Author Archives: floridatraveler

After reading Jack L. Roberts’ The Writers Compound, a book about four Key West writers, I became curious how many National Register Literary Landmarks were in Florida and I discovered that 33% of Florida’s sites are found in one town … Continue reading →

The story of European Florida begins with the two voyages of Ponce de Leon to the peninsula of Florida, but despite good records by the explorer, the location of his first landing on the East Coast of Florida can not … Continue reading →

The recent destruction of much of Notre Dame in Paris brought a lot of questions from my college students since they know my long-time involvement in historic preservation. The restoration and rebuilding of historic structures is guided by the 3-M … Continue reading →

Famed Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said that “no one goes to that (place), it’s too crowded.” That is the problem of many of Florida’s top beaches – if you don’t get there early, you might not get a decent … Continue reading →

March and early April are the best months to visit Walt Disney World due to reasonably mild temperatures, the lowest humidity of the year, and a low probably that your expensive day will be ruined by heavy rains. The parks … Continue reading →

Last week I took my annual trip up to Dade City.  The more I visit Florida’s small towns, the more I realize how much of Florida’s personality an charm is lost of tourists who jam into the booming coastal resorts … Continue reading →

Florida has l.5 million American alligators and as saltwater intrusion continues in the Everglades, the activity of transporting wandering gators from South Floridians’ swimming pools and backyards has increased as gators move northward. There are so many gators that there … Continue reading →

With mild weather and little rainfall this time of year is a great time for one of Florida’s favorite outdoor activities – food festivals. In the summer almost every Panhandle town has a seafood festival and in the fall Walt … Continue reading →

This is the time of year when Floridians, snowbirds, and visitors alike head to the warmer waters of springs and electric plants and even nuclear plant complexes to watch our favorite manatees.  While people call manatees sea cows, the female … Continue reading →

When my family first came to Florida, we landed at Tampa Airport, rented a car, went over the causeway and then “took a ferry” across the mouth of Tampa Bay from Saint Augustine to Bradenton. Today, the “second” Sunshine Skyway … Continue reading →