Month: June 2017

Good Footwear for Hiking and Toilet Paper Are Some of My Camping Essentials.

Solo Travel Girl’s 6 Practical Camping Essentials List

Summer’s here which means most of the United States can finally get outside to spend quality time with family and Mother Nature. I say most because here in Florida, we’re fortunate to be able to play outdoors year-round. Ready to rev up your RV, pop up your tent or set sail on your catamaran? From DEET-free bug repellent to toilet paper, following are my 6 practical camping essentials list.

Connie, One of Sugarlands Distilling's Guides, Holds a Jar of Moonshine in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Culinary Travel Featured

Gatlinburg Attractions: Sipping Shine with Sugarlands Distilling Co.

A clue you’re in for a good time is when the guy pouring shots is named O’Damnit. Recently, I traveled to Eastern Tennessee to experience a popular Gatlinburg Attraction, Sugarlands Distilling Co. And, O’Damnit with Sugarlands was one of many who ensured I left with a better understanding and appreciation of moonshine.

See the General Lee at Cooter's,a Nostaligic Gatlinburg Attraction

Solo Travel

Quirky Gatlinburg Attractions: Kitchen-Kitsch and Homage to the Dukes of Hazzard

Find kitchen-kitsch at the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum and a country cousins shrine to The Dukes of Hazzard in two quirky Gatlinburg, Tennessee, museums.

Feed an Elephant Carrots at All About Elephants in Williston, Fla.

Featured Florida Fun

Travel in Florida: All About Elephants at Two Tails Ranch

Located about 90 minutes northwest of Orlando and between Ocala and Gainesville in Williston, Fla., is Two Tails Ranch, a privately-owned, one-of-a-kind elephant ranch where eight pachyderms are permanent residents. It’s not an elephant sanctuary, although I’m aware of at least one in Florida, and since its inception in 1984, about 300 other elephants have passed through its gates. Think of the 80-acre ranch as a hotel for these endangered gentle giants.

Advocate and Actor Geena Davis Signs a Baseball for Ringling College Student Artist Elizabeth Gray. Gray Created the Portrait of the Artist Which Was Presented to Her Prior to Davis's Feb. 13, 2013 Lecture in Sarasota, Fla.

Featured Girl Power

Geena Davis: #ShesGotDrive and Still in a League of Her Own

One of my favorite movie lines, “there’s no crying in baseball,” was brought to the silver screen 25 years ago in the film, “A League of Their Own.” If you’re a Gen X-er like me, you’re probably feeling old realizing that classic movie is 25 years old.

Seared Tuna Taco from the Nauti Parrot Dock Bar, Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

Culinary Travel Florida Fun

#FishTacoCompetition: Nauti Parrot Dock Bar, Fort Myers Beach

Where can you find the best fish tacos in Southwest Florida? I’m one of the judges on the quest to find them and my first stop in the competition was at Nauti Parrot Dock Bar in Fort Myers Beach where I tried THREE of their tacos each with a different seafood protein.

Culinary Travel Featured Florida Fun

Where Are the Best Fish Tacos in Southwest Florida?

I’m excited to be joining other judges in finding the best fish tacos in Southwest Florida. I am putting my certified food judging skills to work by participating in the First Annual Fish Taco Frenzy Competition and eating my way through Southwest Florida sampling this pescetarian fave.