Sitting beside the picture-perfect East Bay, Callaway is a small residential city just outside of Panama City. With a short drive you can reach the sandy shores of Panama City Beach, or downtown Panama City, with its dining, shopping and farmers’ markets. I adore St. Andrews Bay, renowned for its large pod of bottlenose dolphins …
At the head of Choctawhatchee Bay, Niceville is a city that got its cheery name in 1910. Before then, this place was called Boggy, so I reckon you can see why they made that choice. Boggy comes from the Boggy Bayou, which is a picturesque watercourse feeding into the bay. Fringed by pine flatwoods, these …
Nestled on the eastern shore of Lake Dora is a lovable little city, with a cozy downtown made for strolling. Dating back to the 1880s, Mount Dora gets its name from the plateau that it sits on, and has earned the nickname, Festival City. I’d say this is a pretty accurate monniker, as the spring …
Home to almost 20,000, this small but growing city is in a scenic part of Central Florida, defined by its lakes. In fact, almost 40% of Auburndale’s area is open water. Many of Auburndale’s lakes are framed by residential developments or RV resorts. The biggest of these is Camp Margaritaville, with an easygoing island-style atmosphere. …
Between mangrove-lined bays and the Gulf of Mexico, Marco Island is a city on the namesake barrier island. This is the largest island of a chain known as the Ten Thousand Islands, stretching for more than 70 miles down to Cape Sable. Starting in Marco Island you can spend unforgettable days paddling in mangrove tunnels, …
Near the very geographical center of Florida, this city gives its name to a sandy ridge running along the spine of the state for 100 miles. A local high point is Iron Mountain, which is the setting for a magnificent garden attraction, open since the 1920s. Bok Tower Gardens was laid out by Frederick Law …
The seat of Okaloosa County, Crestview lies in the pine-covered sandy hills in the very heart of Florida’s panhandle. As a nexus point for long-distance transport networks, including the Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad, Crestview has the nickname Hub City. I’m a real fan of the downtown here, which has been given a lot of …
When I visited this residential city about ten miles west of downtown Miami it had just doubled in area. This came after annexing two square miles of unincorporated land, while the famous Dolphin Mall became a part of the city in 2010. Sweetwater is known for its sizable Nicaraguan community, earning it the nickname, Little …
A beach getaway par excellence, Destin occupies a narrow peninsula, with Choctawhatchee Bay on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. The first thing I have to talk about when it comes to Destin is the beaches, with otherworldly sugar-white sands that look almost like snow. These are lapped by transparent waters …
Towards the north of Greater Orlando, Longwood is a mostly residential city with a growing population. For me, the historic district sums up Longwood neatly. Rather than a bustling downtown, this is a peaceful grid of streets with ornate 19th-century residences and beautiful live oaks with streams of Spanish moss. On the wooded theme, Big …