Category Archives: florida history

Sitting on the quiet banks of the Ancloate River in Tarpon Springs is St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, a tribute to the work of Dr. James Gills, the man who has performed more surgeries than any other eye surgeon … Continue reading →

Summer is on the way and its time for Floridians to hit the beaches. Instead of giant and costly resorts and high rise condos, we like those rare commodities: a great bed and beakfast inn DIRECTLY ON THE BEACH. Here … Continue reading →

Sanibel and Captiva Islands are well known for their strong rules protecting the environment, but the islands are equally supportive of preserving the islands’ past. The Sanibel Historical Village and Museum has saved an entire village of island history: 1896 … Continue reading →

South of Disney World is “cattle country” in Florida and more and more cattlemen are turning to “Cracker cattle” – the wild ancestors of cattle brought to Florida by the Spanish for local consumption. After the Civil War bigger breeds … Continue reading →

My favorite luxury resort at WDW is the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas. It has three killer restaurants, a wonderful African theme, friendly people from Africa and elsewhere, and a large and exotic pool area. It’s biggest shortcoming is that … Continue reading →

It is with great regret that I announce that The View at CK’s at Tampa AIrport Marriott is closing this summer. The 1980’s revolving restaurant gave us Tampans a feeling of status in the world of restaurant architecture. Started by … Continue reading →

It is strange how a basketball game can put a university on the news map faster than hiring a few Nobel Prize winners. Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers is further south than U. of South Florida. Beach balls … Continue reading →

The seventy-five store-restaurant complex known as Downtown Disney will double in size in the next three years and become a four part Florida lakeside village known as Disney Springs. Lake Buena Vista will be lined with a Town Center with … Continue reading →

I love visiting the West Coast city of Sarasota. No town in Florida exhibits a greater appreciation for the role art plays in our daily lives. Main Street downtown has statues everywhere. This wonderful statue set is at the Sarasota … Continue reading →

Epcot’s Chefs de France at Walt Disney World has a one character dinner show. A French actress who reminds me of Leslie Caron wheels a serving cart around the tables and when she lifts a chafing lid, there is Remy … Continue reading →