We took a recent trip to High Springs on a lark. There we found one of the coolest little places we have run upon while traveling the Sunshine State. The cornerstone of our experience was a stop at The Great Outdoors Restaurant.
Weekend Getaways – the Ultimate Gift
A new report from Vacasa confirms that Americans prefer weekend getaways over chocolates, diamonds and flowers. We have known this for a while. See our blog about Giving the Gift of Time.
According to a nationwide survey into Valentine’s Day habits of more than 1,500 American adults, compiled in a new report from Vacasa, North America’s largest vacation rental manager.
Indian Rocks Beach, Key West, and Ft. Myers all rank in the top 10 getaways for Valentine’s Day according to the Valentine’s Day report, which combines the consumer survey results with insights from Vacasa’s own trove of vacation rental data.
Another Score for Microtel
When it comes to a good lodging experience for the price, we have found that Microtel has been hard to beat. That was a recent experience we had at the Brooksville location when we went to Dade City for the Kumquat Festival.
It had been a challenge to find a room and we ended up with a suite. For the incremental difference in cost it was well worth the money. Rooms at Microtel usually are pretty tight but when we opened the door here, we were greeted with spacious accommodations.
Our 5 Most Romantic Florida Vacation Spots
Valentine’s Day is on the way. That got Mrs. Funmeister and myself thinking about the most romantic vacation destinations we have visited since we started crisscrossing the Sunshine State. There have been quite a few that have come to mind. And not all for the same reasons.
So here’s our list, in no particular order, with no fixed criteria other than to say we have visited there, had a wonderful time and for the most part they met our pricepoint.
Beaches Always are a Good Bet
The Edison Beach House, Fort Myers Beach. This was a find by Mrs. Funmeister that we booked sight unseen. At first we worried about the age of the accommodation, but when we popped open the front door we were absolutely amazed.
All the rooms are suites. Our first was on the second floor with a king-sized bed. The patio had a breathtaking view that we could see both from the living room, and from the bed through a window over the couch.
We were particularly impressed with the attention to detail. There were enough appliances for a weeklong stay, a newspaper outside the room each morning, and they dragged the beach each day to make it smooth and pleasant for the guests.
It was so nice, we booked it again for Christmas. Although the fourth floor suite was smaller with a queen, our spot on the south side of the building gave us a view of the sunrise over the water – something not usual on the Gulf side. It was within walking distance of everything you need and a wonderful treat for yourselves.
The walk on the beach makes it a top romantic vacation destination.
Lakeside
The Vista Inn Lake Tarpon. This was another find by Mrs. Funmeister as we planned a trip to Tarpon Springs. It literally is minutes from either downtown Tarpon Springs or the Sponge Docks.
Admittedly, it is an older facility. That being said, the view down the canal into Lake Tarpon never gets old. It is easy to get a room with a balcony which is a wonderful venue for sitting and enjoying the morning or evening.
It’s a great place to watch a sunrise or a moonrise. In the morning it is tranquil with waterbirds flying in and out and even a glimpse of the resident alligator swimming about. We like to get a loaf of tsoureke sweet bread and enjoy our coffee there. At night the canal sparkles with both artificial strings of light and the glow of the moon and stars.
Some of the best places aren’t hotels
The Beach Place Guesthouses at Cocoa Beach. This is another older facility, but they have taken the age and turned it into a “fun and funky” atmosphere. We drew a three room suite featuring a living room/dining room area that opened into a kitchenette, a large bathroom and a spacious bedroom.
Our accommodations faced the beach and we could see the sunrise, but we could not see the water due to the topography of the property. The owners have taken the time to set up a series of outdoor “rooms” where we could enjoy the view into the Atlantic over the sea oats and sea grapes.
There were decks featuring barbecue grills to cook on – replete with tools. There also were dining tables, chairs, benches and hammocks to enjoy the day or evening. Each were separate and attractively illuminated for day or evening use.
The funky ambiance of this place oozes romantic vacation.
