Getaways to the authentic Florida
In Dunedin, we love bicycling the Pinellas Trail, but this charming Tampa Bay area town has more to offer, with eight breweries plus great restaurants and coffee shops in its walkable historic downtown. Twenty minutes away are two excellent state parks with award-winning beaches. Plus it’s a great place to catch a Spring Training game.
No doubt about it: Key West is expensive. But despite its small size, Key West is packed with things to do and see — and some are even free. Here are 10 places to go where you’ll soak up Key West culture without opening your wallet.
This 46-mile paved Central Florida rail trail is a smooth, safe ride. But what makes it special is the scenery, parks & towns to explore along the way.
This laid-back beach town isn’t famous, but it charms visitors with its funky Florida history, gorgeous beaches and a cute downtown with interesting restaurants and shops.
Big Bend Scenic Byway winds through an area that sees fewer tourists and offers rustic Old Florida delights at each turn — from black bears to white squirrels.
You don’t have to go all the way to Key West for a Florida Keys experience. Islamorada, two hours from Miami, is worth the trip on its own. You can kayak to historic islands, feed the tarpon at Robbie’s Marina, visit two craft breweries, take a snorkeling boat tour, even visit a top-notch museum.
Florida lighthouses offer unmatched history and beauty. There are 30 lighthouses and about 10 are open to visitors; others are beauty spots to admire.
West of Fort Myers, Matlacha is a colorful collection of little wooden houses surrounded by good saltwater-kayak trails. It’s been more than three years, but the community is still working to recover from Hurricane Ian.
Black Caesar was a pirate of some renown who plundered ships off the Florida Keys, or so goes a legend worthy of mention during Black History Month.
Florida’s wackiness goes back to its first settlers, and Koreshan State Historic Site celebrates one of our earliest eccentrics. Thanks to this cult, though, a wooded site on the Estero River was preserved. A special moonlight tour is Feb. 7.