travel in Florida

Manatee in the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park, Fla., Jan. 14, 2024.

How Flamingo in Everglades National Park Won My Heart. Again.

Flamingo in Everglades National Park was my home for more than three years. I recently returned to see the changes and I’m impressed.

"Caloosahatchee Manuscripts" at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Fla., June 2022.

Destinations Featured Florida Fun Games

Fort Myers Discovery Challenge is a Passport to Fun in 2022

The Fort Myers Discovery Challenge is a new digital passport to help you discover fun things to do in Fort Myers and Lee County, Fla. The more places you visit and check-in, the more you’ll be rewarded.

Featured Florida Fun

Tips for Saving During Your 2018 Florida Summer Vacation

Who doesn’t love saving a buck when traveling? I’m always looking for ways to stretch my dollars and with summer rolling in, I hope you find these tips useful for saving when visiting Florida attractions.

Horseback Riding on the Beach at Cape San Blas, Fla., with Two-Bit Stables, May 18, 2018

Featured Florida Fun

Florida Travel: Horseback Riding on the Beach at Cape San Blas

There are about a dozen places in the United States where horses are permitted on public beaches and only three locations in Florida with Cape San Blas in Gulf County, Florida, near Port Saint Joe, being one. The other two locations are Amelia Island in the northeast and Hutchinson Island in the southeast. On a lovely May evening, I experienced horseback riding on the beach at Cape San Blas.

Bats Heading Out into the Night from the University of Florida Bat House

Featured Florida Fun

Things to do in Gainesville: Visit the University of Florida Bat House and Barns!

Looking for unique things to do in Gainesville, here something for ya – check out the University of Florida bat house and barns! Footballs and baseballs aren’t the only objects soaring through the sky at the University of Florida. Tens of thousands of bats inhabit the campus and their departure from the UF Bat Barns and Bat House each evening is one of Gainesville’s most interesting ecotourism attractions.

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.

Sea oats on Don Pedro Island State Park, Fla.

Florida Fun Nature Travel

Cruising to Don Pedro Island State Park with Captiva Cruises

Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. Dr. Beach and the world’s foremost authority on beaches, considers Don Pedro Island State Park one of Florida’s best tranquil beaches. There’s good reason this beach is worthy of the designation. Located on the barrier island of Don Pedro Island it’s only accessible by boat.

Featured Florida Fun Solo Travel

A Muddy Thrill at Florida Tracks & Trails in Punta Gorda

Some girls prefer mud massages or facials, I prefer playing in the mud. “You’ll get muddy,” I was told by the woman at the Florida Tracks & Trails Pro Shop. “Seriously, how muddy would I get?” I thought.

Admiring the Magic of a Bald Cypress Forest, Florida

Featured Florida Fun Nature Travel Solo Travel

My Date with a Swamp Walk in Big Cypress National Preserve

Piercing cold shot up my right leg as soon as I stepped into the water then the deep, dark mud. Not one who’s afraid of getting a little dirty when playing, this past Valentine’s Day provided an opportunity to check something off my bucket list, a swamp walk with Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery.

Featured Florida Fun

Beyond Rocket Launches on Florida’s Space Coast

Based on my social media check-ins over the last few years, you’d think I was an official part-time resident of Brevard County, also known as Florida’s Space Coast. Why? Because I’m a space nut and I’ve been shuttling over to Florida’s East Coast frequently since 2011 as part of NASA’s social media community.