In the faded photograph, my dad leans his long frame against the airplane, one arm resting on the open cockpit. A long white silk scarf is wound once around his neck with the ends hanging down all the way to…
BOOK REVIEW: Paynes Prairie
LUCY’S BOOK REVIEW* Paynes Prairie: A History of the Great Savanna by Lars Andersen I’m convinced his mother qualified for sainthood. Seriously. Lillian Andersen used to drive her son Lars to Paynes Prairie so he could spend the day exploring,…
Gentle Manatees Swim in Florida Waters
Manatees were here before mastodons stomped down Florida grasses. Before Indians inhabited prime seaside real estate. Even before Ponce de Leon got himself killed wandering around Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth. Manatees pre-date Disney and interstates Yes, way…
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…
Living History Reenactors are Time Travelers
Shadows pinched the sunlight into slim shapes on the trail. A breeze lifted tree branches. The birds were silent. Suddenly a war cry and the sound of thundering hoofs split the air. My back tingled with fear. I did not…
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…
Downtown historic Melbourne has food and fun
It is not my fault. Someone has to bite the calories, taste the Grimaldi handmade chocolates then report to you. That would be me. I bravely walk into their store on Waverly Place in Melbourne. The vats for making chocolate…
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,…
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…
Peace River Seafood & More in Punta Gorda
Got crabs? The Peace River Seafood Market & Restaurant in Punta Gorda does. Lots of them. Stone crab claws in season along with whole blue crabs that turn from blue to an outrageous shade of orange when they’re steamed. Ah,…
Naples Street Concierge there for you
IN FOCUS – Florida Feature Story by Lucy Beebe Tobias Susan Becker is a Street Concierge in Naples, Florida. Say what? Naples may be the only place in the country to have Street Concierges, located at the Third Street Concierge,…
Olde Englewood Village Plus Charlotte Harbor
Come to the second annual Authors Book Fair! Admission is free. Parking is free. Saturday, Oct. 15 from 11-3 at the Deltona Regional Library. It is an event so full of energy and creativity you will come away inspired and…
Knott House Museum and more history
History walks and talks at the Knott House Museum on Park Avenue in downtown Tallahassee. Knott House Museum has ties to the Civil War Built in 1843 by a free black builder named George Proctor the house in 1865 served…
Fernandina Beach Sings a Beach Song
Are you fed up with summer simmer and showers? Ready to break out of the house? Well, buckle up. Have I got a super road trip just for you. Fernandina Beach, 23 miles north of Jacksonville, combines the gracefulness of…
Greek Cooking & More in Tarpon Springs
We ate our way through Tarpon Springs from one end of the Sponge Docks to the other. Seriously, how could we resist? After all when the Greeks are cooking, you know the drill – just show up and enjoy. A…
Apalachicola is a Time Travel Trip
Time travel. It is out there somewhere – the ability to step through a door and, whoosh, go back in time. Time travel is possible in Florida. Seriously. It takes a bit of driving instead of a magic door but…
Funky Florida, Cedar Key at the End of the Road
This small Florida town calls itself a city. Pretentious? Heck, when you live at the end of the road and are a throwback to a slower time then you can be whatever you want to be. The City of Cedar…
DeLand Lives up to its Founder’s Dream
Here are your quiz questions for today – who wanted to build the Athens of Florida and what city is it? Tick tock. Tick tock. Time is up. Got your answer? The correct answer is: Henry DeLand, the baking soda…
History Reenactments Fire Away on Weekends
The past refuses to lie down and be quiet. Instead it sits up with a volley of gunfire, the rustle of petticoats and language not heard in these here parts for 150 years or more. History Reenactments bring Florida’s past…
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…
Florida lighthouses have great views
Florida lighthouses have great views but it takes effort to get to the view. I earned this T-shirt pictured above the old-fashioned way – by actually doing what it says – climbing 203 stairs to the top of Ponce de…
Fountain of Youth found in St. Augustine and Elsewhere
Fountain of Youth. There comes a time later in life when those words sound pretty attractive. For me, that time is now. So off I go, thinking it will just be a myth, a dream Juan Ponce de Leon chased…