On the Gulf
Castaways Cottages of Sanibel on Sanibel Island. This was another property where they took an old facility and spruced it up with a fun and funky decor.
We had the Castaway cottage #37. Tucked away off a cove, it was very quiet and secluded. We were about 100 yards off Blind Pass Beach and were able to walk down and across the road to the beach with no problem. It was not over-populated and there were plenty of shells to be found.
The room was tight – or they might say cozy – but had everything a traveler would want from a small flat-screen TV to a kitchen with small fridge, sink and microwave. There was a pool down by the office, plus access to the amenities at their parent property just up the street.
Possibly the best part was that as guests, we could park at the office and walk across the street to possibly the best shelling beach in the world – as well as a wonderful place to watch the sunset. Our cabin had the best of all worlds – easy access to a fishing pier on a canal, a breathtaking access to the beach, and a quiet, secluded location.
For a romantic vacation, you cannot beat standing on the beach and watching the sunset.
Yes, the Sebring Raceway can be Romantic
The Chateau Elan Hotel & Conference Center in Sebring. Located at the famous “hairpin turn” on the grounds of the famous Sebring International Raceway is a people-friendly property that can make race fans out of the most casual observer.
Perched on the fourth floor of the hotel, there was a beautiful view of Turn Seven. We watched from our own small balcony as the ChumpCar World Series hammered through a six hour race on New Year’s Eve. We watched a number of close calls and even some fender-benders as the sun set over the competition. c
That being said, the room was wonderful and well appointed with very comfortable sleeping facilities. Perhaps the most impressive feature was the walk-in shower (big enough for two), that had LED lights that changed from blue to red as the water temperature increased.
Pick Your Best Spot
Those are some of the more romantic locations we have visited. We know that there are others, and if you have some suggestions, please visit our Florida Fun Travel Facebook page, our Florida Fun Travel Facebook Group or email us at [email protected]
Florida Authors: What They Wrote and Where They Lived
Our friends over at Florida Backroads Travel have compiled a list of Florida authors, where they lived and what they wrote. Earlier, we published a piece about motion pictures filmed here in the Sunshine State and recommended it might be a wonderful reason to select some of those sites as travel destinations.
This is another such list. It is a great compendium of different styles, time periods and locales. We thank our friends at Florida Backroads Travel for their hard work.
Authors are listed under at least one of the places they have lived.
To learn more about the author, just click on the link.
The Areas Alphabetically
CAPTIVA/SANIBEL. Randy Wayne White lived an adventurous life in Southwest Florida. He started writing non-fiction under his own name and fiction under a pen name. Finally he created Doc Ford, an adventurous marine biologist with a mysterious military background.
CHOKOLOSKEE. Totch Brown actually is a pseudonym. His real name was Loren G. Brown. He was born on March 12, 1920 and died on May 8, 1996. Brown wrote only one book but it enshrined him among the best Florida authors. Totch is all about his life in the Florida Everglades.
CHOKOLOSKEE. Peter Matthiessen was not from this area. Nevertheless, he wrote compellingly about the life and times of pioneers in Southwest Florida. His “Shadow Country” is a 900 page book. It includes “Killing Mr. Watson” and other stories that capture the place and times of this remote area.
CROSS CREEK. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “The Yearling”. Rawlings also wrote “Cross Creek” and “South Moon Under”. She was one of the first authors to chronicle the lives of the hardy pioneers around Cross Creek. They are known as Florida Crackers.
EATONVILLE. Zora Neale Hurston, is a black author. Best known for “Their Eyes Were Watching God” she wrote “Dust Tracks on a Road”, and many more classics. Although she was part of the “Harlem Renaissance” and well know in her day, she died penniless in Fort Pierce, Florida. The novelist Alice Walker (The Color Purple) discovered her unmarked grave and provided a decent gravestone.
