Romantic Getaways in St. Augustine, Jacksonville & Florida's Palm Coast

By Janet Groene

Celebrate your love with the help of this inspiring book from Hunter. Does your love life need a pick-me-up? Are your fires burning low? This guide suggests plenty of fun activities compiled by authors who know where to find the most romantic spots. For c

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Dec 22, 2009
• ISBN: 9781588438713

Book preview

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Introduction

Did thee feel the earth move?

– Ernest Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls .

You’ve been on the job in the same old rut all week and now it’s time for you and your love to get away, if only for a day or a weekend. To you, getting away might mean a hammock under an oak tree, with a good book to read. Or it might mean a day at the beach, an exciting day at a theme park, or 18 holes of golf on a tournament course. It could mean running yourself ragged on the tennis court or on a century (100-mile) bicycle ride, or breakfast in bed followed by a day of shopping, then a night at the opera. The evening might end with nightcaps and dancing in a dimly lit club.

It is our aim to give you a sampling of places to stay, dine and see. Some couples prefer to stay in historic inns furnished with antiques, while others choose a full-service hotel or resort with a choice of restaurants and activities on site. We haven’t forgotten the budget traveler, who needs a getaway as much as anyone but can’t afford five-star accommodations. Central and North Florida have miles of beaches where mom-and-pop motels provide unbeatable water views at modest prices. Some couples can’t get away without their children or pets, so we list places for them, too.

Our listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation; they are chosen to give you options in your own search for the romantic weekend that works for you.

Whether you’re flying in from afar, or live in Florida and simply want a short getaway to recharge your romance, we suggest plenty of spots – some of them famous and others unknown.

A Little History

Miami and Fort Lauderdale were mere outposts at a time when central and north Florida already bristled with busy ports and bustling cities. A thriving sugar industry in Daytona Beach supported fine plantations until they were burned during the Seminole Wars.

A railroad ran from FernandinaBeach to Cedar Key long before Henry Flagler’s railroad rocketed through all the way to Key West and transformed the state forever. Civil War seethed through Florida, whose capital was the only one in the Confederacy that never fell to Union forces. During Reconstruction, the entire geometry of the state was changed. Once-important communities faded; young upstarts mushroomed. Many things shaped the growth of the state. Highways replaced railroads and steamboats. New harbors were dredged; old harbors filled in. Old forts became untenable against modern weapons. Swamps were drained and lowlands filled. Yellow fever and malaria were conquered. The introduction of affordable air conditioning made once-insufferable areas