Ditch those busy Florida beach destinations and rediscover the real side of Florida, where life is slower, ice cream parlors on the main street are the hot-spots, flip-flops are the main footwear and fishing poles are trendy. Here are the best Florida coastal towns your whole family will love.
Visiting Cross Creek: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Historic Homestead
Step back through the garden gate and enter the 1930’s Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic Homestead near Gainesville, Florida. Pulitzer-prize winning author Majorie Kinnan Rawlings is best known for capturing the characters of depression-era rural Florida in her novels and short stories.
How to Plan a Fun & Affordable Family Vacation
Planning a fun and affordable family vacation ahead of time is easier (and less pricey) than leaving it ’til the last minute, and here are some handy tips and tricks to help you plan a vacation the whole family will love.
Getting Alligator Educated at Orlando’s Gatorland
One by one, the 12-14 foot gators slid onto the beach in front of me, their feet thrusting their huge armored plated bodies forward across the surface of sand and crushed shells. A row of giant jaws parted in anticipation, revealing rows of gleaming sharp teeth…
Airboat Adventure in De Leon Springs, Florida
A gator spotted us and ducked beneath the surface as we rounded a bend and gracefully curved onto the Spring Garden Creek. The airboat skimmed neatly over the weeds and water plants along the narrowing channel to Lake Woodruff, and it felt like flying- but without an airplane…
The Art of Coffee at Chica’s Cuban Cafe in Deland, Florida
The sweet smell of fresh roasted coffee beans wafted under my nostrils as the server placed an over-sized coffee cup on the table in front of me. In the little town of Deland, Florida, I was about to embark on a ritual that spanned centuries in the western world…coffee.
The Girl’s Guide to Ghost Hunting in St. Augustine
Visitor’s flock to St. Augustine for the historic sites, shopping & food, but when the sun sets, the hunters emerge- ghost hunting in America’s oldest city- here’s a guide to get you started.
Adventures on Ormond Scenic Loop (Florida’s Scenic Highway & National Byway)
Driving on the 34-mile Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail near Daytona Beach- it was just me. My car. The music. And the open road. Salt marshes gave way to a dense leafy canopy- ancient trees bowed over the worn tarmac. Palm trees swayed in a coastal Florida breeze and endless wetlands stretched all around. I rounded a bend and hit the brakes. My heart flip-flopped in my chest- the road ahead had completely vanished -submerged beneath the water- becoming one with the wetlands…
Discovering Poe Springs
Some places are worth the extra effort, and to discover the secret gems of Poe Springs, you have to go the extra half-mile. A long winding boardwalk takes you under a canopy of leafy green and to a hidden freshwater spring…
The First Day of School: Why You Are Doing It All Wrong
Summer ends and school begins. Soon all the photos of scrubbed children with shiny new backpacks and fresh clothes will fill up the Facebook and Instagram feeds. But what the unsuspecting parents who snap away at their posed kids, before shipping them off to new teachers, new classmates, don’t realize is they’re doing it all wrong. And this is why…