GAINESVILLE. Michael Gannon is unique among Florida authors. He was born in 1928 and passed away on April 10, 2017. He wrote many great books about Florida and other subjects. During World War II, he was a member of the American Field Service. Additionally, he was also a Vietnam war correspondent. Gannon was a professor at the University of Florida. Earlier in his life he was a Catholic priest.
GAINESVILLE. Harry Crews was born on June 7, 1935 in Bacon County, Georgia and died in Gainesville, Florida on March 28, 2012. He taught at the University of Florida for 30 years, and is considered a master of Southern literature. He has created many memorable and freakish characters, and his novels are quite often strange, violent and dark.
GAINESVILLE. Kevin McCarthy lives in the Gainesville, Florida. In addition to being one of the most prominent Florida authors, he is a Professor of English at the University of Florida. His academic interests include English language and linguistics, history of the English language, and Floridiana.
JACKSONVILLE. Stetson Kennedy, at the time of his death, was one of the oldest living Florida authors. He was born on October 5, 1916 in Jacksonville, Florida, and died on August 27, 2011. He was still active in literary events and causes in Florida up until his death. Kennedy was a Florida literary and civil rights legend. Moreover, he was an award-winning Florida author and human rights activist. He was a noted folklorist, a labor activist, and an environmentalist.
JACKSONVILLE. Sidney Lanier was born in Macon, Georgia on February 3, 1842, and died on September 7, 1881, in Lynn, North Carolina. We include him on this page because he wrote “Florida: Its Scenery, Climate and History”. He was a poet and musician, and one of the most famous literary figures in the South.
KEY WEST. Jimmy Buffet was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Christmas Day, 1946, and is alive and well and still a great Christmas gift after all these years. He lives in homes in Florida, the Caribbean, and New York. He is famous as a singer, songwriter, businessman, and movie producer. He is also a talented writer.
KEY WEST. Ernest Hemingway, Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winner lived in Key West for many years. Although most of his writing there was not about Florida, “To Have and Have Not” has a Florida setting. Hemingway’s home is still a popular Key West attraction.
MANDARIN. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and one of the earliest Florida travelogues, “Palmetto Leaves”. Upon meeting Mrs. Stowe during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said “so you’re the little lady who started this big war.
MELROSE. Al Burt, is the author of “Becalmed in the Mullet Latitudes” and other classics about Old Florida. He was a former newspaper reporter and columnist for the Miami Herald. He was seriously wounded in an accidental shooting and moved to the quiet town of Melrose east of Gainvesville.
MERRITT ISLAND. Vernon Lamme lived a lot of Florida history and reported on it for several newspapers. He also became the Florida State Archeologist. His books are “Florida Lore” and “More Florida Lore”
MERRITT ISLAND. Patrick Smith, 1927-2014, historical fiction, wrote “A Land Remembered”, a classic of Florida historical fiction. Also he wrote “Angel City”, “Allipattah”, and other books with Florida themes. “A Land Remembered” is taught in many Florida schools because of its historical accuracy and relevance.
MIAMI. Dave Barry was
born on July 3, 1947, and is still alive and well in South Florida
(which he loves to make fun of). This Florida author makes people laugh
every day with his books and columns. When distinguishing fact from
hyperbole, Barry frequently asserts: “I am not making this up”.
MIAMI. Edna Buchanan was born in New Jersey in 1939. She lives in Miami, Florida. Buchanan is one of the many Florida authors who have been with the Miami Herald. Others include Al Burt, Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen. Her crime reporting career made her a successful novelist.
MIAMI. Marjory Stoneman Douglas lived to be 108 years old. She moved to Miami in 1915. There, she worked for the Miami Herald, which was owned by her father. She lived in Coconut Grove for the rest of her life. In 1947 she wrote a nonfiction book about the Everglades titled “River of Grass”. This book and her activism resulted in Everglades National Park and a lifetime spent helping to save the Everglades.
MIAMI. James W. Hall was born in 1948. Currently he lives in South Florida and Western North Carolina. He is one of the best educated and credentialed writers in this collection of Florida authors. He has a Ph.D., and can legitimately be called Dr. Hall. In spite of that – or because of that – he’s one hell of a writer.
