Loop Road is famous for being a wild place. (That once applied to the people as well as the animals.) It’s a gravel road off the Tamiami Trail in the Everglades. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s a rewarding place to explore.
Author: Bonnie Gross
Silver Springs: Exquisite paddle trail may be best in state
Launch at the famous springhead and paddle a historic waterway with monkeys, manatees and otters. Silver Springs kayaking is as good as it gets.
Park ranger shows love for Keys in charming book
Kristie Killam spent years immersed in the wild and natural Florida as a Keys park ranger. Her new book features her spectacular photos and often quirky stories.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park: A Florida treasure
Jonathan Dickinson State park can keep a lover of the outdoors busy for days with hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, wildlife watching and soaking up the natural beauty. The park has been the site of ongoing protests of a state proposal to build a hotel and golf courses there.
A Florida delicacy: Invasive lionfish, fresh from the Keys
Lionfish are gobbling up native species on Florida Keys reefs. Now you can gobble them up instead.
Celebrate a migration miracle at the fall Monarch Butterfly Festival, Oct. 25
On their 2,000-mile fall migration, thousands of monarchs stop in Florida’s Big Bend and Panhandle in October and November. A top viewing site is St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, a half hour south of Tallahassee. There is a monarch festival at the refuge Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Naples: Rare ghost orchid blooms in summer at Corkscrew
Florida’s celebrity in the orchid world — the ghost orchid — is blooming at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, attracting orchid fans who want to spot this rare variety.
Alabama Jack’s: Classic way to start a trip to Florida Keys
Stopping at Alabama Jack’s, a fish shack and dive bar on a remote road between Homestead and Key Largo, has been the classic way to start a Keys trip for decades. It’s shabby, atmospheric and authentic.
Driftwood Inn Vero Beach is a great base for exploring charming beach town
This offbeat historic hotel is the classic place to stay in Vero, a laid-back beach town that charms visitors with its funky Florida history, gorgeous beaches and cute downtown.
Hogfish Grill: Where Key West locals go for fresh fish
Everyone wants to discover that funky inexpensive spot where locals go. In Key West, that would be Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island, which wins raves for fresh off-the-boat seafood.