The oldest settlement in Polk County, dates back to the tentative peace of the mid-19th century following the Second Seminole War. Fort Meade is set just west of the Peace River. This spellbinding watercourse is a major attraction, flowing southwards through mysterious cypress swamp and past archeological sites. At Fort Meade you can embark on …
On a string of islands in the Middle Keys, the city of Marathon is a tropical paradise with some of the world’s best diving and snorkeling. The name comes from the tireless labor of the workers who built Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway at the start of the 20th century. In that vein, some …
In Taylor County, where the panhandle meets the peninsula, Perry is a small town in a remote part of Florida. Since the 19th century this area has relied on its immense crop of longleaf pines for income, both as lumber and a source of turpentine. Since the 1960s the city has been the home of …
Not far from the geographic center of Florida, Brooksville is an old city that goes back to a merger of two towns in the 1850s. Many cities with such a long past carry a lot of baggage, and Brooksville is no different. I had a rewarding time delving into some of this history at the May-Stringer …
Arcing around Sarasota Bay, Longboat Key is a Gulf Coast town on a wondrous barrier island. By the Gulf are unblemished white sandy beaches, while the calm inward waters of the bay are wreathed with mangroves. For me, getting the most out of somewhere like Longboat Key means embracing island life. You can paddle out …
A byword for conspicuous wealth since the tycoon Henry Flager built a lavish hotel here in the 1890s, Palm Beach is a world-famous haven for billionaires. In fact there were at least 30 living here when I wrote this article. One is the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, whose permanent residence is …
Wedged between Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach is a community in the Jacksonville Beaches. This is the smallest of The Beaches, with a population of less than 8,000, and a residential vibe. You won’t see the large resorts and sprawling beach parks that command the waterfront in neighboring communities. Instead the beachfront is …
I fell in love with this adorable city in Citrus County right away. For one thing, Inverness is bordered on all sides by majestic nature. Ten minutes west you’ve got the Withlacoochee River, ready for airboat tours, while the lakes and swamps of the Flying Eagle Preserve are even closer. Inverness has a small but …
On the southwest shore of the immense Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston is a city with a few feathers in its cap. First off, that lake is the largest in the Southeast and famed as a hotspot for bass fishing. This is partly down to a spawning season that lasts for six months. Clewiston is also noted …
On the wide and deep lower reaches of the St. Johns River, Green Cove Springs is a charming historical city surrounded by natural beauty. I love how the city’s downtown mingles with the riverbank, where the namesake spring rises. This hydrological feature has attracted people for more than 170 years, and even today is a …