MIAMI. Carl Hiaasen was born in 1953 in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida suburb of Plantation. He is alive and well and living in South Florida. He may be America’s greatest satirist, and is certainly one of the most entertaining Florida authors of modern times. In addition to his novels, he has been a reporter and columnist for the Miami Herald.
MIAMI. Elmore Leonard was born in 1925 and died on August 20, 2013 at the age of 87. He lived in Pompano Beach and North Palm Beach. Leonard divided his time between the Detroit area and Florida. His Florida home and the settings of many of his books has us including him among our Florida authors.
MOUNT DORA. Pat Frank was born in Jacksonville. However, his most famous novel was “Alas Babylon”. He wrote this dystopian novel about the aftermath of nuclear war while living in the unincorporated community of Tangerine south of Mount Dora. The fictional town of Fort Repose was based on Mount Dora.
MOUNT DORA. Mike Miller is the author of numerous books about Florida. These include several travel guides. He is the owner and publisher of several websites. In addition to writing, he has an active career as a consulting civil engineer.
ORLANDO. Jack Kerouac was born in 1922 and died in 1969 at the age of 47. He wrote about many subjects including spirituality, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and travel. His most famous work is probably “On The Road” written in the early 1950s, and “Dharma Bums” written while he lived in Orlando.
ROCKLEDGE. Nick Wynne lives in Rockledge but was raised in McRae, Georgia. He has Bachelor, Masters, and Doctorate degrees from the University of Georgia. Wynne was the Executive Director of the Florida Historical Society from1987 to 2008. He has written and published more than 25 books, many of them on history subjects.
SARASOTA. John D. MacDonald, best selling novelist and mystery writer. He may best be known as the creator of Travis McGee. McGee is the star of 21 best selling mystery novels. McDonald wrote hundreds of short stories and many other novels. These include “Condominium” and “Barrier Island”. His novel “The Executioners” has been made twice into the movie “Cape Fear”.
SARASOTA. David T. Warner was a member of a pioneer Florida family. He wrote several books about the old days in the state. His best known work is “Vanishing Florida”. Warner was a member of the “Liar’s Club” in Sarasota. This was a lunch club whose members included John D. MacDonald.
SEBRING. Rex Beach One of the first Florida authors to be a big time financial success. Beach’s novel “The Spoilers” has been made into movies five times. He was the first president of the Rollins College Alumni Association. After his successful writing career, he became an equally successful Florida farmer and rancher.
ST. JAMES CITY (Pine Island). Robert N. Macomber is an award winning writer, lecturer, and a real life seaman. He has experience as a military consultant and as an offshore racing captain Robert is best known for his Honor Series. These maritime thrillers trace the life and career of U.S. Navy officer Peter Wake.
ST. PETERSBURG. Raymond Arsenault is a professor of southern history at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus. He specializes in the social, political and environmental history of the American South, and has carved a special niche among Florida authors for this kind of writing.
ST. PETERSBURG. Jeff Klinkenberg was born in Miami in 1949 and is alive and well and living in the Tampa Bay area. He started exploring the Florida Keys and the Everglades in his childhood, and has been a keen observer of the changes in the state over the years.
ST. PETERSBURG. Gary Mormino was born January 31, 1947. and living in the Tampa Bay area. In addition to being a Florida author, he is a full professor at the University of South Florida, and has written several books about Italian Americans and a large work about Florida.
TAMPA. Tim Dorsey. Tim is one of the genre of Florida authors like Carl Hiaasen. He takes Florida’s craziness and make it even crazier. Serge Storms is the “hero” in most of Tim’s books. Serge’s sidekick is Coleman, a lovable drunken pothead. Serge has a psychological illness that make him a serial killer. He takes meds to control his illness, but often stops taking them because he hates the side effects.
