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 …
West of Orlando, the city of Clermont is in a hilly and water-rich part of Central Florida. Conditions around the city are just right for growing fruit, and for much of the 20th century the countryside was covered in citrus groves. Since the 1950s, the city’s symbol has been the Citrus Tower, a skyscraper celebrating …
The baking soda manufacturer, Henry Addison DeLand (1834-1908) founded this beautiful city in 1882. He also established Stetson University here, and his intention was for DeLand to become the Athens of Florida. That nickname has made it into the 21st century, and I don’t think it’s a bad description. Stetson University has a picture-perfect campus, …
This small town west of Hartford has an impossibly beautiful location, embedded in the Farmington River Valley up against the Metacomet Ridge. The ample woodland and majestic overlooks combine to make Simsbury one of my favorite places to experience Connecticut’s foliage in fall. Heublein Tower, constructed for a wealthy businessman more than a century ago, …