2022-10-04 16:35
The devastation of coastal Southwest Florida has a very personal effect on me. Although I now live in Tampa, when I graduated from high school in Massachusetts, my family moved to Charlotte… Read More
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2022-05-31 19:12
Florida’s scenery and climate have long been associated as a location for making movies, but many of the films never reflected something positive or negative about Florida culture and… Read More
2021-10-29 20:57
Newcomers are pouring into Florida. In my neighborhood in South Tampa, houses are being torn down and huge “McMansions” are going up. I am often asked by new neighbors abou… Read More
2021-09-09 18:31
One of the first things people learn about Florida is that it was discover in 1513 by Ponce de Leon in his search for the Fountain of Youth. As a historian, I can tell you these are bo… Read More
2021-09-04 22:55
The history of Florida Is much longer than its attraction as a major winter destination. Prior to the post-Civil War Era, visitors had to enter Florida by coastal steamboat and outside of so… Read More
2021-08-10 00:07
Nothing tells you more about the history and the people of a state than its names, but Florida, the third most populated American state is a mystery to so many of its residents. Half o… Read More
2021-07-11 16:15
When I was a student decades ago at the University of Miami (the U), I rarely went into downtown Miami. There was a neat jazz club on the Miami River by the main bridge, but young peop… Read More
2021-07-05 20:45
While September has been the worst big hurricane season, we can get one here in Florida in early July Read More
2021-07-05 20:39
Well, hurricane season came early this year to Florida. As I sit in my home office gathering information to see how close Elsa comes to Tampa Bay, I have a lot of images of past storms… Read More
2021-03-06 17:06
Florida is warming up with the Spring and late Spring months great times for camping and RVing if you have the equipment, but even if you do not, full facility State Parks have kayaks and ca… Read More
2021-02-27 00:10
When growing up in Massachusetts, my family had a summer rooming-house in a fishing village. Next door was the town toy and gift shop run by a lady named Mrs. Gassett. I got a job as a… Read More
2021-02-22 02:02
With Walt Disney World operating at a limited capacity and some restaurants and resort not open, it might seem premature to write an article on this topic, but I suspect that as Disney slowl… Read More
2021-01-13 17:31
When people schedule their Gulf Coast Florida vacations, very few consider Punta Gorda as a town to stop. The nearest beach is over thirty-minutes away. There are no famous histo… Read More
2020-12-16 14:51
This is the time of year that blogs talk about Christmas and perhaps the joys of having families get together and experiencing snowflakes and cocoa filled with marshmallows.
This y… Read More
2020-12-09 15:40
There are more than hundreds of crazy things about Key West so these are my favorite crazy things about Key West, that little island at the end of the Florida Keys that is as close to Havana… Read More
2020-10-11 15:59
Most visitors to Miami, do not look at Coral Gables as a destination unless they have friends or family living there. Coral Gables is viewed as a very upscale residential communi… Read More
2020-09-22 16:20
Most of the 100 million people who visit Florida come for the beaches, the amusement parks, the sunsets, and most of all the warmth of days when the weather is ugly elsewhere.
People scoo… Read More
2020-09-06 18:54
When I hear Florida residents at restaurants and attractions talking about Florida, I often cringe, for while I was conceived here, I spent my childhood up North; but as a historian and writ… Read More
2020-08-23 14:34
Florida manatees which are the West Indian manatees are easy to love. They are like slow-moving islands, 12 to 15 feet in length and up to 1500 pounds.
As a vegetarian and doc… Read More
2020-08-12 14:08
I read the other day that Tampa was selected by a national dog group as Florida’s most dog-friendly city. I will not dispute that honor, but I must state that pets have it pretty… Read More
2020-08-08 18:34
Its is SUMMER TIME and this is the main tourist season for PANAMA CITY BEACH, the beach center for the so-called “Redneck Riviera.” I first saw PCB as a student at Florida… Read More
2020-07-18 13:28
After years of complete civil war in downtown Saint Petersburg and $92 million dollars of cost, downtown Saint Petersburg’s Pier has finally opened. As expected, the pier will co… Read More
2020-07-14 14:46
A lot of people over the years have told me that the Florida Keys may be a wonderful place to boat and fishing and scuba dive, but there are no places to snorkel. They do not realize t… Read More
2020-06-27 13:30
Enjoying Florida in the New Normal
The rapid spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had an enormous impact on the vacation plans and travel activities of Americans and people all over t… Read More
2020-06-14 16:53
Florida has 670 miles of beaches located on two major bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, if you want to avoid being wall-to-wall with other people or hate… Read More
2020-06-06 15:43
One of the greatest business challenges to adjust to “the New Normal” in the entire nation is the problems that Walt Disney World and Universal Studios will have to transition to… Read More
2020-05-27 17:39
Millions of tourists roll along I-4 between Daytona Beach and Orlando, but few of them turn off at DeLand unless they have real business there. It is too bad for DeLand is not a typica… Read More
2020-05-16 17:40
Most Floridians and certainly most visitors to Florida do not know that on the Plaza Level in the rotunda of the Capitol building in Tallahassee is the FLORIDA ARTISTS HALL OF FAME.
