Getaways to the authentic Florida
Florida Rambler is always on the lookout for places that capture the Florida that is being lost to expressways and development. We include historic destinations, Florida landmarks and places where the past lives on in big and small ways. Here’s a scene from Micanopy, located right off I-75 near Gainesville.
Marineland was the original oceanarium and the first to discover you could train dolphins to perform. Now it has been saved from developers bidding on the oceanfront property in a bankruptcy auction. It’s the start of a new chapter in the property’s remarkable history.
Like a lot of visitors, for years I had overlooked Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park on my visits to Key West because it is tucked away out of sight. But the historic fort and great beach are worth discovering.
I had lived in Florida a long time before I discovered the rich and often tragic history of native Americans here. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, here are seven parks and museums that tell those stories.
The impact of Seminole Indians is everywhere in Florida, but this is THE place to learn about them. This interesting museum in the Everglades is worth the drive. Here are six takeaways from our visit.
For 66 years, a non-profit devoted to historic preservation has convinced the owners of some of the most interesting homes in Key West to open them to visitors for a good cause. For four winter weekends, you can tour historic homes and support historic preservation.
Between Lake Okeechobee and Fort Myers, a stretch of the Caloosahatchee River offers a taste of Old Florida — small towns, rivers ideal for kayaking and good public campgrounds.
The historic agricultural area surrounding the Homestead entrance to Everglades National Park offers so many cool experiences — a park where you can see and sample exotic fruits, a historic village of shops and restaurants, a local tropical-fruit winery. In October there is a big orchid festival too.
Tickets are on sale for rides beginning next week aboard the Sugar Express, a historic steam train sponsored by U.S. Sugar Company.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings came to Cross Creek and wrote the beloved story of a young boy and his pet fawn, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Today, visiting the author’s beautifully preserved home is an excellent way to discover the authentic Florida, far from the strip malls and theme parks.
Mount Dora is a historic town that has figured out how to keep people visiting: Maximize the natural beauty and develop arts and antique festivals. Oct. 25-26 is the very popular craft fair.