OTHER AUTHORS & THEIR BIOGRAPHIES & BOOKS
LAKELAND, Melanie Hoover
Melanie
Hoover has lived in Lakeland, Florida since 1978. Originally from
Holland, Michigan, she and her husband of 45 years, have moved many
times since …
FORT LAUDERDALE, Dan Santoro
“Trapper” Dan Santoro first visited Fort Lauderdale Beach for Spring Break ’79 and returned the following 2 years as well.
He permanently moved to …
MIAMI, Arva Moore Parks
From Wikipedia:
Arva Moore Parks McCabe (born 1939) is a historian, author and preservationist in Miami, Florida.
A University of Florida Alumnus …
DAYTONA BEACH, Michelle Davidson
Michelle Davidson is a mixed media artist and author who currently lives in Daytona Beach, Florida.
She is the author of “Florida’s Haunted Hospitality”, …
JACKSONVILLE, Armand Rosamilia
Born in New Jersey in 1969, Armand has made Florida home since 2001.
He has several books set in Florida, including “Miami Spy Games,” nonfiction “A …
AUBURNDALE, Suzanne D. Williams
Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and nature photographer.
She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction …
KEY WEST, David L. Hemmel
KEY
WEST. David L. Hemmel has lived a large part of his life in a picket
fence lined ‘Conch House’ in Key West’s historic district. From this
vantage point …
LEESBURG, David M. Newell
Mr. Newell wrote a wonderful book about the Withlacoochee area of Florida. It was titled “If Nothin’ Don’t Happen”.
The book features the adventures …
CORAL GABLES, Charlton W. Tebeau
Charlton
W. Tebeau was born in 1904 and died in 2000. During his long life he
wrote many books, but his most famous one is “A History of Florida”
published …
VERO BEACH, E Lynne Wright
A native Pennsylvanian who loved books even before she learned to read Lynne began turning out stories almost as soon as she learned to write.
TALLAHASSEE, Jan Godown Annino
Tallahassee-area resident Jan Godown Annino, born in 1952. She grew up in rural New Jersey next to a back-yard field that held a bunch of dairy cows chewing …
WASHINGTON, DC, Michael Grunwald
Michael
Grunwald is a Washington Post reporter who has won the George Polk
Award for national reporting and other prizes for investigative
reporting.
…
COCOA BEACH, Gordon England
Gordon
England hails from Texas and was born in 1954. He now lives a tropical
life in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He graduated from the University of
Texas …
JACKSONVILLE, Jane R. Wood
Jane R Wood was born in Astoria, Oregon, in 1947. But he moved to Central Florida with her family in 1957, just in time to witness America’s historic journeys …
MOUNT DORA, Roderick Billette
Roderick Billette is alive and well and lives in Mount Dora, Florida. He is a Florida native who was born and raised in Lake County. Billette writes adventure pieces.
The Vacation Regions of Florida
Florida is many different vacation regions rolled into a single state. From the Redneck Riviera of the Panhandle to the Conch Republic of the Keys there is a mix of tropical beaches and inland natural areas that is unmatched anywhere else in the United States.
During our travels, we have visited virtually every area and our reviews reflect this. Some of them will encompass more than one designation. For Instance, Fort Myers both is Central Florida and the Lee Island Coast. That means you might see some of the articles in more than one place.
Regardless of whether you are planning a trip to Florida, or a resident who’s just traveling the Sunshine State, we hope this section will help you decide where to go and what to see.
The Northern Region
The Panhandle stretches from Pensacola 200 miles eastward to a line midway between Tallahassee and Gainsville. The Gulf areas include famous vacation regions like The Emerald Coast, The Forgotten Coast and part of the Nature Coast. It includes Panama City Beach, Mariana, Fort Walton Beach, Apalachicola and Destin among others.
There are folks who feel that the Panhandle reflects more hospitality and conservative values. Then of course, there’s Tallahassee. The state capital retains a great deal of that Southern charm, But it also contains pockets of the progressive, creative atmosphere typical of college towns.
