This Gulf Coast community’s annual Stone Crab Festival marks the beginning of Florida’s stone crab season while showing off the city’s historic center and bayfront attractions. Let’s get crackin’.
Southwest Florida
Stone crab season begins, and Everglades City is ready
Stone crab season starts Oct. 15 and Everglades City, a small, isolated fishing village south of Naples, is a place to feast on this Florida favorite in an authenic Old Florida atmosphere.
Best Camping near Tampa Bay: 9 choice campgrounds
We’ve selected nine public campgrounds near Tampa Bay for their scenic beauty, low prices and prime opportunities for hiking, biking, kayaking and canoeing. We think you’ll like these choices.
Naples: Rare ghost orchid blooms at Corkscrew for 2019 season
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. The ghost orchid was made famous by the 2002 film “Adaptation” starring Meryl Streep and the best-selling “Orchid Thief,” by Susan Orlean.
Sands of time: The beaches of Venice (and Nokomis)
There are six fabulous beaches in the Venice area, including one set aside for canines. But the big attraction are ancient shark’s teeth that wash ashore in the surf.
2019 Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim: Cool 4th of July ‘happening’
The annual Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim is July 4, but while folks cross the 1.5-mile wide Peace River, this isn’t a race. It’s a “bobblefest.”
Fakahatchee Strand: Big, wild and great for Everglades hiking and kayaking
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park — the biggest state park in Florida — is a vast, wild place near Everglades City. Year after year, we drove right past, but there are three great reasons to spend time here. We’re glad we did.
Manatee Park & the Orange River: Fort Myers kayak trail ideal for winter day
When it’s chilly, you can see dozens of manatees at this free park. Even without manatees, the Orange River is a beautiful kayak trail through Old Florida scenery.
