Category Archives: florida history

Still The Last Great Roadhouse Beach Bar

Still The Last Great Roadhouse Beach Bar.

Posted in Florida Food, florida history, florida vacations, Historic Buildings, Restaurants | Leave a comment

Still The Last Great Roadhouse Beach Bar

You can’t go any more west in Florida than the infamous Flora-Bama Lounge located on Perdido Key directly on the Alabama-Florida line.   In fact, the rustic honky-tonk opened in 1964  just after the State of Alabama connected Orange Beach, Alabama, … Continue reading

Posted in florida history | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Florida’s Best Small Beach Town Vacations

If  you’re sick of the crowded beaches and high prices of Florida’s huge winter vacation towns you might consider spending some time this season in some of Florida’s smaller beach communities.   They are quieter and less expensive but they offer … Continue reading

Posted in florida history | Leave a comment

Tampa Landmarks Turning Into Boutique Hotels

Recently Tampa architect Alberto Alfonso announced the development of a new hotel on Ybor City’s historic 7th Avenue at 14th Street.  The hotel will incorporate Ybor’s wraparound balconies, utilize real structures, and restart the Las Novedades restaurant, for decades an Ybor … Continue reading

Posted in florida history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Its The Start of Art Festival Season In Sunny Florida

This weekend my wife and I are going to the 25th Annual Hyde Park Village Art Festival in Tampa as will thousands of others with five Florida festivals going on across the state.. As the rainy season ends, many artists and … Continue reading

Posted in florida history | Leave a comment

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

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

Posted in florida history | Leave a comment

Florida’s Version of Clam Chowder Really Packs A Punch

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

Posted in florida history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

Posted in florida education, florida history, Historic Buildings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

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

Posted in florida history | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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

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

Posted in florida history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment