Lake Placid<\/a> claimed the No. 1 spot overall, beating out cities in North Carolina, New York and Texas. The town is roughly three hours away from Miami and has built an identity around its bright murals, freshwater lakes and large caladium fields.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s actually known as the Caladium Capital of the World, a growing heritage it celebrates through local displays and events.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you head beyond downtown, you can find a handful of freshwater lakes made for fishing, boating or just relaxing,\u201d the study reads. \u201cMarketed together, its murals, independent stores and waterfront could turn the\u00a0town into a leading day-trip destination in its own right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ranked No. 8, Arcadia in DeSoto County earned its place on the national list through a combination of historic downtown architecture, antique stores and a ranching culture that sets it apart from Florida\u2019s coastal resorts.<\/p>\n
The Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo (the state\u2019s oldest) is known to draw significant crowds, but respondents noted that the city\u2019s Western character and access to nearby rivers for paddling and wildlife-watching are available all year. There\u2019s no reason to show up for just the big events!<\/p>\n
Further north, Perry in Taylor County came in at No. 20. Recognized as the Tree Capital of the South, the rural city\u2019s sense of place is shaped by its small-town streets and access to the much quieter Nature Coast, alongside a restored railroad depot and annual Florida\u00a0Forest Festival. This event reflects the timber and transport heritage that shaped the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts appeal lies less in a single headline attraction than in the combination of regional history, outdoor access and an unhurried atmosphere. With stronger links between these elements and its local businesses, Perry could become a more natural stopping point for travelers seeking a less commercial side of the state,\u201d per the study.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all about visibility! Across all towns, the research points to a consistent gap between what a place offers and how easily travelers can find it. 32% of respondents said a quality local business website had persuaded them to stop somewhere they would otherwise have driven right past.<\/p>\n
The most common deterrents were missing photos (14%), outdated information (11%), no website at all (11%) and no clear way to tell whether a business was even still open (10%).<\/p>\n
When asked what would turn a drive-through into an overnight stay, 26% of respondents cited strong reviews and photos, while 25% pointed to a single standout local hotel, restaurant or shop. This suggests that just one memorable experience can carry significant weight, as long as people can find real proof of it before they arrive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With these coastlines, year-round weather and world-famous attractions, it\u2019s no surprise that Florida draws tens of millions of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226,151970],"class_list":["post-382088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news","tag-pressarticle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}