Florida Butterfly Gardens. Now is the time to visit. Why? Butterflies are solar powered. Their prime tie is when it is 80 degrees and above. Turns out April through September is perfect butterfly weather in Florida. But I have to…
Andy Warhol Inspires Selby Gardens
Andy Warhol. Just saying his name conjures up pop art images like Campbell’s Soup Cans and the Marilyn Diptych with Marilyn flashing her famous come hither smile. But did you know the Pope of Pop had a love affair with…
Visit Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Welcome to Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, a 27-acre site located on both sides of Riverside Drive in Punta Gorda, Florida. Soaring sculptures and spectacular gardens sit side by side in splendid accord. As soon as you park and…
Food and Fun in Historic Downtown Tarpon Springs
Saturday Morning Magazine welcomes Patricia Pochurek as our guest blogger for December. Patricia is a member of the Florida Outdoors Writers Association (FOWA) and a resident of Palm Harbor. She bravely went forth beyond the Greek sponge docks to find…
Winter Park Walk can be a Treasure Hunt
Like treasure hunts? Then a walk on Park Avenue in Winter Park is your kind of adventure. For starters, stepping into the Spice and Tea Exchange is an aromatic treat. Try to find your favorite spice smell – there are…
Florida State Parks are Calling Your Name
I LOVE FLORIDA STATE PARKS Yes, I do. Deeply. Passionately. Just thinking about taking my dogs for walks on dirt trails shaded by tall trees or getting my wading shoes wet climbing in and out kayaks for river trips makes…
Grab flip flops, Let’s Go Visit Hollywood, Florida
Let’s go to Hollywood. No, not that one in California, instead grab your flip-flops and let’s go to Hollywood, Florida. The city of Hollywood sits on the Atlantic Ocean. It is conveniently located north of Miami and south of Fort…
A Taste of Cuba in Historic Ybor City
“History is a fragile thing,” says Max Herman, our guide with Ybor City Historic Walking Tours – a family-owned business started by his dad Lonnie Herman. Take Ybor City as an example – a place that came to be because…
Sunken Gardens Grows Lush and Exotic
Two words perfectly describe Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg – lush and exotic. What, you say, is it still there? Oh yes, Sunken Gardens, an old Florida family roadside attraction, is still alive and thriving right in the middle of…
Flutter with the Butterflies in Fort Myers
Coming to this conservatory is a game changer. No doubt about it. What happens here with butterflies is both intense and beautiful. The Florida Native Butterfly Society Conservatory in Fort Myers opened in 2009. Unlike most facilities, it is allowed…
Myakka River State Park has a Airboat Tour – all aboard!
Don’t let a little mystery keep you from going to Myakka River State Park and taking a Myakka Wildlife Airboat Tour aboard one of the world’s largest covered airboats. The mystery? Prior to the 1850’s English maps called the river…
Jack Kerouac Slept & Wrote in College Park, Florida
Jack Kerouac slept here. Believe it! For a short while, during a piece of 1957-58 Jack Kerouac and his mother lived in a two-room apartment at the back of a bungalow in College Park, a laidback neighborhood in northwest Orlando.…
Naples Loves Outdoor Farmers Markets
Naples on the West Coast of Florida has a hot and heavy love affair going on with outdoor Farmers Markets. Seven different Farmers Markets, yes seven, strut their stuff on different days of the week during the season (November through…
Backstage Tours at Sarasota Opera House & More Places
Backstage tours. Something different! Take a Sarasota Opera House tour around the building and backstage – the tour pulls back the curtain to reveal the hands and hours it takes to produce an opera. Singers fill out a multi-page costume…
Florida Bed & Breakfasts Pamper Guests
Florida Bed & Breakfasts – you never know where you will find one. Wandering around Florida’s Forgotten Coast I found myself in the fishing village of Apalachicola and discovered the Coombs Inn & Suites, three lovely historic Victorian Mansions. I…
Emerson Point Preserve & Waterfront Doings in Palmetto
All that walking at Emerson Point Preserve worked up an appetite for lunch and I found myself at the Riverside Café, watching cloud shows and devouring the Dieters Delight. “How do you like it?” the waitress asked. This is my…
Old Cedar Key Walking Tour and More Adventures
The Old Cedar Key walking tour is on my list of things to do but first we need to check in. At the Faraway Inn their Office sign is turned to Open. Obi and I step inside. The manager looks…
Don Pedro Island, Sombrero Beach and more beaches calling your name
This is a test: Ever heard of Don Pedro Island, Klondike Beach or Sombrero Beach ? Hands up for Yes. My hands are down. All new to me! Florida native David McRee, aka The Beach Hunter, is our guest blogger…
Go Greek for a day (or two) in Tarpon Springs
“Once a week, go Greek.” Look for this motto on shirts worn by the wait staff at Mr. Souvlaki’s restaurant on Pinellas Avenue in Tarpon Springs. Be quick to take a peek because the waiters are moving pretty fast, threading…
Florida Beaches – Here are Five You Never Heard Of
Florida beaches – everyone’s favorite thing, right? This month’s Saturday Morning Magazine features a guest blogger – David B McRee, AKA as the “Beach Hunter”. David knows his beaches and he’s written this story about five you never heard of. …
Florida Manatees head for warmer waters
Florida manatees don’t do cold. Can you blame them? All the temperature has to do is dip down in the 40s and I break out a fleece jacket, socks, big wool scarf and knit hat. Florida manatees forego the fleece…
Dade City Celebrates with a Kumquat Festival
Got kumquats? Dade City does. Thousands of kumquats will gather together in downtown Dade City on Saturday, January 30 from 9 to 5. The occasion? The annual Kumquat Festival I confess it is not easy to love a kumquat. A…
Florida Coloring Books Are Yours for Free
‘Tis the season for free Florida coloring books and free Florida parks. Put them together with children on school break looking for things to do and – oh my, road trips coming up! Combine seeing the real thing with these…
Wauchula – go there on 3rd Saturday
Where is Wauchula? It is the place to be on the third Saturday of every month. Seriously. The city’s web site describes Wauchula as being one hour from anywhere – the public relations way of saying we’re small but we…
Explore Ocala with Nana & Grandchildren
I am delighted to present a guest blogger this month – Barbara Fitos, Executive Director of the Community Foundation for Ocala Marion County. Barbara also has another title: she is Nana to four awesome grandchildren. For her blog she shares…