It’s hot, but that doesn’t mean you have to seal yourself in air conditioning for the summer. You can enjoy the natural and authentic Florida — and stay cool in the process.
Author: Bonnie Gross
Six best towns for kayaking in Florida
If you love kayaking and are planning a getaway, we recommend these six places as the best towns for kayaking in Florida. As we approach a year where travel plans are upended, these small towns will deliver exceptional and authentic experiences.
Favorite secluded, quiet beaches in Florida
It’s easy to find a beach in Florida. It’s harder to find a hidden beach, a beach where you experience a sense of discovery and delicious isolation. Here, however, I share my favorites, discovered over many years.
Florida cabin rentals in state parks: Like camping, but with comfort
One of the best places to enjoy nature is in a cabin in a Florida state park. But the cabins book up fast, so now is the time to make reservations for the winter. Our guide explains which parks have cabins, what they offer and what they cost. Of the 21 parks in Florida with cabins, we’ve stayed in 13 of them.
Local color: Lake Placid Caladium Festival, July 23 to 25, 2021, is about a vivid plant
This small town festival celebrates a uniquely Lake Placid product: caladiums, a colorful plant grown commercially almost nowhere else. There’ll be music, food, a car show, arts and crafts plus bus tours of the caladium fields.
Paddle Florida: 2020-21 kayak trips explore Florida’s top waterways
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.
Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim: Cancelled for 2020
The annual Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim on July 4 has been cancelled because of the pandemic. Look for the event — a non-competititve swim across the 1.5-mile wide Peace River — to return in 2021.
Telegraph Creek: Unspoiled kayak trail worth discovering
Telegraph Creek, a tributary of the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers, is all the things I love about kayaking destinations – out-of-the-way, uncrowded, scenic, full of wildlife. It’s located within a half hour of Fort Myers and is ideal for a shaded two- or three-hour kayak outing.
