Florida has many faces, and each city tells its story in its own way. Just a few hours apart, Jacksonville, Orlando and St. Augustine offer three completely different ways to experience it.
Jacksonville: “The Flip Side of Florida”
With its The Flip Side of Florida campaign, Visit Jacksonville invites travelers to discover the state’s lesser-known side: quiet beaches, nature, the river and a growing cultural scene. In fiscal year 2024, the city welcomed 8.2 million visitors, who generated $4.1 billion in direct spending. Luxury is also arriving on the downtown riverfront: the Four Seasons Jacksonville will open its doors in 2027.
What I love most about Jacksonville is its sense of space, something beautiful: there is room for everyone, and traffic never steals time from your day. I also love its beaches and the urban art I keep discovering in different parts of the city, a reminder that Jacksonville always has something new to show.
Orlando: “Experience the Real Orlando”
Orlando broke its own record in 2025 with 76.7 million visitors, with notable growth in travelers from Mexico and Colombia. Through its Experience the Real Orlando campaign, Visit Orlando wants to show the city beyond the theme parks: its dining, its nightlife and its neighborhoods. It even launched OPAL, an artificial intelligence tool that helps plan your trip with recommendations from locals.
What I enjoy about Orlando is that it’s not only about the theme parks: it also has an active cultural life and a vibrant calendar of shows, with something new to discover every season.
St. Augustine: “Florida’s Historic Coast”
Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States, and its tourism office presents it as Florida’s Historic Coast. In 2026, Southern Living named it the South’s Best Small Town, and its amphitheater was ranked number one in the country by Pollstar.
For me, it’s the perfect escape: hot chocolate, charming shops, a dinner out or a show at its amphitheater, plus the beach and a beach club I’ll discover someday. This season, Nights of Lights illuminates the historic district with more than three million lights.
Travel notes
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About the author: Patty Kralj has dedicated twenty years to what she loves most: writing about lifestyle. Having lived between Mexico and the United States, with a deep European sensibility, she created E Weekly News to inspire more people to go beyond, feel alive and create memories. Say hello here.