Commissi… Read More
2020-05-12 14:00
Florida is slowly opening up and Florida’s beaches, the longest in the United States will play a major role in the economic recovery of Florida’s largest industry – tourism… Read More
2020-05-03 15:27
Small Town Series: This article is part of one of the series that this website will feature as Florida slowly unwraps from the effects of the virus. This article features small towns most vi… Read More
2020-04-29 16:15
With the virus limiting travel and tourism in Florida, I am writing articles oriented toward the entire state summarizing some past content and painting a wide picture. As a history te… Read More
2020-04-25 19:06
With so many Florida attractions, restaurants, and resorts still closed due to the virus, I want to feature some things that the virus can not drastically change. And that is Florida … Read More
2020-04-19 21:56
With most of Florida’s tourist attractions, top restaurants, and resorts closed or operating on a limited basis, I thought I would contribute a story on one of Florida’s favorite… Read More
2020-04-10 16:49
A recent article that Tom Hanks might play the role of Colonel Tom Parker in a planned new Warner Brothers movie about the life of Elvis Presley attracted my attention. I don’t k… Read More
2020-04-04 00:43
The family entertainment center of the world is completely closed down. International Drive is more deserted than on the last hurricane attack. Since 9.8% of Florida workers are… Read More
2020-03-30 18:44
via Favorite Florida Food Facts 2020 Style Read More
2020-03-30 18:41
One of the important Florida economic institutions that are in limbo during this Coronavirus Pandemic is the restaurant industry.
While you can pick up and have delivery of most comfort food… Read More
2020-03-29 18:18
I have returned at a strange time. Most of Florida’s attractions and resorts are closed so to fully benefit from my articles you might have to wait until that sunny day when thin… Read More
2019-07-08 17:31
Florida has 11,000 miles of rivers and most Floridians will remember that the 310-mile St. Johns River flows very slowly northward just a few miles from the Atlantic before reaching the ocea… Read More
2019-07-02 01:04
After reading Jack L. Roberts’ The Writers Compound, a book about four Key West writers, I became curious how many National Register Literary Landmarks were in Florida and I discovered… Read More
2019-05-22 14:00
The story of European Florida begins with the two voyages of Ponce de Leon to the peninsula of Florida, but despite good records by the explorer, the location of his first landing on the Eas… Read More
2019-04-19 17:56
The recent destruction of much of Notre Dame in Paris brought a lot of questions from my college students since they know my long-time involvement in historic preservation.
The restoration a… Read More
2019-04-01 20:46
Famed Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said that “no one goes to that (place), it’s too crowded.”
That is the problem of many of Florida’s top beaches – if you do… Read More
2019-03-16 21:03
March and early April are the best months to visit Walt Disney World due to reasonably mild temperatures, the lowest humidity of the year, and a low probably that your expensive day will be… Read More
2019-02-28 20:28
Last week I took my annual trip up to Dade City. The more I visit Florida’s small towns, the more I realize how much of Florida’s personality an charm is lost of tourists w… Read More
2019-02-18 15:37
Florida has l.5 million American alligators and as saltwater intrusion continues in the Everglades, the activity of transporting wandering gators from South Floridians’ swimming pools… Read More
2019-02-11 00:53
With mild weather and little rainfall this time of year is a great time for one of Florida’s favorite outdoor activities – food festivals.
In the summer almost every Panhandle to… Read More
2019-01-29 23:08
This is the time of year when Floridians, snowbirds, and visitors alike head to the warmer waters of springs and electric plants and even nuclear plant complexes to watch our favorite manate… Read More
2019-01-20 00:32
When my family first came to Florida, we landed at Tampa Airport, rented a car, went over the causeway and then “took a ferry” across the mouth of Tampa Bay from Saint Augustine… Read More
2019-01-05 18:26
Florida has 175 state parks covering some 800,000 acres as well as the famous Everglades National Park and Ocala National Forest.
