When to Go

It's not 90°F and sunny here every day. In winter the weather is fair, averaging in the low 50s in Jacksonville and low 60s in Cocoa Beach, but the temperature sometimes dips below freezing for a day or two. Summer temperatures hover around 90ºF, but the humidity makes it seem hotter, and late-afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. April and May are good months to visit, because the ocean is beginning to warm up and the beaches aren't yet packed. Fall is usually pleasant, too, but September is still hurricane season.

Festivals and Annual Events

Bike Week. More than 500,000 riders from across the country come to Daytona every March for 10 days of races, plus demo rides, parades, even coleslaw wrestling. 386/255–0981; www.officialbikeweek.com.

Daytona Speed Weeks. Daytona pulls out all the stops with this auto extravaganza in late January and February. It starts with the Rolex 24-Hour Race and culminates with the famed Daytona 500. 800/748–7467; www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

Rhythm and Ribs Festival. Champion barbecuers fire up the grill in November at this St. Augustine event. Francis Field, 29 W. Castillo Dr., 32084. www.rhythmandribs.net.

Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. Birders flock to Titusville for five days of field trips, seminars, and workshops by leading ornithologists each January. 800/460–2664; 321/268–5224; www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org.

Springing the Blues Festival. Nationally recognized performers and local talent entertain blues lovers during this free, three-day affair at the SeaWalk Pavilion on Jacksonville Beach the first full weekend of April. SeaWalk Pavilion, 75 1st St. N , Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 32250. www.springingtheblues.com.