Florida invented spring training and hosted the first integrated baseball game. Here’s an introduction to spring training in the Sunshine State, and the cities that take you out to the ballgames. By Josh Gillin BRADENTON Team: Pittsburgh Pirates Ballpark: LECOM Park, built in 1923, is the grand…
Read MoreThey say that once you get Florida sand between your toes, you'll always return. So what happens when sand from Florida's Emerald Coast gets lodged in your family’s soul? You'll never want to leave. There are more activities than you can count in the Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island and Destin…
Read MoreSnuggled against Northwest Florida's Gulf coast, South Walton boasts a 26-mile stretch of brilliant white sand and emerald waters that offer several outstanding parks as well as 16 vibrant beach communities, all with distinct personalities and architecture. By Lauren Tjaden The beaches of South…
Read MoreThe Emerald Coast beaches in the Destin and Fort Walton area offer toes-in-the-sand perfection. By Lauren Tjaden The Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island area is cheerful and family-friendly. It's famed for its fishing, but its beaches are among the most beautiful in the world. The area…
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Florida's Hernando County, sited in the central-west part of the state, has an abundance of parks, preserves and state-managed lands to explore, with excellent hiking trails providing a corridor into wild places. To get a feel for Hernando County's natural beauty, spend some time on the…
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Florida promises a paradise for cyclists and hikers with a myriad of greenways and trails. Sunshine State pathways include nearly 60 trails transformed from abandoned railroad beds into playgrounds for outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a national non-profit organization…
Read MoreBy Gary McKechnie It takes some initiative to reach the town of Immokalee (Miccosukee for ‘ My Home’ ) in the northwest corner of Collier County. Traffic, like time, seems to have passed the community by. Even if do you make your way here you may not see much at first glance…
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By Carlos Harrison So you’re finally coming to Miami? Great! Let me give you the Insider’s Tour – you know, the “must do’s” that will let you say you really saw Miami, along with some “we do’s” so you can say you know Miami like a native. Insider Tip #1: “Miami” includes Miami Beach, Coral…
Read MoreBy Jon Wilson Barely a mile from St. Petersburg’s bustling downtown, 22 nd Street South – nicknamed The Deuces – offers a rich story of courage, perseverance, love and purpose. It once was the busy main street of the Sunshine City’s African-American population. At its peak during the early 1960s…
Read MoreBy Amy Wimmer Schwarb LAKE BUTLER -- Perhaps it’s no surprise that the centerpiece of this small North Florida town is the lake itself, a tranquil body one mile wide that hosts a bass fishing tournament so popular that, for one weekend each summer, the town’s population increases exponentially…
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