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…
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…
Florida’s Outdoor Coolest Spots for Summer
What would outdoor Florida be without wading along the shoreline, swimming, tubing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, boating and fishing? Definitely a sorry place indeed – I honestly wonder how many of us would stick around without all these wonderful wet places we take…
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.…
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…
Warm Mineral Springs closes – then opens again
She squints at my driver’s license, leaning in to read the address. Sarasota County residents get $5 off admission to Warm Mineral Springs, a national treasure located in North Port, which just happens to be part of Sarasota County. Yep.…
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…
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…
West Indian manatees – see them in Florida
“Mary Margaret Manatee lived in a river that ran to the sea.” Thus begins a children’s picture book for ages 4 through 10 that I’ve written. Naturally, I had to go hang out with manatees for research. Where to go?…
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 –…
Florida Rivers & Lakes are Calling You
A perfect trifecta – The sun is shining, the water is clear and the fish are feeling suicidal. That’s how it was fishing on the Ocklawaha River last week. Twenty assorted brim ended up in the boat cooler and later…
Manatee Festivals, Oh My!
Holy guacamole! Can you believe it? Two manatee festivals take place on the same weekend this month! What were they thinking? (That would be the festival planners, not the manatees; they are just trying to stay warm). Ah, the choices…
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…
Lake City Murals Splash Color on Outdoor Walls
Harvey Campbell had a plan for Lake City murals. “I want to take our Lake City officials down to Lake Placid so they can see the murals. ” He hoped to excite his local power makers into splashing color on…
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…