Yet most visitors, few snow birds, and all too many resident… Read More
2018-12-25 01:06
This is the time of the year when individuals around the nation make New Year’s Resolutions and also the time Florida Chamber of Commerces start promoting what new things are coming up… Read More
2018-12-14 16:00
The Christmas season can be a time of nervous energy and open tension. It is a time when if you live in Florida, you may get a lot of visitors, both families and friends.
It is also a… Read More
2018-12-08 00:32
This is the time of time where people are looking at future calendars for vacation plans, trips around Florida, and events they want to attend. As a sports editor, my father took paid… Read More
2018-11-28 00:01
A lot of Florida cities take advantage of both the climate and the location on the water of the ocean or a bay. The creation of waterside entertainment centers give locals and vi… Read More
2018-11-19 19:36
The Christmas holiday season is already opening in Florida at the same time the snowbirds and robins are arriving in the state. Some of the events are very commercial while others are… Read More
2018-11-13 23:58
When people like of Florida, they probably think of oranges and seafood. Our OJ is mainly produced for juice as opposed to California’s whole oranges, but our 1,350 miles of coastline… Read More
2018-11-07 00:50
California Grill
Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World
Everyone who has spent some time at Walt Disney World knows the best view of the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom is from the restaurant… Read More
2018-10-27 13:26
Underwater Vehicles in Florida
Due to the sensitivity and depth of Florida’s reefs and poor visibility in most coastal area, Florida does not have the underwater submarine tours found… Read More
2018-10-16 20:05
Recently I attended a convention in Punta Gorda, the town where my family first moved to Florida in the 1960’s.
The waterfront devastated by category 4 Hurricane Charley in August of 2… Read More
2018-10-01 17:57
It still doesn’t feel like Fall has arrived in Central Florida this Fall and we are hitting October. Soon the snowbirds will be filling Florida’s highways and the hectic ho… Read More
2018-09-22 14:29
The devastating flooding in the Carolinas due to the huge hurricane reminded me of Florida’s most dramatic flooding crisis. It may seem strange to some of you since Florida is so… Read More
2018-09-17 18:36
One of Florida’s most popular indoor vacation experiences is to go shopping, although with Florida’s climate, many of the popular shopping spots utilize beautiful outdoor setting… Read More
2018-09-09 15:09
This is part of a series of driving tours I will present in the next few months with an emphasis on Florida’s natural beauty, historic architecture, and attractions.
Most people v… Read More
2018-08-31 00:03
When it comes to staying in a great vacation spot at a value place, Florida’s top bed and breakfast houses are a great choice for couples of all ages. The breakfasts alone at man… Read More
2018-08-26 18:39
I never appreciated snorkeling when I was a kid and scuba diving seemed an impossibility to be with my poor eyesight. Ironically, now after cataract surgery I can see underwater as an… Read More
2018-08-20 21:43
All polls indicate that besides the sun and the beaches, visitors and residents alike admire Florida’s tropical environment which includes wildlife and plants.
With twenty million resi… Read More
2018-08-12 23:51
Florida has one thousand miles of coastline and miles of terrific beaches, but some beaches are actually underrated and almost forgotten by a majority of tourists and even Floridians. … Read More
2018-08-05 23:08
I was asked at a conference if I thought Janet Reno was the greatest woman in Florida history. She was the first female Attorney General in the USA, but she was appointed at a time Pre… Read More
2018-07-23 20:00
Winter Park is identified across Central Florida as an upscale community filled with a downtown of attractive stores and restaurants along Park Avenue, wonderful lakeside estates, and F… Read More
2018-07-15 13:27
When visitors, snowbirds, and residents travel around Florida, they are confronted with Chamber of Commerce produced symbols: Miami is in the Gold Coast; Clearwater is on the Sun Coast; St A… Read More
2018-07-08 23:44
I have returned on a long business trip to the Pacific Coast with most of my driving on the new Southern version of Route 66 – arduous 2,460 miles from Jacksonville I-95 to Santa Monic… Read More
2018-06-22 17:46
Summer months mean the huge influx of family vacationers to Orlando’s big vacation destinations. For many Floridians the arrival of grandchildren means that despite the heat, hum… Read More
2018-06-12 01:09
My New England heritage might be why I enjoy visiting seafood restaurants across Florida and with the longest coastline of any state other than Alaska there’s a lot of waterfront for r… Read More
2018-06-04 23:34
When you mention Volusia County to tourists and even most Florida residents, their first images are of the hard packed sands of Daytona Beach and the Daytona 500 Speedway. If you… Read More
2018-05-27 16:56
When you hug the Gulf Coast going north from Saint Petersburg toward Tallahassee, you take US19 into the Nature Coast. I used to go that route when I drove to Florida State University… Read More
2018-05-16 16:57
There are no longer slow and busy tourist seasons for the entire State of Florida. Each of the four quarters gets about one-quarter of the tourist trade.
