NEW SMYRNA BEACH — If you like bike riding, including an electric bike, the mild weather and flat terrain of Florida make it one of the best places for you to indulge your love for two-wheeled fun.
A travel-focused, digital-only publication called Islands went looking for some of the best places in Florida for two-wheeled exploration, and they came up with a list of nine cities.
One of those cities was New Smyrna Beach, and two other nearby towns were St. Augustine and Winter Park. The remaining six that made the cut include Dunnellon, DeFuniak Springs, Fernandina Beach, Jensen Beach, Lake Placid and Sanibel.
Islands limited its search to towns with fewer than 30,000 residents. They wanted places large enough to explore but small enough to traverse in a single day.
They researched blog sites that specialize in Florida travel. They also looked for cities with compact downtowns, good bike access to businesses and attractions, and interesting places to visit on two wheels.
If you’re going to check out one of these top nine cities on an e-bike, it’s probably a good idea to see if that town has e-bike regulations.
Exploring New Smyrna Beach on two wheels
You can ride your bike on the sandy ocean shore in New Smyrna Beach, checking out the waves as you pedal. Just beside the ocean is the 184-acre Smyrna Dunes Park, which has a two-mile elevated boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Halifax River.
No trip to New Smyrna Beach is complete without a spin along Flagler Avenue, which is lined with shops and restaurants. You can also check out the New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins, which has the remains of a coquina sugar factory that was raided and burned to the ground by the Seminole Indians in 1835.
Do Dunnellon on a bike
Dunnellon was established in the 1890s as a railroad town. The historic train depot was built in 1908, and still stands. The depot is in the Boomtown Historical District, which dates back to the 1800s and has 70 historic buildings that are now home to restaurants and shops.
Dunnellon also has the Gulf Junction Trailhead, part of the 47-mile Withlacoochee State Trail, one of the longest paved rail trails in Florida. The Withlacoochee State Trail was one of the first corridors constructed under Florida’s “rails-to-trails” program, and it winds through forests, swamps and rural areas.
Also along the rail bed is the 2.4-mile Dunnellon Trail, where you’ll see plenty of birds and maybe even an alligator.
Cycle around the lake in DeFuniak Springs
Those who explore DeFuniak Springs on a bike will find low-traffic backroads, forests, a downtown with a shaded streetscape and Lake DeFuniak, the centerpiece of the town.
Lake DeFuniak spans 40 acres and is one of only two lakes in the world with an almost perfectly round shape. The lake can be enjoyed from Chipley Park, which surrounds the lake and has a bike path that winds around the water.
Circle Drive, which wraps around Lake DeFuniak, has 19th century homes with Victorian, Queen Anne, and Florida-style architecture. There is also the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood, an auditorium built in 1909.
Peddle on Fernandina Beach for 13 miles
Fernandina Beach, located on Amelia Island, has lots of interesting history to explore. You can ride your bike through the historic downtown and on the beach, where you can pedal on the sand for 13 miles.
Bicyclists can also travel the Amelia Island Trail, an 8.7-mile paved multi-use trail that runs parallel to State Road A1A. The trail runs through Amelia Island State Park, which has maritime forests and salt marshes.
You can also ride in Fort Clinch State Park, a 1,400-acre preserve with paved paths and huge live oaks.
Jensen Beach has riverside and oceanfront riding
Jensen Beach was once known for shipping pineapples, and now it’s a quiet beach town with little shops and restaurants.
You can ride along the Indian River on the paved trail that runs beside the lagoon. You can also take your e-bike across the river to Jensen Beach Cove for a day of beach riding.
Jensen Beach is right next to Hutchinson Island, which has a paved trail that runs near the ocean.
Lake Placid has rare Florida hills for bicycling
Lake Placid is a small town south of Sebring that has some gentle rolling hills mixed in with the flat Florida topography, perfect for a little fun on a bike.
Your two-wheeled tour of Lake Placid can include the downtown, where you will find more than 40 murals that decorate the sides of cafes and shops.
About 30 minutes northwest of Lake Placid is Highland Hammock State Park, where you can ride a 3-mile paved loop that will take you through the hammock. The state park also offers a 6-mile off-road trail that will take riders deeper into the hammock.
Sanibel has 26 miles of shared-use trails
Sanibel has more than 26 miles of shared-use trails that are separated from roads. You can start on Sanibel-Captiva Road, which will take you to the western end of Sanibel Island.
The bike trail ends at Blind Pass Beach, where you can venture into the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. You can take your e-bike into the refuge and tour the 4-mile Wildlife Drive that pass a variety of wildlife and mangrove forests.
Bring your 21st century bike into 450-year-old St. Augustine
St. Augustine, established in 1565, is still deeply intertwined with its history. The 450-year-old city is a big tourist draw, so some parts of St. Augustine regularly fill with cars and trucks and aren’t great for bike riding.
Riding in the city’s Historic District can be difficult, but you can pedal along the historic bayfront. You can glide beside the Matanzas River to Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in America.
You can also bike north on San Marco Avenue to Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre De Dios, the oldest Marian Shrine in America. Built in the 1620s, the main attraction at the mission is the Great Cross, which rises 208 feet.
Bicycle through Winter Park’s charming downtown
In Winter Park, located northeast of Orlando, you can bicycle through neighborhoods and the brick streets of downtown. Park Avenue is lined with upscale boutiques and restaurants.
You can also ride to the 86-year-old Mead Botanical Garden, which has trails that pass through a garden. You can also check out Hannibal Square Heritage Center that honors the town’s African American community.
Islands contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Smyrna Beach makes list of 9 best small Florida cities to bicycle
Reporting by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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