The Sunshine State continues to be a leading example of what accessible travel for all should look like. Across Florida, destinations are breaking down barriers and making sure that every visitor - regardless of ability - can experience its beauty and wide range of offerings. From wheelchair friendly beaches to tactile trails and sensory-friendly museums, accessibility is no longer an afterthought; it’s part of the experience.

WATER SPORTS AND BEACH ACCESSIBILITY
Florida’s beaches are becoming increasingly more accessible with many equipped with Mobi- Mats and accessible parking. With plenty of accessible beach access points, Panama City Beach in northwest Florida is a great example of the work that has gone into making Florida beaches accessible. Those needing a wheelchair whilst visiting can rent sand-worthy chairs from Beach Powered Mobility, including powered beach cruisers, regular beach wheelchairs, and wheelchairs that can roll on the sand and float in the water. These can be delivered directly to the customers’ accommodation so they can start enjoying the beach the second they arrive.

Another great example is in the beach town of Hollywood Beach, offering a two-and-a-half-mile- long Broadwalk delivering stress-free pedestrian, bike, roller blade and wheelchair access to its restaurants, shopping, bars and entertainment. Navigating out to the beach is also convenient with eight Mobi-Mat beach access points and accessible parking nearby.

The award-winning Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, offers a 400-foot-long Mobi-Mat and wheelchair accessible facilities that include restrooms, concession stands, covered seating areas, and boardwalks. In other lifeguarded beaches in Sarasota (which include Lido Key, Nokomis, North Jetty, Venice, and Manasota Beaches), visitors can get a beach wheelchair from the lifeguard towers, free of charge, every day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For those wanting to try one of the many water sports in the Sunshine State, there are plenty of options. Florida’s east coast has been the place for surfers since the 1930s, with waves around piers and inlets attracting water lovers from far and wide. EZRide Surf School, with 14 locations from Cocoa Beach to Miami Beach, offers lessons for all ages and abilities. For deaf participants, instructors use lip-reading techniques to offer an amazing and inclusive experience.

Another great option for visitors looking for accessible water sports is The Oceans of Hope Foundation, based in New Smyrna Beach; a non-profit organisation established to offer individuals with limited mobility and spinal cord injuries the opportunity to experience the joy of riding the waves. All their events are free to attend and are run by trained and experienced volunteers. Those events include adaptive surfing with their customised surfboards and adaptive kayaking.

Shake-A-Leg Miami offers wheelchair users and their families the opportunity to enjoy accessible sailboats and modified kayaks via a fleet of specially designed and modified vessels, including the fully accessible “Impossible Dream” catamaran.

In Riviera Beach, in Palm Beach County, Pura Vida Divers offers an Adaptive Support Diver Programme that tailors experiences to guests with physical and invisible disabilities, including PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Certified instructors begin each session by understanding guests' individual sensory needs such as sensitivity to noise or movement, and adapt the dive accordingly. For visitors with mobility challenges, accessible beach wheelchairs are available to transport them seamlessly from the parking area into the water.

WILD SPACES AND ADVENTURE OFFERINGS
With three national parks and 175 state parks, Florida is a paradise for nature-lovers. In the Everglades National Park, the largest continuous stand of sawgrass prairie in North America, visitors can explore wheelchair-friendly trails, as well as enjoy accessible boat tours, and tram tours. The park also offers assistive learning devices and adapted arrangements, such as captioned films at the Ernest F. Coe and Shark Valley visitor centres for deaf visitors, allowing everyone to fall in love with the vast and beautiful Everglades.

Additionally, Florida State Parks have significantly enhanced its boat tour accessibility. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park recently introduced the Great Blue Heron, a wheelchair-accessible hybrid-electric river tour boat. Similarly, Silver Springs State Park offers the Chief Potackee-Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, a wheelchair-accessible glass-bottom boat.

Parks such as Fanning Springs State Park, Manatee Springs State Park, and Stump Pass Beach State Park offer beach wheelchairs and adaptive kayaks, ensuring a fully inclusive outdoor experience.

Thrill-seekers aren’t left out either. Visitors can head to Gatorland’s Gator Gauntlet zipline and Haile Quarry Zipline in Alachua County, which is home to Florida’s longest dedicated disability-accessible zipline. It features adaptive harnesses, so visitors with mobility challenges can feel an adrenaline rush safely.

ACCESSIBLE DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT: ARTS IN ST PETE-CLEARWATER
Beyond its award-winning beaches, St. Pete-Clearwater is home to a thriving world of arts and culture, with eight walkable museums in downtown St. Pete and dozens more across the region. Recognising the transformative power of art, the destination’s museums have made accessibility a central part of their mission, developing sensory-friendly programmes and resources for visitors with autism, dementia, and visual or auditory impairments. With guidance from the University of South Florida’s Centre for Autism and Related Disabilities, many institutions now offer online visual guide CARDs to help guests prepare for their visit and explore with confidence.

At The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, inclusion takes centre stage through sensory-friendly mornings, dementia-friendly tours, and tactile Touch Tours designed for visitors with visual impairments. Similarly, the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg ensures masterpieces from Monet to O’Keeffe can be enjoyed by all, offering colour-enhancing glasses for visitors with colour blindness or low colour vision, ASL tours for the Deaf community, and sensory kits for those who prefer a quieter, more supportive experience.

Meanwhile, FloridaRAMA invites guests to experience the story of Florida through immersive light and sound installations, with thoughtful adjustments such as Sensory Saturdays featuring reduced noise and lighting, sensory bags, and a dedicated quiet space. Together, these initiatives reflect St. Pete–Clearwater’s commitment to ensuring that art, culture and creativity are accessible to everyone - where every visitor, regardless of ability, can connect, create and be inspired.

ENDS


For more information, including high-res images, please contact:
Hannah Mulvey: Hannah@goshpr.co.uk
Itziar Urra: Itzi@goshpr.co.uk
David Gray: David@goshpr.co.uk

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