• St. Augustine, Fla. is rumored to be home to the legendary Fountain of Youth.la fontaine image by Vely from Fotolia.com
  
  Northern Florida, stretching from Jacksonville to the Alabama border, provides a vacation destination outside of what many think of as typical Florida. Instead of fantastically large theme parks, there are throwback festivals and fairs. Instead of glitzy Miami, there is blue-collar Jacksonville. Instead of a northeastern influence, the area is still a part of the true South. Northern Florida provides long, lazy stretches of beaches, a homey atmosphere, mild year-round temperatures and plenty of attractions for a vacation.
  
  

Jacksonville

• While not the first city name in the minds of Florida visitors, Jacksonville--Florida's largest city--is fast becoming a tourist destination. And those traveling to the area have a "91 percent satisfaction rate," citing "friendliness of residents" as the number one reason for enjoying their stay, according to the Visit Jacksonville 2009 annual report. This good nature from residents is part of Jacksonville's Southern roots. One of the top destinations for the area is the St. John's riverfront, an area becoming well known for art and music--the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens offers the largest collection of fine art in northern Florida. Musical festivals, including two acclaimed jazz festivals, are fast becoming a part of the Jacksonville scene. The area also offers three fine beaches, an abundance of outdoor activities and enough dinning and bar options to keep the metropolitan visitor happy. Jacksonville provides an ideal base for visiting nearby St. Augustine, Big Talbot Island State Park and Palm Valley.
  
  

St. Augustine

• The oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez. The quaint seaside city is a must for any visitor to northern Florida as it provides more than 400 years years of history compared with the 50 or so years offered at Disney World. St. Augustine's historical sites include the 1887-built Lightner Museum, Bridge of Lions, Colonial Spanish Quarter, Mission of Nombre De Dios and many others. The area is a haven for the artistically inclined, providing limitless galleries to browse while strolling the downtown area. Other popular attractions for tourists include beaches, ghost tours, trolley rides and plenty of seafood restaurants.
  
  

Apalachicola National Forest and Surronding Area

• The Apalachicola National Forest, spanning more than 570,000 acres, and its surrounding areas occupy almost the entirety of north-central Florida. The protected area became a national forest in 1936 and is a must-see for nature lovers interested in Florida's ecosystems. The forest provides miles of trails traversing rivers, lakes and sinkholes, as well as venerable Fort Gadsden, which dates back to the War of 1812. There are also plenty of vacation opportunities in the area that surrounds Apalachicola National Forest. Tallahassee, while not the most interesting of towns, is the state capital and nearby Florida State University is always ranked as one of the nation's top 10 party schools. South of the forest is the town of Apalachicola. The gulf-side town is a major producer of the country's oysters and provides access to Santa Rosa Beach and the islands of St. Vincent and St. George.
  
  

Panama City and Surrounding Areas

• Panama City is well known as the destination for more than 500,000 annual spring breakers. The city becomes a sea of flesh and raised blood-alcohol levels for the month of March. But the rest of the year the city is traditional, with a population of working-class and military families. For visitors, the beaches are usually uncrowded, the golf courses are plentiful, the nightlife sedate and the seafood wonderful. Heading west from Panama City, vacation destinations include lazy Ft. Walton Beach, the majestic Gulf Islands National Seashore and Pensacola.