On the beautiful southwest shore of Lake Apopka, Winter Garden is a spirited city, just 20 minutes from downtown Orlando. For decades this was a small agricultural community, mostly growing oranges and grapefruits. Since the 1980s things have changed in a big way. Now Winter Garden is a flourishing city of 50,000. There’s an award-winning …
Part of the vast Miami metropolitan area, Cooper City is set halfway between the Atlantic coast and the Everglades. Neither is far away, and it’s one of many things I appreciate about this place. Head east and you’ll be at Dania Beach’s shoreline, where the vibe is a little more laid-back than neighboring Fort Lauderdale …
An hour out of NYC at the foot of the Berkshires is a 300-year-old town with an upscale air. Ridgefield lays claim to the only national park in the United States devoted to the arts. This is the home and studio of the Impressionist J. Alden Weir, and one of my favorite spots, anywhere in …
In Polk County, the city of Winter Haven has been home to LEGOLAND Florida since 2011. With three parks, this resort is on the site of Cypress Gardens, an amusement park and botanical garden established in the 1930s. So, I think it’s fair to say that Winter Haven is used to welcoming guests to the …
The capital of Connecticut is one of the oldest cities in the United States, dating all the way back to 1635. In the 19th century Hartford became a center for abolitionism, producing the likes of Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote the influential Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852). After the Civil War this was the richest city …
Close to Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Lauderdale Lakes is a suburban city with large Caribbean American and African American communities. Close by you can watch the West Indies play at the only dedicated cricket stadium in the United States. For a Caribbean-style street party, the Miami Broward Carnival takes place in the area every …
A small town in southwestern Connecticut’s Fairfield County, Newtown has a history dating back to the beginning of the 18th century. At that time the land was purchased by English colonists from the Pootatuck Native Americans who had lived by the Housatonic River for centuries. A local claim to fame that I discovered in Newtown …
An hour out of New York from Penn Station, Stamford has an urban, big city feel downtown, where nine Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered. Head south and you’ll hit Long Island Sound and almost 20 miles of shoreline with waterside parks and beaches. And if you go north, Stamford is my idea of a New …
A port city on Florida’s Treasure Coast, Fort Pierce has the nickname, Sunrise City. This comes from the sublime sunrises that light up the broad expanse of the Indian River Lagoon. Fort Pierce is my idea of the perfect coastal town. You’ve got picture-perfect beaches on the ocean and lagoon, a percolating downtown, live entertainment, …
Embedded in the South Florida metropolitan area, Oakland Park is a suburban city on the edge of Fort Lauderdale. Administratively, Oakland Park is an urban island, almost completely enclosed by Fort Lauderdale’s northern neighborhoods. I’ll include several Fort Lauderdale attractions and activities in my list, many of which are within a ten-minute drive. Head east …