Why should kids have all the fun? Sometimes I want to be a kid again. I see you nodding yes – your inner child wants to play too! And so, it came to pass that an opportunity to do just…
A Slow Savor of St. Augustine
St. Augustine has interactive history. Go ahead and drink the water! Hope springs eternal and this is after all the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine. I’m sipping water from a spring found by Spanish explorer Ponce de…
It’s a Summer to Remember in West Volusia County
With great pleasure I present West Volusia Tourism as my guest blog for June, 2021. Their motto: Old Florida. New Vibe. Let’s go soon . . . It’s a Summer to Remember in West Volusia County By David Swanberg, Marketing…
Pass-A-Grille Offers Beach Vibes & Memories
Pass-A-Grille Beach, part of St. Pete Beach in Florida, boasts the world’s shortest Main Street. Come shop till you drop in just two blocks. I saw it with my own eyes. Two blocks of chic shops and restaurants bordered by…
Sanibel and Captiva Islands Have a Serene Side
Sanibel and Captiva islands. Ah, say those words with me again. Sanibel and Captiva islands. What images come to mind? Sun. Sand. Shells. Got it. The unwritten rules of travel writing require me to put sun, sand and shells high…
St. Pete Pier is an Awesome New Experience
The St. Pete Pier is all new and absolutely amazing. Twenty-six acres in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, called the Pier District, transformed seamlessly into A park experience, A playground experience, A garden experience, A dining experience, A beach experience, A…
Be Inspired by Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
The Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers highlight the friendship between two American visionaries and their families. It is said the garden gate between their two houses was never locked. Coming here for a visit offers you much…
Are You A Real Floridian?
Are you a Real Floridian? Only one way to know – look at this checklist and see if you’ve notched these five adventures. Not done some of them yet? Then get started and be on your way to earning your…
Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory Beckons
I’m just inside the door at the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory at 1316 Duval Street, Key West, my feet rooted to walkway, looking around at astounding beauty – plants, trays of cut up fruit for butterflies, birds singing,…
DeLand Delivers Good Vibrations
Pop quiz: Name the first municipality in the state of Florida to become a Monarch City USA. Tick tock. Tick tock. Got it yet? Hint: Check out the photograph below. And the answer is DeLand, Florida. Yeah for DeLand! This…
Stetson Mansion is the Best Mansion Tour Ever
Stetson Mansion in DeLand is Florida’s first luxury estate. Built in 1886 as a winter retreat for Philadelphia hat manufacturer John B. Stetson and his family, the house, built to last, still wears its legacy of luxury. Rooms on the…
Take a Walk in a Park Today
Saturday, March 30, 2019 is National Take a Walk in a Park day. Do your duty! I did mine a bit early at De Soto National Memorial Park in Bradenton – a small park on the south shore of the…
St. Augustine Walks & Talks History Daily
After a long hard day of tacking into the wind, where do sailors go? Often they navigate to the nearest wine bar. So too in St. Augustine after a hard day of enduring long lines for visiting the Castillo de…
Visit Tallahassee Florida’s Capitol City
Visit Tallahassee, Florida where the past, present and future merge together. A little known slice of history: state officials took turns traveling between two cities, every other year, in the early 1820’s. Travel then was not fun or fast. In…
Labyrinths are Mindful Walks in Florida
Update 1/27/2019 Lucy Tobias’ book Circle the Center Labyrinths in Florida is now available. Get your copy at this link: https://gumroad.com/l/CircleTheCenter Labyrinths. What a nice surprise to find them in Florida. Egan’s Creek Park, for example, has been transformed with…
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…
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…
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.…
Making mosaics in Barcelona, Spain
Making mosaics is easy and fun in Barcelona, Spain. Come with me and I’ll show you how. Today I’m taking a two-hour mosaic class at Livia Garreta’s studio. My plan: make a mosaic I can bring home in my suitcase.…
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…
Florida Lighthouses Welcome Visitors
Florida Lighthouses – When it comes to climbing St. Augustine Lighthouse, remember this number – 219. It will become important to you. Getting to the top of St. Augustine Lighthouse means going up, up, up, yes, you got it, 219…
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…
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…