chicago - for KIDS - but this one exceeds them all by far."