North Florida runs roughly from Just south of Ocala to Daytona. It then goes north all the way to the Georgia line. This includes Gainsville, St. Augustine and Jacksonville. We found that like the Panhandle, it is more akin to the Deep South in culture. Much of North Florida is rural and is not as metropolitan as parts of Central or South Florida, with the major exceptions of the metropolitan areas,
In truth, North Florida is known more for magnolias and live oaks than palm trees and beaches. Nevertheless, the area is home to The First Coast and the Surf Coast on the Atlantic side, and the balance of the Nature Coast on the Gulf Side.
Central Florida
Central Florida picks up south of Ocala, then runs south to a line between Sarasota and Fort Pierce. This includes the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas. Most people think of the major theme parks such as Bush Gardens, Sea World, Universal Studios and Disneyworld when they think of this area of the state.
That being said, Central Florida is home to the Suncoast and the Culture Coast vacation regions on the Gulf side, As well as the Space Coast and Treasure Coast on the Atlantic side. Central Florida also is home to many natural springs. Many have been incorporated into state parks. The springs are great during the summer, because the water stays at a constant 72 degrees. The water is perfect for cooling off. Many visitors also go to the springs to boat and to spot manatees and alligators.
South Florida
South Florida’s vacation region runs from just South of Sarasota, around the tip of the state, then back north of Palm Beach. It includes the Fort Myers, Naples, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach among the metropolitan areas. The sprawling Everglades also is part of the region.
On the Gulf side it’s The Lee Island Coast and Paradise Coast and The Gold Coast on the Atlantic side.
The Keys is the island chain at the southernmost tip of the state. Stretching about 120 miles between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The Keys are known as a destination for fishing, boating, snorkeling and scuba diving. It also is known as “The Diving Capital of the World.”
The island chain’s first and longest island, is about a 60-minute drive from Miami International Airport. Key Largo is bordered on the west by Florida Bay and the Everglades National Park backcountry, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, home to the clear waters of the Gulf Stream. The southernmost city of Key West is famous for Duval Street’s many bars, Mallory Square’s nightly Sunset Celebration and the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum.
We also recommend The 12 Coasts of Florida to help you plan your visit.
The 12 Coasts of Florida
The Sunshine State has more beach area than any other state. And each of the 12 coasts of Florida has it’s own designation. We have compiled a dozen different named locales, although it appears there might even be more. Starting in Pensacola and ending up in Jacksonville there’s some 1,350 miles of beach from the Gulf to the Atlantic. We have taken some time and compiled a list of the names of Florida’s unique coastal areas .
The Gulf Coast
The Panhandle
The Emerald Coast stretches 100 miles from Pensacola to Panama City. This one of the coasts of Florida encompasses five counties. These include; Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay. It has nicknames like the Miracle Strip and the Redneck Riviera.
We discovered that the coast got it’s current name from a then-junior high school student in 1983,
He pointed to the emerald green color of its waters The color of the water north of the Gulf of Mexico combined with white sand with a crystal base results in beautiful blue-green water in the Emerald Coast region.
Florida’s Forgotten Coast is billed as “the last remaining stretch of unspoiled, pristine Gulf Coast beaches that haven’t been overrun by high rises and strip malls.” It encompasses the section of coastline from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola Bay.
The name for this coast of Florida was coined in the early 1990s. It came from the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce. As the story goes, they developed the name after a group of tourism employees forgot to add information on the region to their brochure about Florida. The area has the same white sand and blue green water but is largely uninhabited and undeveloped.
Formerly known as The Big Bend or “The Lonesome Leg,” the stretch between Wakulla down to Hernando counties as been re-designated as The Nature Coast. This eight county region also was named in the early 1990s to attract vacationers.
It is an area of almost a million acres. Here, it is easy to discover the “real Florida,” The Nature Coast features dense forests, prairies, and blackwater rivers. It offers ample opportunities for trail hiking, kayaking, bicycling, fishing and bird watching. Even so, vacationers are never far from a town. Many of them quaint and historically significant.
