1. Amelia Island

• Best For: Romantic island escape. Elegant Southern charm on the beach is the best way to describe this northeast corner of the state. Quiet, canopied roads lead past beautiful homes to Fernandina Beach, a quaint grid of cobblestone streets with nothing but mom-and-pop shops.
• Don't Miss: The Concours d' Elegance, held in spring, is the crème de la crème of auto shows. From the exotic to the antique to the cars of the future, this exquisite collection of the world's best provides enough eye candy even for those who think of their cars as simple transportation.
• Sleep: The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has an unbelievable oceanfront spa with its own pool, fire pits, and old-world elegance all around. ameliaisland.com

2. Atlantic Beach

• Best For: Classy beach bums. Just 30 minutes southeast of Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach is one of those seaside towns that lures you in slowly like the morning tide. Shops, restaurants and ice-cream parlors are all within walking distance of the shore, so park your car and hide your keys. You're not going to need them.
• Shop: The town center ? just two blocks from the ocean ? is an eclectic mix of sophistication and flip-flop style. Product junkies can spend hours at the Beauty Bar, but for the real flavor of Atlantic Beach, browse the First Street Gallery for locally crafted art and jewelry.
• Sleep: We love the new One Ocean Resort for its spa (opt for the seashell massage), the food (the wild Florida black grouper) and the ambience (the lobby bar and lounge are so popular on weekend nights, they even had to turn folks away during a recent visit). Splurge on the posh John Grisham suite with its Atlantic view. Each spring, the famed author used to visit the property (then, the Sea Turtle Inn) with his son's baseball team. He even used the oceanside neighborhood as a backdrop for his 2005 book titled, The Brethren. beachestowncenter.com, oneoceanresort.com

3. Gainesville

• Best For: Enjoying natural pursuits by day, cultural by night. Where else can you explore a prairie savanna and take in a show ? all in one day—
• Don't Miss: Paynes Prairie is so vast that park ranger Mark Smith has seen its herd of wild bison and Spanish horses just a handful of times in his 20 years there.
• Sleep: Snuggle into lavender-scented linens at the Laurel Oak Inn, one of Gainesville's Victorian B&Bs. You'll start the day with a breakfast, such as baked pears served with fresh thyme, just-squeezed lemon and topped with a delicate violet.
• Night Owl: See a play at the Hippodrome State Theater and dine on some fried dumplings at the popular Dragonfly Sake & Sushi Company. visitgainesville.com

4. Luke's Laterra Resort & Spa

• Best For: Recharging your batteries. Tucked away in a residential community known as World Golf Village, LaTerra is a pin-quiet hotel with an old-world ambience. The crown jewel of the intimate property is the spa, with its circular coed lounge and outdoor pavilion, where floating stones lead the way to private cabanas and an open-air whirlpool. Several championship golf courses are close by, as are historic St. Augustine's many restaurants and boutiques.
• Don't Miss: The spa gift shop here is the best we've seen. An eclectic mix of cookbooks, journals and handmade items from all over the world had us perusing the serene space for almost an hour. laterraresort.com

5. St. Augustine

• Best For: Travelers with a curious palate. You already know it for its historic colonial buildings; now check out its epicurean gems. Claude's Chocolate shop serves one of the richest steamed hot cocoas around, while at the Spice & Tea Exchange, you'll even find surprises like the backwoods hickory rub with smoked sea salt and brown sugar. Nearby, the San Sebastian Winery is best visited on weekends when the rooftop wine bar is open; we recommend the Castillo red wine with a cheese platter.
• Don't Miss: The blue-domed, mahogany-rich Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, where Henry Flagler and his family are buried, and the Lightner Museum's music-box displays.
• Sleep: Ask for a recently renovated room with a porch on quaint Charlotte Street at the Casablanca Inn on the Bay facing the Intracoastal. Stop at the inn's Tini Martini Bar for a serious Manhattan made with Kentucky bourbon. casablancainn.com