Florida Welcome Center

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120km
75miles
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4
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Location of Florida Welcome Centers
1
I-10
2
US 231
3
Capitol
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I-75
5
I-95

A Florida Welcome Center is a "tourist information house", generally located at the Florida state line. These centers provide incoming visitors with a variety of information on travel, highways, sports, climate, accommodations, cities, outdoor recreation, and attractions. Over the years, over 90 million visitors have stopped at the centers.[1]

History

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Florida was one of the first states to establish highway welcome centers. State leaders noticed the establishment of the Dixie Highway in the 1920s routed travelers as far north as Michigan to the state. The first welcome center opened on November 4, 1949, located on US 17 near Yulee.

The success of the first welcome center led to additional welcome centers on US 1 (near Hilliard), US 41 (near Jasper), US 231 (north of Marianna), US 90 (west of Pensacola), and US 19 in Tallahassee.[2]

Locations

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The Florida Welcome Centers are operated by Visit Florida, the official tourism promotion corporation for the state. There are five official welcome centers. From west to east, they are I-10 (Pensacola), US 231 (Campbellton), Capitol (Tallahassee), I-75 (Jennings), and I-95 (Yulee).

Florida also had a marine welcome center for yachts and boats in Fernandina Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway.[3] The marine welcome center opened in January 1963 and was phased out in the 1980s.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Welcome Center - Official Florida Welcome Center Locations". Visit Florida. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Welcome to Florida!". Florida Memory Blog. State Library and Archives of Florida. July 28, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  3. ^ Gaines, James L. "State of Florida Marine Welcome Station in Fernandina Beach, Florida". Florida Memory. State Library and Archives of Florida. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Thousands Attend Dedication of Marine Welcome Station". Fernandina Beach News-Leader. January 17, 1963. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via University of Florida, Florida Digital Newspaper Library.
  5. ^ "Film Footage: Florida Marine Welcome Station Dedication Ceremony in Fernandina Beach, 1963". Florida Memory. State Library and Archives of Florida. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
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