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…
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…
Discover Downtown St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida has 360 days a year of sunshine AND cars stop to let you go across the crosswalk. What’s not to like? My friend Barbara Trow, a recent transplant to St. Petersburg, laughs as she reels off those…
Seafood Sizzles in Cortez
Flying near the old net camp in the water off Cortez a brown pelican suddenly folds its wings and does a deep dive plunging out of the sky straight down into the bay. Hitting the water beak first this kamikaze…
You are Invited Inside Florida’s Historic Homes
History happened here and there and everywhere in Florida. When uncovering the past consider exploring the still standing historical houses. These homes are often saved from wrecking balls by volunteers – dedicated souls who value the tenor of time. They…
Winter Park Puts a Smile in Your Step
Want to put a smile in your step? Spend a Saturday in Winter Park. Yep. Saturday. Why? Because it is Farmer’s Market Day. Every Saturday an encampment of tents fan out in a tight cluster around the old train station…
Flower Power Blooms in Florida
Wait for it. Coming. Coming. Zing! The calendar page turns and voila, March arrives today – yeah! Flower power in Florida starts in January and goes through April, This is much different than “up North” but then Florida is tropical.…
Florida History Makes a Great Walk in DeLand
The year was 1876. Henry Addison DeLand took a vacation from his baking soda business in New York to visit his sister and brother-in-law, O.P Terry. They lived in South Carolina. Perhaps it happened over several glasses of wine before…
Monarch Butterflies Need You Now
You can save the world. Right now. Today. Well, all right, a piece of the world. How? Buy milkweed. Seriously. I’m not kidding. Monarch butterflies need milkweed as host plants. They lay eggs on milkweed, caterpillars emerge, eat leaves then…
Tarpon Springs Gives a Taste of Greek Life
I’m smiling and it is not even time for lunch. But I know lunch will be at Mama Maria’s, a family run Greek restaurant with marvelous food. Oh yes. First I find my way to Dodecanese Boulevard, home of the…
Bed & Breakfasts Keep Florida History
I’m always surprised at how quickly things can change with just one turn. For me it was a right-hand turn off busy Highway 17/92 in Orange City near DeLand. That turn put me onto French Avenue. The frantic traffic, carried…
Florida Beaches are Simply Sublime
Wahoo! I was just there – Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola – a long ribbon of bright white sandy beach so alluring it had to be singing a siren song: “Come, sift the sand between your toes. Stay here.…
Gainesville is Good to Go for All Seasons
Depending on the season Gainesville rearranges its face. The face during football season is painted orange and blue of course. GO GATORS. Every semester Gainesville changes its feel and look as the city ebbs and surges with the academic calendar…
50 Great Walks in Florida is now an e book!
BREAKING NEWS University Press of Florida has just announced that Lucy’s award-winning print book 50 Great Walks in Florida is now available as a Kindle e book on Amazon. Did you know that once you click the “Buy” button you…
Visit Sarasota if you want to be invigorated
Want to be invigorated? Then my advice is – visit Sarasota soon. Why? For starters, here are five why’s: Be stimulated = Sarasota boasts a playbill loaded with award-winning arts and culture venues. These events don’t take a breather for…
Be Languid at Warm Mineral Springs
Summer sizzles. Getting wet and cooling down sounds like a great plan. Your options: Float down the Rainbow River in an inner tube with your buns cooling off at a constant 72 degrees, dip into a lake, find a pool,…
Sea Turtles lay eggs in summer months
As she labored, stars sparkled like diamonds embedded in the midnight sky. The sea breeze carried exotic aromas – seaweed, fish and ocean salt overlaid with faint suggestions of faraway places. A female loggerhead turtle dropped white, golf ball-sized eggs…
Florida State Parks – Visit all of them!
When visiting faraway places ask yourself – what will I be unhappy about if I don’t get to see/experience it while I’m here? The same question works for being in Florida, even if you live here. What would I miss…
Garden Festivals in Florida – Rejoice!
Smell the air – fresh, invigorating with a hint of spring flowers and a touch of rain. Ah, in Florida it is the magic time of year, when new growth springs out of plants that looked dead over the winter.…
Watch the Sunset in Cedar Key with your Canine
“Is he friendly?” That is the question, even if the gender is she instead of he. We’re talking dogs, out for a stroll in a new place. Along comes another dog. Naturally both are leashed. Before contact is made one…
Pet friendly travel with your canine
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding treasures worth keeping. Here is Patricia Collier, owner of FloridaPets.net and publisher…
Walk Leaf-strewn Trails in a Florida Forest
My dogs like walking the Sand Hill Trail at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala. Often we’re the first ones walking the leaf-strewn path and that means our chances of seeing wildlife are pretty good. A fact of life –…
Punta Gorda Historic Murals on Display
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding treasures worth keeping. Here is Ron Norsell, president of the Punta Gorda…
Florida Books – five fall favorites
School has started. You know what that means. In the morning, after the macaroni munchkins are gone, you may even have a few minutes to yourself. And the weather is trying to turn towards fall. Cooler days suggest that outdoor…
Kennedy Space Center Rocks
On assignment as a reporter, I drove right up to the rocket garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex east of Titusville. The rockets are permanently grounded, a garden of huge slim needles pointing to space. Has your heart ever…