Despite whatever claims Alabama and Mississippi think they have, Florida is the redneck capital of the world. You don’t have to be ashamed of your accent or attire. Come as you are! If you can’t locate your confederate flag or MAGA hat in these locations, there will always be a vendor available to sell you one. They're made in China but maybe you're not averse to the country the way your favorite president is.
Your brand of fun is unique and so we're providing options that are undeniable down-south delights. Here are six events guaranteed to resonate. You're welcome.
THE REDNECK RIVIERA
The Emerald Coast, better known as the Redneck Riviera, is a 100-mile stretch of beach in the Florida Panhandle. It admittedly includes a good bit of Alabama, but everything meaningful happens on the Florida side. I spent a few days at Panama City Beach, and I promise I saw nothing but rednecks. When in Pensacola, you’ll see a lot of Navy men and women from NAS Pensacola. Be sure to thank them for their service and ask for directions to the best local bar. You mostly came to drink anyway.
The beaches are beautiful, with fine white sand you won’t find in other redneck hangouts like Daytona Beach, which I’ll get to later. Stay away from the high-end hotels and gated communities, and you’ll be fine. You might be surprised to find that the LGBTQ community has long considered the Emerald Coast a vacation spot, and they have their own bars and communities.
The Redneck Riviera is an easy drive from several states. A must-see is the Flora-Bama Bar which straddles the Florida/Alabama state line. On the Fourth of July, you can participate in the annual Mullet Toss, throwing dead fish across the state line. Fun times.
DAYTONA BEACH BIKE WEEK
Daytona Beach has cleaned up its image over the last 20 years. Mostly gone are the strip clubs and the raunchiest of the bars. Be sure you get your weeks right, or you might find yourself in the middle of Black Bike Week, which probably isn’t your crowd. Daytona Beach Bike Week is next held March 1–10, 2024. That’s actually a week and a half, but ciphering was never a redneck forte. I went all Jethro Bodine with that one for those who got the “ciphering” reference.
“Naught plus naught equals naught!”
Don’t worry if you don’t ride, the streets will be so congested, and the police are everywhere issuing tickets. It’s probably best to find a hotel near A1A or Main Street and walk everywhere, assuming you can still walk. There’s also an outdoor stage with live music. Earlier this year, bands featured included: Jasmine Cain, Hypersona, TribUcon, Fracture, 21 to Burn, and Wicked Serenity. I haven’t heard of any of them, but I'm also not a redneck.
Daytona Bike Week averages over 100,000 visitors annually, and most of them are rednecks, wannabe rednecks, or posers (let them have their fun). Come to Daytona, enjoy the bikes, and get your drink on (but don't drink and drive). An occasional “Yee-Haw” won’t be out of place. Just remember the po-po are everywhere, so be chill.
FLORIDA-GEORGIA FOOTBALL GAME
The Florida-Georgia game is one of the best college football rivalries in the country. They have played every season since 1926 except for a wartime interruption in 1943. Both teams have won multiple National Championships, Georgia is the reigning NCAA football champion, and Florida wants to snatch that title away. It is usually the last regular season game for both teams, and it isn’t uncommon for the SEC-East title to be on the line. The game is played at a neutral site in Jacksonville, FL though other provisions may need to be made for 2026–2027 when the stadium is due for a major renovation.
The game was formally billed as “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party,” which you rednecks know means a lot of drinking is going on. There’s tailgating all around the stadium, and the nearby downtown bars are full, as is the Jacksonville Landing along the St. John’s River. The name was dropped after 1985 when Georgia fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. Six arrests were made, and the city cracked down on “excessive drinking.” Don’t blame it all on Georgia because Florida fans did the same thing the year before, sans the large number of arrests.
CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT
You probably don’t think of Florida much when thinking of Civil War battles, yet there’s an annual reenactment at Olustee, FL, outside Lake City. Though Florida was the third state to secede from the Union. Its lack of strategic value meant its primary role was supplying beef, fruit, and vegetables, along with troops to both sides (mainly the Confederacy).
Olustee was a deadly though relatively minor battle involving over 10,000 men, and over 2,800 were killed during the six-hour battle. It seems the Confederacy is over-represented in the reenactment. One participant gave a reason:
“All Civil War reenactments attract more Rebel soldiers than Union ones. Everybody wants to be the underdog,”
I can think of other reasons, but who am I to judge? If you’re a redneck and also believe in the lost cause movement, Olustee is where you want to be.
CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY
I don’t mean Memorial Day, where America celebrates all its fallen soldiers. I’m talking about the one Florida officially recognizes just for the Confederate soldiers. The Fourth Monday of April is Confederate Memorial Day in Florida and the perfect time for any redneck to pay their respects. Bills are continually introduced in Florida Legislature to end Confederate Memorial Day as a state-sanctioned holiday, but it never gets out of committee.
“Since Reconstruction, Confederate symbols have been used by white supremacists as tools of racial terror. The United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans erected hundreds of memorials to the Confederacy across the United States as part of an organized propaganda campaign, created to instill fear and ensure the ongoing oppression of formerly enslaved people,” -Lecia Brooks, SPLC
The Florida legislature made it harder to remove Confederate monuments and statues. If you can’t make it to Confederate Memorial Day in Florida, there’s always Robert E. Lee’s Birthday and Jefferson Davis's birthday, which are legal holidays in Florida.
MUD PARK
The Redneck Mud Park in Punta Gorda, FL, is approaching its 17th Anniversary; who knew? My description wouldn’t do it justice, so I’ll let their website speak for itself. I noted because “you asked for it,” they also have campsites available. They recently removed a pair of breasts strategically located in a poster as part of their desire to fight breast cancer. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it. This is coming up quick, March 14–16, 2025.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.