But the visitors destinations… Read More
2018-05-10 00:06
The summer family vacation season is soon arriving and that means the largest percentages of newcomers to Walt Disney World. Most writers like to give awards at the end of the year but… Read More
2018-04-29 18:29
One of the favorite pasttimes of both Florida residents and visitors is going out to a restaurant. Rather than visit the chain spots – many of which got their start inb the Sunsh… Read More
2018-04-22 19:35
As a historian I have a great appreciation of the story and evolution of Florida tourist attractions. Since I was a small child, my family’s annual visits to the Sunshine State b… Read More
2018-04-13 18:26
Florida is the cruise capital of the world today and the three largest cruise companies are headquartered in Southeast Florida. Even one hundred seventy years ago, taking a Flori… Read More
2018-03-31 23:54
Just the other week the Academy Award show was on, but I don’t watch it since my wife and I no longer go to the flicks. We’ll wait until the shows appear on regular televis… Read More
2018-03-21 22:28
While my native New England is getting blasted by another terrible nor’easter and my old summer spot in Brant Rock (Massachusetts) has been flooded so many times this winter the Esplan… Read More
2018-03-12 22:13
Florida lawmakers in the Sunshine State want snowbirds, tourists, and residents to get more “sunshine” on their vacations.
The bill called the “Sunshine Protection Act,&rdq&hell…Read More
2018-03-05 23:27
Before the Mouse and Harry Potter and all the robotics, there were Florida theme parks and large attractions that featured Florida’s natural beauty – its climate and its fauna an… Read More
2018-02-26 23:58
When I was a student at the University of South Florida, it was exciting to go down to the Anheuser- Busch beer plant and drink a free beer while we watched the flamingos. Today, the T… Read More
2018-02-19 22:25
Florida has 4,510 islands over ten acres, second only to Alaska, and much of Florida’s attraction and recreation relates to the relationship that Floridians have with their islands.
I… Read More
2018-02-12 20:02
Barbara and I attended the second annual Walt Disney World International Festival of the Arts and I must confess watching top Broadway singers like Ashley Brown (Broadway’s original Ma… Read More
2018-02-04 17:46
This is the time of year in Florida when winter tourists and snowbirds are driving the highways visiting their favorite attractions and friends. If you want to add some unique and diff… Read More
2018-01-27 21:22
Florida has over 400 museums and historic sights for residents and visitors looking for an experience on a rainy or bad beach day. For a fraction of the cost of visiting a theme park o… Read More
2018-01-15 00:19
My wife does not like to travel by airplane even though we have gone from Florida to Chicago and Los Angles on Southwest Airlines. We are among the few people I know that have gone fro… Read More
2018-01-02 20:18
Welcome to 2018.
This is the time of year we look at what is expected in the next twelve months in Florida. Despite three serious hurricanes reaching the Sunshine State, Florida broke… Read More
2017-12-12 00:24
Florida is one of the most diverse states in the nation and its history of immigration provides visitors and residents alike with many attractions that reflect this story.
I have spent many… Read More
2017-12-03 18:40
With a coast line of 1,350 miles (2,170 km) and over 940,000 boats of every conceivable size registered in the Sunshine State (#1 in USA), it is not to shocking to learn there seems to be as… Read More
2017-11-26 18:45
The end of Thanksgiving means that Florida’s major theme parks are featuring Christmas decorations and special events, many regular annual attractions that bring huge crowds. So… Read More
2017-11-18 20:50
If you haven’t been to the Kennedy Space Center in recent years, you will shocked to see how the educational-entertainment complex has “rocketed” into the twentieth-first c… Read More
2017-11-10 22:23
No area was hit harder by Hurricane Irma than the Lower Florida Keys as the Category 4-5 storm ripped across the low-lying Keys between Marathon and Key West. Potential vis… Read More
2017-11-04 20:05
My family started coming to Florida from New England during the Christmas holiday in the late 1950’s – before the Interstate Highway system was completed. Our “short… Read More
2017-10-28 19:44
As a historian I sit quietly while scores of television shows and movies and books describe flying saucers and uprisings from demons and zombies and witches and of course the Great Yeti hang… Read More
2017-10-19 21:47
Most people going from Tampa Bay to the lower Florida East Coast will take I-4 and the Florida Turnpike although there is I-75 down the West Coast to Alligator Alley. If you want a mor… Read More
2017-10-12 23:01
I did my annual pilgrimage to Walt Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival. It seemed a little calm after Irma, but a visitor can pile up a huge food and beverage bill shelli… Read More
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