State parks
Washington Oaks Gardens (formal gardens + coquina beach), Gamble Rogers (beach and Intracoastal), and Bulow Plantation Ruins. All three are short drives. Washington Oaks is the one you take guests to.
Preserves
Princess Place Preserve and the county trail system give you hammock forest, paddling, and a version of Florida that isn’t a fairway. Kayak outfitters will drop boats at several launches.
The ICW
Seventy-plus miles of canals were dug in the 1970s. Not every canal lot reaches the Intracoastal; verify before you fall in love with a dock photo. Boat ramps and the marina make it usable even if you live inland.