38. Florida
Is this placement too high? Is this placement too low? Or is this placement just right?
Florida is one of the most high variance states in a list like this. If you love the sun, sandy beaches, and party vibes, you might love this state. If you focus more on the wild Florida man stories, hurricanes, and retirement home cities, maybe it’ll be a little bit lower on your list. For me I find it somewhere in the middle of the two.
I’ll start with the good because I believe it’s got a lot. I think Miami is one the most fun cities to visit if you’re just looking for a good time. It has this atmosphere that everywhere you go it’s always a party. The weather is great, the air is electric, and there are beaches to swim everywhere. And those beaches are everywhere in the state. The Gulf of Mexico has warm water year round, and I frequently reminisce about the loads of fun I spent on the beach on Sanibel Island.
I use to think that Florida wasn’t much to look at, but I have a newfound appreciation for the wilderness there. The Everglades are home to some of the most unique environments in the country. There’s also a Youtube channel I’ve started watching recently who will snorkel in different lakes, creeks, and other waterways mostly in the Southern US, and I had no idea of the beauty and clean water hidden in northern Florida. His name is Joseph Ricketts, and I really encourage you to check him out!
Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian
However there are a lot of negative aspects of Florida that make me tend to avoid going there. Climate change is ravaging the state at an alarming rate, and its tough to see a place I loved like Sanibel be demolished by a hurricane. I’m happy to see it built back, but these events are going to keep happening. Florida is also starting to get hot. I know it’s usually hot, but compared to a lot of states, its somewhat temperate during the summer, rarely getting above a hundred degrees in most places. Not anymore. Just last year water surrounding the state reached hot tub temperature killing millions of fish and destroying many of the reefs that make the area special. I don’t know about you but I swim to cool off.
There’s also the massive elephant in the room that is north Florida. As the old saying goes, the farther north in Florida you go, the more southern it gets. I don’t think theres ever been a place I’ve been more uncomfortable driving through than North Florida. A baffling amount of confederate flags lined much of the highway as we drove to Disney World.
Speaking of Disney World, I think it is… fine. I understand why people love it, but without an attachment to a lot of Disney properties, I feel like its not worth more than one visit. I’m sorry America, I just don’t feel a dedication to the brand. Now maybe if they make a White Castle world, I’ll get excited for that.
Florida is so strange. That’s it, that’s all I have to say.
