Small-town charm: The phrase may sound cliché, but the locales it describes are nothing of the sort. Imagine walkable districts dotted with community theatres; galleries and museums; one-of-a-kind shops; markets and restaurants frequented by locals. Welcome to Florida’s Downtowns & Small Towns.
 

Delray Beach
The Old School Square Cultural Arts Center revived two aging schools into one stand-out complex. Catch an exhibit at the Cornell Museum of Art and History, a performance at the intimate Crest Theatre or an outdoor movie (seasonally) at the entertainment pavilion. An alternate venue for outdoor art is Pineapple Grove ArtWalk, north of Atlantic Avenue, where you can shop, dine and peruse galleries.
 
Fernandina Beach’s 50-block historic district extends lace-curtain charm through 19th-century B&Bs, inviting boutiques and side streets that hold bell-ringer churches and museums.
Fernandina Beach

Fernandina Beach’s 50-block historic district extends lace-curtain charm through 19th-century B&Bs, inviting boutiques and side streets that hold bell-ringer churches, the Amelia Island Museum of History and the stunning Victoriana of the Silk Stocking District (pick up a walking tour brochure from the welcome center – the Centre Street location in the old railroad depot is open weekends). Centre Street ends at the marina, where Amelia Anchors Aweigh Charters and Amelia River Cruises & Charters operate boat tours. 
Tarpon Springs

Learn of the Greeks who immigrated to this community, and the industry they followed, aboard the St. Nicholas Boat Line. (Captains narrate a century of history aboard authentic sponge-diving vessels.) Docks present options for fresh fare, and Tarpon Avenue bustles with antiques and art galleries. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral marks the origin of the Epiphany Celebration every January, when young men dive local waters in search of a cross.

 
Sarasota

Downtown’s Palm Avenue might as well be called rue des galeries, but it unveils more than visual art. A contemporary theatre and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens bookend this lane that lends easy access to Sarasota’s strand of cultured pearls, including Asolo Repertory Theatre, the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, First Friday Art Walks and performances by the Florida West Coast Symphony. The Cypress B&B will convince you to stay a while.

 
Tallahassee

Tallahassee isn’t all politics, though you may enjoy touring capitols old and new here. Other winning candidates: the Knott House Museum, Goodwood Museum & Gardens and the Riley House Museum. Exhibits at the LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts and the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science span time and place, but the centuries-old structures of Mission San Luis stand for Florida’s beginnings.