Getaways to the authentic Florida
The island of Palm Beach is the exclusive winter home of billionaires. For the rest of us, it’s a fun place to gawk at mansions and their ficus hedges sculpted into works of art. The town is full of history, too, from Henry Flagler to JFK to Donald Trump.
Cap’s Place is Broward’s oldest restaurant, where rum-runners and gamblers reigned, and presidents and celebrities visited. It’s a rustic old wooden shack now surrounded by mansions and yachts. History and atmosphere make it worth a visit.
Mangoes may be the reason I can never leave Florida. Here are my favorite Florida mango recipes, made many times for many years: Mango bread, daiquiris, chutney, BBQ sauce and more.
These new Florida Keys parks take refreshing swimming holes popular with locals and upgrade them with picnic tables, kayak launches, restrooms and parking. Both of these new parks are perfect stops along the scenic Overseas Highway.
With the addition of a new brewery on Stock Island, the Florida Keys are up to five craft breweries. They’re great places to experience Keys style and ambiance. The beer’s good, too!
Topsail Hill State Park preserves 3 miles of pristine beach, magnificent white sand dunes and sparkling coastal lakes. With lots of camping and cabin sites, it’s a gem in the Panhandle. The park is one targeted for development by the state with the addition of a 350-room hotel.
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 and tours bus of caladium fields.
All trails closed for months from last year’s hurricanes reopened this week. Twenty minutes off I-4 between Orlando and Tampa, this little-known wildlife preserve has been called “a free safari.” There are several shady trails for summer visitors.
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.
Elsewhere, picnics and lawn games may be a perfect Fourth of July tradition. In steamy Florida, we like to stay wet, and these two exuberant saltwater adventures have become traditions for a good reason.