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 …
On the winding lower reaches of Pithlachascotee River, this city was developed at breakneck speed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. That was a time of great optimism, and New Port Richey was marketed as a winter escape for Hollywood stars. Several stars, including actor Thomas Meighan spent time in the city in …
About 15 miles north of Orlando’s Central Business District, Lake Mary is one of Florida’s fastest-growing communities. The city was incorporated in 1973, and has burgeoned since 2000. Over time the cityscape has been endowed with lively mixed-use developments. I adore the leafy downtown area, and Colonial Town Park, a whole dining and entertainment district. …
A working town between New Haven and Hartford, Meriden was an important manufacturing center in the 19th and early 20th century. The city was most famous for its silver and cutlery, but also produced glassware, guns, musical instruments and kitchen appliances. Many worldwide icons of industrial design from this time were conceived right here. There’s …
Between US 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway, Lighthouse Point is a coastal community laced with residential canals. In the absence of a main street, US 1 has a long succession of shopping centers, restaurants, and entertainment attractions. What I love most about this place are the canal-side parks and restaurants, imbued with South Florida’s maritime …
This city in North Central Florida can trace its history back more than 200 years. For a long time, Lake City was known as Alligator, and its most famous resident was the Seminole chief, Alligator Warrior. Nature abounds in the immediate countryside, with state parks, and city owned nature park, and the massive Osceola National …
The seat of Lake County is a lovely waterfront city among the Harris Chain of Lakes. With so much water all around, people needed an alternative way to travel long distances. This is the seaplane, and Tavares has long been known as America’s Seaplane City, with a base right on Lake Dora next to downtown. …
At the north end of the Jacksonville Beaches, Atlantic Beach is a shorefront community, bordering Jax but about 25 minutes from downtown. This part of the coastline was first developed at the turn of the 20th century with the arrival of the railroad. Atlantic Beach quickly became an elevated tourism hotspot, with an enormous luxury …