8 Things Floridians Do When Northern Relatives Visit for the Holidays
Hosting relatives from up north over Thanksgiving weekend?
The Gators play Florida State on Friday, Nov. 27.
Kickoff is listed for 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, which gives you a rivalry game to watch with your relatives, though the schedule notes times are subject to change.
Here are the things Floridians do when northern relatives visit for the holidays.
1. Manatees at Blue Spring
Many locals bring visiting relatives to Blue Spring State Park to see manatees.
From mid-November to March, hundreds of manatees gather in the spring run to seek shelter from the cold.
Visitors watch them from the spring’s overlooks, a view the park describes as a rare experience.
The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year.
Researchers tracked a record 729 manatees in the spring run in 2023, up from 14 in 1970.
Plan to arrive early with your relatives.
Blue Spring Day-Use Reservations
Blue Spring State Park requires every day-use visitor to have a reservation.
That rule began July 15, 2026, and advance bookings opened July 8, 2026.
The general entry fee is $6 a vehicle.
The park often reaches capacity and may close for several hours.
If you have a camping or boat tour reservation, you can still enter during a closure, but people on foot or on bikes can’t.
2. Nights of Lights
St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights makes a holiday evening outing, running nightly from Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 18, 2027.
More than three million lights cover the historic district.
On the Plaza de la Constitución, you’ll find white lights on the trees and a lit Christmas tree in the center.
The tourism office points to Flagler College and the Lightner Museum for some of the most elaborate displays.
You can see the lit bayfront from the Bridge of Lions.
Wear walking shoes.
3. Anhinga Trail
Winter is the dry season at Everglades National Park, which runs from about December to mid-May.
Humidity stays low.
Temperatures run from the low 50s to the upper 70s in that season.
At Royal Palm, average daily highs are 79 degrees in December and 78 in January.
The Anhinga Trail starts at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, four miles from the main entrance.
The trail is 0.8 miles round trip, so you can fit it in before lunch.
You may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons and egrets along the trail.
You may see even more birds in winter, so bring your binoculars.
4. Strawberry U-Pick
Many locals take visiting relatives to pick strawberries in winter.
The Florida Strawberry Growers Association lists the strawberry season as December through April.
Some U-pick farms stay open for the entire season, so a December or January visit can work.
Call the farm before you load up your relatives.
Ask your relatives if they’ve ever picked fruit straight from the plant.
5. Gators vs. Seminoles
The Florida Gators play at Florida State on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, a rivalry game to watch with your relatives.
Kickoff is listed for 3:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, and times are subject to change.
Plan your holiday meal around kickoff.
Psst! How much do you know about Florida’s winters? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Florida Winter IQ
Answer these questions on Florida’s winter and holiday-season sights. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
On Jan. 19, 1977, snow flurries were observed across peninsular Florida, reaching as far south as which city?
6. Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour is a guided ride through the lakes and canals of Winter Park.
The company says it has been running since 1938.
Each tour lasts about an hour, and boats leave hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Book a morning ride and your afternoon stays open for dinner plans.
The tour is closed on Christmas Day, so book another day if your relatives are in town that week.
7. Key West New Year's Eve
Key West rings in New Year's Eve with several midnight drops instead of one ball.
At Bourbon St Pub, you can watch a drag performer in a giant high heel descend over Duval Street.
A lit six-foot conch shell drops from the roof of Sloppy Joe's.
Schooner Wharf Bar lowers a costumed pirate wench from a tall ship's mast at the Historic Seaport, with cannon fire.
Talk with your relatives ahead of time about which drop your group wants to see.
8. Dry Tortugas Day Trips
Dry Tortugas National Park is a day-trip option, about 70 miles west of Key West.
You get there by ferry or seaplane from Key West.
Services at the park are limited, so prepare for its remote environment.
The park offers tours of the historic Fort Jefferson.
The Yankee Freedom ferry's site lists an 8 a.m. departure from Key West and a 10:15 a.m. arrival at Fort Jefferson.
That's a full day.
The return leaves Fort Jefferson at 3 p.m. and gets back to Key West at 5:15 p.m.
Times can change with the weather.
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