The Central
The Suncoast Region of Florida ia one of our favorites. It picks up at St. Petersburg, then runs south past Clearwater, Tampa and Saraota to Bradenton. The region draws its name from the number of sunshiny days they are able to draw each calendar year. This one of the coasts of Florida also is home to some of the best beaches in the nation – this is due in part to the quartz sand that is paired with its high water quality. The fact that the beaches are backed up to good sized cities, means there are ample opportunities for lodging, dining and entertainment.
The Culture Coast lies just south. The area apparently has taken the designation as it is home to a rich mix of artists, performers, museums, galleries, theater, music and art schools. In addition to the Ringling Estate, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the Sarasota Opera house, there are many film, art and music festivals that dot the calendar year.
We have found it also is the home to a number of great beaches. Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key and Lido Key are among the most popular. In fact, Siesta Key has been named the Best Beach in the United States.
Lee Island Coast is named after an island, but it’s actually named after Lee County, home to the beaches most commonly associated with southwestern Florida. This area includes some of our top picks – like the islands of Sanibel and Captiva, Fort Myers and more than 100 small coastal islands. Sanibel particularly has been recognized as one of the best shelling beaches in the country.
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and other well-known American personalities spent winters in Lee County, which helped put this region on the map.
The South
Around the Horn, The Paradise Coast continues south and includes Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, and Immokalee. The white sand beaches on this one of the coasts of Florida are clean, unspoiled and plentiful. At some, you can walk directly onto the sand from your hotel. Others are accessible only by boat. Naples is home to the thousand foot long Naples Pier and there are other attractions such as the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Barefoot Beach Preserve and Tigertail Beach
The Florida Keys, or the Conch Republic, does not actually have a coastal designation. Since its founding in 1822, Key West became the adopted homes to many pirates, poets and political pundits.. Must stops include viewing the treasures from shipwrecks and discovering the haunts of their literary heroes. You also can marvele at the Victorian architecture and lush, colorful gardens.
We can recommend some beaches. The most popular stretch of sand in Key West is Smathers Beach, There are plenty of activities, food venders, and watersport rentals here and parking is free along the boulevard. For a less crowded option there’s Higgs Beach inside CB Harvey Rest Beach Park. it also features free parking, covered picnic areas and the White Street Fishing Pier.
The Atlantic Coast
The South
Moving north up the Atlantic side of the state, The Gold Coast includes some 60 miles of shoreline from Miami up to Ft. Lauderdale. It also encompasses West Palm Beach, (though its definition has changed over time), The name is said to be a reference to the wealth and ritzy lifestyle of the area.
That being said, much of the natural treasure of the Gold Coast remains. There are 300 miles of Intracoastal Waterway, in addition to the Fort Lauderdale canals. And of course the Everglades is just a few miles inland.
The Treasure Coast moves northward up the Atlantic and encompasses Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties. It also encompasses the cities of Sebastian and Vero Beach. You’ll find the “treasure” Treasure Coast is a reference to the Spanish Treasure Fleet which was lost in the Hurricane of 1715. Despite the Treasure Coast being a relatively small area, there are many historic cities for you to enjoy, some larger than others, but all retain a sort of small town feel.
In addition to the beaches, we discovered great attractions such as the Elliot Museum in Stuart and The Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce. In addition, you can stop by the aptly named Treasure Coast Square shopping center in Jensen Beach or visit Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum in Sebastian.
The Central
For the most part, The Space Coast is in Brevard County. This one of the coasts of Florida has over 70 miles of coastline and cities such as Titusville, Melbourne, and Cocoa Beach. The name reflects their proximity to The Kennedy Space Center. The north end of Florida’s Space Coast is home to the Canaveral National Seashore and pristine natural habitats, while the south is home to Sebastian Inlet State Park. The west is bordered by the St. Johns River and the east stops at the Atlantic Ocean. There is a wide range of activities, from fishing and boating, to cruise ships, rocket launches and of course – the beach life.
