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…
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…
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…
Garden Statues Salute Saints & Sinners
Garden statues – There are saints and sinners along with some surprise winners sitting in my back garden. Let’s start with saints. Next to the fish pond stands a metal angel, hands touching in prayer, wings serenely open wide…
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…
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…
Florida Art Museums are Cool – Let’s Visit
September in Florida can be cruel. An early morning breeze caresses our cheeks like a lover’s touch and then bam! An hour later the thrill of fall is gone, replaced by yet another hot day and humid night – enough…
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…
Four Travel Journalists Find Great Food on the Open Road
Lunch in a river outside Puerto Vallarta By Lucy Beebe Tobias Our bright yellow 4×4 grinds higher up into the Sierra Madre Mountains. The high peaks rise like jagged green jewels above Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Under a canvas canopy…
Art and Food Go Together in Puerto Vallarta
The smell of salt air hits our senses like a savory spice. We are at the edge of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Does the name sound familiar? This is the small fishing and pearl-diving village that became famous due to a…
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…
Mount Up – Horseback Riding in Florida
In his seminal book A Land Remembered published in 1984 author Patrick Smith traced three generations of a family homesteading in Florida. Life was tough. Mosquitoes were relentless in their pursuit of human blood and bad guys burned down their…
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…
Antiques Fair Well in Arcadia
“You really must go to Arcadia the fourth Saturday of the month,” she said, her husband nodding assent as they stood at my table during a book signing. I perked up. “Why the fourth Saturday?” I asked. “Oh, because all…