When I need a hit of Old Florida glamor, one port of call is Hallandale Beach. This oceanfront city will always be associated with Gulfstream Park, a regional home for thoroughbred horse racing since the 1930s. Over time the track has added slots and table games, and an elegant outdoor mall arrived in 2010. Along …
Just north of Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach is a city with stunning nature, enthralling history, and all of the comforts of a beach destination. Gilded Age giants John D. Rockefeller and Henry Flagler were drawn to this place. Flagler built the Ormond Hotel, while Rockefeller owned an estate on the Halifax River. Known as The …
Many people zoom through Panama City along State Road 30A on their way to the attractions, resorts and sugar-white beaches of Panama City Beach. To me, Panama City is much more than a stepping stone. For one thing it’s an uplifting story of survival. In 2018 the Category 5 Hurricane Michael made landfall right here, …
A tall city with a small footprint, Aventura is an urban forest of high-rise condos by the Intracoastal Waterway. Aventura was incorporated in 1995, but the city’s history goes back to a purchase by the developer Donald Soffer in the 1950s. Craning my neck to see Aventura’s skyline I’m amazed to think this was empty swampland …
This captivating city is on the northeastern edge of Greater Orlando. One of the things that appeals to me about Oviedo is the unfettered wilderness that lies to the north and east. Within minutes of downtown you can take an airboat trip in gator-infested waters. Or you can hike along the route of a forgotten …
Only 15 minutes west of downtown Orlando, Ocoee is a city that was mostly given over to fruit farming until the 21st century. Even now, I love how you can pick your own blueberries here in spring. You can also buy local produce at a working farm right in the city, with goats, sheep and …
A place for tropical recreation, Riviera Beach is a coastal city just north of West Palm Beach. Right on the Lake Worth Lagoon, the Riviera Beach here is a launchpad for endless water activities. There are outfitters and charter companies here for anything from paddleboarding to angling. You can also catch a shuttle to Peanut …
Before the 1990s there were just a few dozen people living in Estero. At that time this was a rural village about halfway between Naples and Fort Myers. Some three decades later there are almost 40,000 people here. So I don’t need to tell you that a lot of the local attractions are modern. That …
The motto of this town in Greater Miami is “Growing Beautifully.” On land owned by the storied Graham family, Miami Lakes was begun in the early 1960s. Although it was scheduled to be completed by the early ‘90s, the town continues to expand and develop today. The Grahams still own a lot of the town, …
Between Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach is a seaside city with a more natural shoreline than its near neighbors. The Anne Kolb Nature Center and Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park protect thousands of acres of mangroves on the Intracoastal Waterway. Meanwhile the municipal beach park is my idea of paradise, and has …