Just up the road is The Surf Coast, or what we call The Fun Coast. This is the region also know as the Halifax area, It’s roughly north from New Smyrna Beach to Ormond Beach. Locals took on the designation in an effort to promote local tourism. That being said, New Smyrna Beach has been ranked as one of the top surfing locations – but also has been the Shark Bite Capital. The area offers some of the finest wave action on the Eastern Seaboard. Surfing is a favorite pastime and the locals have the scoop on where to catch the best wave. New Smyrna is the perfect place for experts and amateurs alike. With rock ledges 4 – 5 miles offshore, the wave breaks are plentiful but swimmers are protected from dangerous undertows. Beginners like the beaches there because they can learn the sport in safe waters.
The North
Ironically, our last area is Florida’s First Coast. This runs from St. John’s County northward with 75 miles of beach to the Georgia state line. The name First Coast (which sometimes is called the Historic Coast) refers both to the first permanent European settlement – St. Augustine. That was settled better than 50 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock,It also was the “first coast” in the state of Florida that was encountered traveling southbound down the Atlantic seaboard. In addition to it’s history and pristine, natural areas, there’s golf. A lot of golf. Home to the World Golf Hall of Fame, THE PLAYERS Championship, PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, Northeast.
These are the dozen generally accepted coastal designations in Florida. How many have you visited? You may also want to see our post about the Vacation Regions of Florida.
Winter is a Perfect Time for the Beach & Collecting Shells
Winter at the beach has a lot to offer, and officials at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission remind folks it’s a perfect time for collecting shells.
Shells are Fun and Useful
As a former island dweller, seashells have become an integral part of my home decorating scheme. They make great containers for Q-tips, candles and jewelry. Some act as decoration atop a cabinet, while others have been turned into craft projects such as a necklace or windchime. Little jars of sharks’ teeth collected throughout the years are tucked away. I even have a shell from my daughter’s first trip to the beach, labeled with the date. A little reminder of paradise.
While collecting is fun, leaving behind seashells and other marine organisms can also benefit our beaches, which is why I always limit what I take. Shells provide protection for creatures such as hermit crabs and can be hiding places for small fish. They also help stabilize beaches and anchor seagrass.
But if you do want to take home a few souvenirs, it’s important to know there are some rules when it comes to recreational seashell collection on Florida’s beaches.
The Krazy Greek – It’s Crazy to Miss Out on It
Krazy Good Greek
In amongst the orange groves of central Florida lies some of the best Greek food you will ever taste. The restaurant itself is tucked in a single bay of a strip shopping center along Cypress Gardens Boulevard. It would be easy for you to miss unless you know it’s there.
The Krazy Greek is small. We arrived to find only a few tables and a simple window where we went to place our order. There were no tablecloths or centerpieces. We got our own drinks from a fountain, plasticware from a dispenser, picked up our food and bus our table.
That being said, it is bright and cheery, lit by the large picture windows. There’s also authentic Greek music playing constantly to add to the atmosphere.
The Dundee Citrus Candy Factory
Perched along US 27 in the small central Florida community of Dundee, Davidson of Dundee is a wonderful attraction with great citrus candy. It also is a tasty throwback to the roadside stops of the Sunshine State in the 1950s and 60s. It is a simple layout, a single floor with rows and rows of candies, jams and other products that just scream Florida.
Although they ship LOTS of fresh fruit, their signature products are the jellies, marmalades and butters. The colorful jars and jellied candies come in flavors that are emblematic of the citrus industry that surrounds them.
It’s nostalgic and fun
Shoppers can enjoy orange, tangerine, honeybell and temple, as well as blends of orange/pineapple/cherry and orange/peach which they have nicknamed “Fuzzy Navel.” Their candies have been dubbed “citrus delicacies” with flavors like orange, lemon and key lime.
One of the best parts is that you actually can try the different flavors of candies, fudge (yes fudge), jams and marmalades to see which one you like the best. You can purchase them individually or in gift sets. Their products may be purchased in the best gift shops around Florida but the prices are the best here.
