Author Archives: floridatraveler

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About floridatraveler

Emeritus Professor of History and travel and textbook writer M. C. Bob Leonard makes the Sunshine State his home base. Besides serving as content editor for several textbook publishers and as a college professor, he moderates the FHIC at www.floridahistory.org

Unofficial Guide To Florida Beachside Restaurants

Posted on June 13, 2016 by floridatraveler

It’s summertime in Florida and both tourists and locals are heading to Florida’s 663 miles of beach (not shoreline – beach). Part of the sandy excursion for many adults is a stop at a restaurant on the beach for burgers, … Continue reading →

Posted in adventure vacation, beer, dining, Florida Food, florida history, Florida sports, florida vacations, food, Historic Buildings, Restaurants, travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Craft Brewing Is Big Business In Florida

Posted on June 6, 2016 by floridatraveler

The craft beer industry has boomed in Florida in the last years, even in the Panhandle. Vicente Martinez Ybor not only brought the cigar industry to Tampa (Ybor City) in 1885. he constructed Florida’s first brewing company (1897), the Florida … Continue reading →

Posted in attractions, beer, dining, Florida Food, florida history, florida vacations, food, Historic Buildings, Restaurants | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Goody Goody: Return of a Florida Icon

Posted on May 31, 2016 by floridatraveler

Most cities have a restaurant or store that has become an icon because of its long history and its role in the lives of decades of loyal customers.  When a business like that closes, regardless of reason, it leaves an … Continue reading →

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Palm Beach Is A Great Summer Vacation Spot

Posted on May 24, 2016 by floridatraveler

When May comes around in Florida, the snow birds and high rollers have departed and most of the automobile tourists are waiting for the kids to finish schools.  It is a time of year when vacationers can often avoid high … Continue reading →

Posted in adventure vacation, attractions, dining, florida history, florida vacations, Historic Buildings, Historic Hotels & Inns, Restaurants, travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Hot Times In Summer At Lesser Known Hotels

Posted on May 17, 2016 by floridatraveler

It is summertime in Florida and while we have a large population of Floridians going North to the North Carolina mountains and visiting family, more and more Floridians are exploring hotels within the state.   Summer is also the time that … Continue reading →

Posted in attractions, dining, florida history, Florida sports, florida vacations, food, Historic Hotels & Inns, Recreational Experiences, Restaurants, travel | Leave a comment

Florida Boardwalks Go More Native In The Summertime

Posted on May 9, 2016 by floridatraveler

For a state with so much beachfront, it is shocking how few Florida coastal communities have Victorian style waterfront boardwalks, complete with restaurants, souvenir shops, and amusements.   Excluding inland lake frontages (WDW’s Boardwalk) and river-walks like the new one in … Continue reading →

Posted in attractions, dining, Florida Food, florida history, Florida parks, florida vacations, Historic Hotels & Inns, Recreational Experiences, Restaurants, travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Southern Cooking Is Growing Across Florida

Posted on May 4, 2016 by floridatraveler

Ask a visitor about food in Florida and they will probably first mention seafood – stone crabs, grouper, mullet, shrimp.  Thanks to Miami and Ybor City, Cuban and Latin American food will be mentioned by some tourists. Southern cooking is … Continue reading →

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Floridians Love Their Swimming Pools More and More Gigantic

Posted on April 26, 2016 by floridatraveler

Despite having 700 miles of sandy beaches to swim and play on, Floridians have always loved their swimming pools. Even that workaholic Thomas Edison had a Portland  Cement pool put into his winter state and lab at Fort Myers in … Continue reading →

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CORAL CASTLE – The Stonehedge Of Florida

Posted on April 19, 2016 by floridatraveler

Over thirty years ago I wrote an article for a magazine called PSYCHIC WORLD on Coral Castle, a unique castle structure located in Homestead off US 1.  There were lots of unexplained questions about this unique structure back then and none of … Continue reading →

Posted in art, attractions, florida history, Florida parks, florida vacations, Historic Buildings, museums, Wierd Florida | Tagged | Leave a comment

Florida’s Top Aquaculture Product Comes In A Can

Posted on April 12, 2016 by floridatraveler

Florida is the only state in the nation surrounded on three sides by two major bodies of water  – the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing, both commercial and recreational, is big business in the Sunshine State. Pound for … Continue reading →

Posted in attractions, conservation, florida education, Florida Food, florida history, florida vacations, food, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment