Bonnie is co-founder of Florida Rambler. She spent four decades searching for places to enjoy the natural beauty and fascinating history of Florida. After a long career at the Sun Sentinel, including as executive producer of its website, she started sharing her experiences here in 2010. She lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband and travel partner David Blasco.
Paddle Florida is a non-profit that organizes a few paddling trips each year on Florida’s greatest waterways. Limited in size and carefully researched, these trips are great for solo paddlers or folks who appreciate a little support in undertaking a several day paddling and camping trip.
St. Augustine’s Fort Matanzas is a small stone fort on a pristine island. You take a short ferry ride for a ranger-led tour. The fort was closed for eight months after Hurricane Irma and recently reopened.
Corkscrew Sanctuary could be hosting lots of orchid fans again this summer, as its rare ghost orchid has formed buds. The ghost orchid was made famous by the 2002 film “Adaptation” starring Meryl Streep and the best-selling “Orchid Thief,” by Susan Orlean.
The Santa Fe River near Gainesville is a treasure for its many clear bubbling springs and its unspoiled beauty. It’s one of Florida’s most beautiful places to kayak, canoe, snorkel and swim. It’s way north, but worth making part of a trip.
It takes some chilly water to cool you off during a Florida summer day, but these spring-fed Florida rivers have that and more. These four springs are among the most beautiful spots in Florida and are ideal locations for tubing. They’re so popular, however, you need to do your homework before going.
It is possible to go to Key West on a budget. Here are some frugal tips on lodging, interesting budget restaurants and free places to go.
There are excellent reasons to stop in Islamorada on your Florida Keys trip, including a cluster of cultural attractions. A new top-notch museum in Islamorada has a Clyde Butcher photo exhibit this summer.
The 2018 Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim begins at 11 a.m. July 4, but while folks cross the 1.5-mile wide Peace River, this isn’t a race. It’s a “happening” and one of the few ways to celebrate the Fourth of July in Florida and stay cool.
No doubt about it: Key West is expensive. But despite its small size, Key West is packed with things to do and see — and some are even free. Here are a half dozen places to go where you’ll soak up Key West culture without opening your wallet.
Don’t rush through the Keys to Key West. Stop and savor the recreational opportunities with a stay at Old Wooden Bridge Cabins, an off-the-beaten-path spot that is a perfect base for kayaking, seeing Key deer or visiting Bahia Honda State park.
