Florida’s A1A is an asphalt ribbon that follows the Atlantic Coast, sometimes hugging the beach, the length of this very long state.

There are lovely sections up and down the coast, but there are also traffic-clogged stretches where highrises line both sides of State Road A1A.

My favorite section of A1A is the 30-mile stretch between Ormond Beach and Matanzas Inlet, between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. This section is unsurpassed for its beauty, history and its lack of dense development.

Here, you can drive 20-some miles without a traffic light and find nearly empty beaches with free parking. As you head north, you enter a canopy of magnificent live oak trees that is a route through a Florida you probably thought was gone forever.

Beyond the scenic beauty, this area has so many int

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