Getaways to the authentic Florida
With expansive state parks and a national wildlife refuge plus several attractive county and city facilities, Jupiter offers many excellent places to kayak, hike, bike and learn about native wildlife. Within a two hour drive of 6 million people in South Florida, it’s a good getaway for lovers of the outdoors .
Freed from traffic and parking woes, exploring downtown Miami on a summer getaway is appealing because of the excellent cool museums for steamy afternoons.
Cabbage Key is reachable only by boat. It’s popular as a lunch-cruise destination. But stay overnight in the inn or cabins to discover its true charms. On our visit, we also found it’s a great base for exploring by kayak.
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.