Ready to trade busy city streets for palm trees, turquoise water, and one seriously epic drive south?
This road trip takes you all the way from Charlotte to the very end of the Overseas Highway, with historic forts, sandy beaches, coral reefs, and tropical islands packed in between.
The scenery keeps changing, the food gets more tropical, and every stop gives you a completely different reason to pull over.
Keep reading for the best stops, must-do activities, and helpful tips for planning an unforgettable road trip from North Carolina all the way to the Florida Keys.
1. Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte makes an action-packed starting point for your drive toward the Florida Keys.
Known as the Queen City, Charlotte is home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where you can explore racing exhibits, practice a pit stop, and test your skills in driving simulators.
Head to Uptown to visit Discovery Place Science, catch an NFL game at the 75,037-seat Bank of America Stadium, or see the city skyline from Romare Bearden Park.
For a bigger adventure, the 1,300-acre U.S. National Whitewater Center has more than 40 miles of trails plus rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, ziplining, and one of the world’s largest human-made whitewater rivers.
2. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
Trade Charlotte’s skyscrapers for towering trees at Congaree National Park, located roughly 1 hour and 50 minutes from Charlotte.
This 26,000+ acre park protects the largest remaining stretch of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States, including giant loblolly pines that rise more than 150 feet.
Start with the 2.6-mile Boardwalk Trail, which winds past bald cypress trees, tupelo forests, and wetlands where you might spot deer, river otters, turtles, and barred owls.
For an extra adventure, paddle the 15-mile Cedar Creek Canoe Trail beneath a leafy canopy, or visit during late spring when synchronous fireflies can flash together in an incredible natural light show.
3. Charleston, South Carolina
After exploring Congaree’s forests and waterways, drive about 1 hour and 50 minutes to Charleston, a coastal city famous for colorful historic homes, seafood, and centuries-old landmarks.
Walk along The Battery to see grand antebellum houses and Charleston Harbor, then photograph Rainbow Row, a stretch of 13 pastel-colored homes dating back to the mid-1700s.
History takes center stage at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861, and ferries reach the fort from downtown Charleston.
Save time for the Charleston City Market, which stretches across four downtown blocks, then grab shrimp and grits before strolling the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian path for sweeping views across the Cooper River.
4. Savannah, Georgia
Continue driving for around 2 hours to Savannah, Georgia, where oak-shaded streets, 23 historic squares, and buildings dating back to the 1700s make downtown perfect for exploring on foot.
Start at Forsyth Park to see its famous 1858 fountain, then wander through Chippewa Square, Monterey Square, and Jones Street beneath huge live oaks covered in Spanish moss.
Along the Savannah River, walk the cobblestone streets of the Waterfront, browse shops inside former cotton warehouses, and watch enormous cargo ships squeeze past River Street on their way to one of America’s busiest ports.
Before heading farther south, visit Bonaventure Cemetery, which spans over 100 acres, to see elaborate statues and oak-lined paths, or tour the 1819 Owens-Thomas House for a closer look at Savannah’s complicated past.
5. St. Augustine, Florida
Continue about 2 hours and 45 minutes to St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565 and widely recognized as the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.
Explore the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a massive coquina-stone fortress completed in 1695, where you can walk the gun deck and look across Matanzas Bay.
From there, stroll St. George Street for historic buildings, local shops, and restaurants before climbing 219 steps up the 165-foot St. Augustine Lighthouse for sweeping coastal views.
Before getting back on the road, check out the ornate 1888 Lightner Museum inside the former Hotel Alcazar or walk across the Bridge of Lions, guarded by two marble lion statues since 1927.
6. Cocoa Beach, Florida
Leave St. Augustine’s centuries-old streets behind and follow Florida’s Atlantic coast about 2 hours to Cocoa Beach, a laid-back surf town with roughly 6 miles of sandy shoreline on a barrier island.
Grab a board near the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier, which stretches about 800 feet over the Atlantic, or browse the massive Ron Jon Surf Shop, a 52,000-square-foot local landmark.
You’re also just south of Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center, so rocket launches from Florida’s Space Coast can sometimes thunder overhead while you’re sitting right on the beach.
For a quieter stop, paddle through the Thousand Islands Conservation Area, where mangrove-lined waterways are home to dolphins, manatees, pelicans, and other Florida wildlife.
7. Delray Beach, Florida
Keep cruising about 2 hours and 20 minutes to Delray Beach, where over 2 miles of Atlantic shoreline give you an easy excuse to swap the car for a beach towel.
Walk Atlantic Avenue from downtown toward the ocean for restaurants, boutiques, galleries, and the colorful Pineapple Grove Arts District, where murals and public art brighten the streets.
For something completely different, explore the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, featuring six garden areas inspired by different periods of Japanese garden design, plus koi ponds, waterfalls, and bonsai displays.
Before continuing toward the Keys, snorkel at Delray Municipal Beach or visit nearby Wakodahatchee Wetlands, where a 0.75-mile boardwalk passes ponds filled with herons, egrets, turtles, and alligators.
8. Key Largo, Florida
From Delray Beach, make the nearly 2-hour drive to Key Largo, the first major island in the Florida Keys and your gateway to turquoise water, coral reefs, and Overseas Highway adventures.
Make John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park your first stop, where the park offers snorkeling and glass-bottom boat trips to reefs filled with colorful fish, sea turtles, rays, and coral formations.
Divers can also visit the famous Christ of the Abyss statue, a 9-foot bronze figure standing about 25 feet underwater near Key Largo’s Dry Rocks reef.
Back on land, kayak through mangrove channels, grab fresh mahi-mahi or Key lime pie, and watch the sunset over Florida Bay before continuing deeper into the Keys.
9. Bahia Honda State Park, Florida
Follow the Overseas Highway about 1 hour to Bahia Honda State Park, an island escape in the Lower Keys known for clear, shallow water and some of the region’s best natural beaches.
Spend a few hours swimming and snorkeling off Calusa Beach or Loggerhead Beach, where you can search the seagrass beds for tropical fish, rays, and other marine life.
For a view you won’t get anywhere else, walk onto the historic Bahia Honda Rail Bridge, originally completed in 1912 as part of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, for photos over the turquoise channel.
You can also kayak along the shoreline, camp overnight, or take a snorkeling boat trip to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary before driving the final 37 miles toward Key West.
10. Key West, Florida
Finish your road trip in Key West, about 45 minutes from Bahia Honda, the southernmost city in the continental United States and the lively endpoint of the 113-mile Overseas Highway.
Snap a photo at the colorful Southernmost Point buoy, then tour the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, where the author lived during the 1930s and descendants of his famous six-toed cats still roam the grounds.
Climb the 88 steps of the Key West Lighthouse, explore the historic streets around Duval Street, or catch a ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park, located about 70 miles west and home to massive Fort Jefferson.
End the adventure at Mallory Square, where nightly Sunset Celebration performers, food carts, sailboats, and Gulf of Mexico views give this road trip a seriously fun finale.
Please note: At the time of writing, Key West’s Southernmost Point buoy was removed on September 4, 2025, for a year-long restoration project. During this period, a replica buoy has been installed nearby at the southern end of Duval Street (1499 Duval St.) for photo opportunities.
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