Where can you go to an old sugar mill transformed into a restaurant, sit down at a table with a built-in griddle and cook your own breakfast – then take an eco tour on a pontoon boat or go swimming? Only in Florida, of course ...

You can do all this at De Leon Springs State Park, located one hour north of Orlando. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill & Griddle House opened in 1961 and is family-run. Breakfast is served all day, and the restaurant serves sandwiches and salads in addition to breakfast.
Create your own pancakes by choosing from homemade pancake batters and sausages, blueberries and more. This is a great inter-generational event; every time we go, we're smiling before the first batch of pancakes gets poured on the griddle.


Create your own pancakes by choosing from homemade pancake batters and sausages, blueberries and more. This is a great inter-generational event; every time we go, we're smiling before the first batch of pancakes gets poured on the griddle.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The park has a $5 entrance fee for a vehicle with up to eight people.

After breakfast, it’s time to see the sights. Next to the sugar mill is the Spring Garden Run. An eco/history tour that lasts 50 minutes leaves at 10 and 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Other choices include swimming in the headsprings or walking the four-mile Persimmon Trail.
 
These Shrimp Rock

Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant in Titusville, one hour east of Orlando, is family-owned and has been serving wild ocean shrimp for 26 years. It’s known for its rock shrimp, little morsels that taste like lobster but are a member of the shrimp family.

Rock shrimp used to be ignored because of their hard (rock-like) shell, then a machine was invented to split the shell. Now rock shrimp are like rock stars – they have their own groupies who visit the restaurant specifically for a rock shrimp meal.

Located at 1475 Garden Street in Titusville, Dixie Crossroads’ hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bring a camera and sit next to the oversized rock shrimp on a bench outside for a fun photo moment.

Nearby places to play include Blue Spring State Park (1.5 hours), the Brevard Zoo (half-hour) and Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island (10 minutes).

The Keys and Key Lime Pie

Sure, the water in the Florida Keys is a seductive shade of blue-green and the beaches are calling your name, but honestly, can you imagine being here and NOT having Key lime pie? Neither can I.

A good Key lime pie is, well, heavenly. That must be why it’s the official dessert of Florida.

The Key West Key Lime Pie Company makes a great Key lime pie. In fact, it won four blue ribbons in the 2008 National Pie Championships, and their Key Lime bar won a blue ribbon in the 2009 National Pie Championships. Located on Big Pine Key, the company’s Web site lists locations in the keys where you can buy its Key lime pies and bars. The Web site also has a catalog for ordering.

Satisfied with pie, head for Bahia Honda State Park and enjoy the beach or take the Silver Palm Trail for a self-guided walk using the free brochure. Then move on to Key West and walk the walk on Duval Street.

Fresh off the Boat in Pensacola

Drum roll, please – let’s hear it for fresh amberjack, flounder, grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, catfish, salmon, swordfish, tuna, tilapia and scamp. And don't forget oysters, scallops, clams, squid, mussels, octopus, crab and shrimp.

Joe Patti's Seafood in Pensacola, a family business started in 1931, has it all. Visit its deli restaurant next to the seafood warehouse, where fishing boats tied up at the dock delivered the seafood you'll have for lunch. Joe Patti's also has an online seafood market.

Joe Patti's Seafood is at South A Street and Main. Captain Joey Patti's Seafood Restaurant is located at C Street on the Bay. Restaurant hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

While in Pensacola, some must-sees include the National Naval Aviation Museum and the Historic Pensacola Tour.

Clam Chowder at the End of the Road

Would you drive to the end of the road for a really great cup of clam chowder? I would, and I did – traveling west on State Road 24 until it ends in Cedar Key. On Second Street, you'll find Tony's Seafood inside the old Hale building in the key’s historic district.

Tony's Famous Clam Chowder is beyond famous. As far as I'm concerned, this clam chowder is headed for fabulous. I had a lunch duo – a bowl of clam chowder with freshly steamed local clams on the side. Mmm.

The chowder is chock full of clams in a thick, creamy sauce that sparkles with a spicy overtone – hot sauce, perhaps? But why analyze it? Just enjoy every bite.

After lunch, check the Chamber of Commerce across the street for free brochures on things to do. Cedar Key is located right on the Gulf of Mexico, three hours north of Tampa.

You can see clam beds at low tide, plus clam aquaculture is a big industry here. Want to know how a baby clam grows up? Visit Southern Cross Sea Farms, 12170 State Road 24 in Cedar Key.