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

The Lincoln Road Antique Market Is Florida’s “One of a Kind” Place

Posted on October 20, 2014 by floridatraveler

Across Florida October means Florida’s extensive and popular flea markets are starting to expand as snowbird and vacationing vendors double the number of shops.  There are some great antique and collectible markets like Mount Dora, but to me nothing beats … Continue reading →

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Florida’s Version of Clam Chowder Really Packs A Punch

Posted on October 12, 2014 by floridatraveler

The oldest continuous families in Florida originated from the Balearic Islands.  Most arrived with Dr. Andrew Turnbull’s New Smyrna colony and moved north to Saint Augustine when Turnbull’s community folded by 1777. Fishing and shop-keeping were major mainstay occupations of … Continue reading →

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Florida’s Booming College Population Makes A Lot of #1s

Posted on October 6, 2014 by floridatraveler

Florida’s Booming College Population Makes A Lot of #1s.

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Florida’s Booming College Population Makes A Lot of #1s

Posted on October 6, 2014 by floridatraveler

It’s football season, a big time in the South, and a friend called me after hearing from a sports announcer that the University of Central Florida in Orlando was “Florida’s largest college.”  “Could this is true?” he asked.  More than … Continue reading →

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The Inside The Box Cafe Is Tampa’s Diamond in the Rough

Posted on September 28, 2014 by floridatraveler

Inside the Box resembles most of the fast service lunch spots on Tampa Street, Tampa’s downtown restaurant row.  Even many of the customers rushing in to get a one-half sandwich, one-half salad meal-to-go or one of the weekly specials do not know … Continue reading →

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Miami’s Latest Attraction Is An Engineering Landmark

Posted on September 21, 2014 by floridatraveler

Open for just over a month, Florida State Road 887, better known as the Port Miami Tunnel, has become a tourist attraction.  While undersea tunnels of 4,200 feet are not unusual in other parts of the USA, this is the … Continue reading →

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Pigeon Key Is A Unique Florida Keys Vacation

Posted on September 14, 2014 by floridatraveler

Three million visitors vacation in the Florida Keys each year, most of them looking for a secluded island with a private beach and unique experiences.  Most of them drive right past or even bike right over Pigeon Key. Four acre … Continue reading →

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Jai Alai in Florida: Going, Going, But Not Gone

Posted on September 8, 2014 by floridatraveler

Jai Alai in Florida: Going, Going, But Not Gone.

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Jai Alai in Florida: Going, Going, But Not Gone

Posted on September 8, 2014 by floridatraveler

  When I was a student at the University of Miami, it was a thrill to take a date to the Miami Jai Alai Fronton.  To us Northerners, it was like visiting another country – one with a loud, energetic … Continue reading →

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Battle of Marianna Starts Last Stages of Florida Civil War

Posted on September 1, 2014 by floridatraveler

  The Battle of Marianna took place 150 years ago and marked the start of the last stage of the American Civil War in Florida.  Union Brigadier General Alexander Asboth in Pensacola as commander of the Union’s District of West … Continue reading →

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