Florida Traveler ◊ Florida Day Trips, Discounts and Discoveries

Homosassa Springs – Mantee Viewing Turned Inside Out

Thumbnail image for Homosassa Springs – Mantee Viewing Turned Inside Out

HOMOSASSA SPRINGS, FL — If swimming with manatees is not your style, one of the best ways to enjoy them up close is at Homosassa Springs. Here they’ve taken the idea of a fishbowl and turned it inside out. Instead of peering into an aquarium, the  Fish Bowl (or “Peoplebowl” as it’s sometimes called) invites [...]

Read the full article →

Silver Springs History on Display at Silver River Museum

Thumbnail image for Silver Springs History on Display at Silver River Museum

Silver Springs, FL — How long has Silver Springs been a Florida attraction? Depends on how you reckon it, but people have been coming here for a long time indeed. About 10,000 years ago, the Timucuan Indians gathered at the headwaters of the Silver River to hunt Columbian Mammoths. In the mid 1950s, the lovely [...]

Read the full article →

Ocali Country Days at Silver River State Park

Thumbnail image for Ocali Country Days at Silver River State Park

Central Florida’s 19th-century history returns to Ocala each November at the Ocali Country Days festival, hosted by the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, festival visitors get to experience life as it was in 1800’s Marion County through a wide variety of displays and activities. Historical [...]

Read the full article →

Tenoroc: Largemouth Bass in a Limestone Barrel

Thumbnail image for Tenoroc: Largemouth Bass in a Limestone Barrel

LAKELAND, FL — Some of Florida’s best bass fishing takes place out of public view in the state’s phosphate pits. Your best opportunities to catch a trophy largemouth bass begins by scoring an invitation to one of the deep lakes left behind from limestone mining.  But if you’re short on friends or looking for a [...]

Read the full article →

Ocala National Forest Campgrounds and Cabins

Thumbnail image for Ocala National Forest Campgrounds and Cabins

The Ocala National Forest offers a wealth of natural getaways, from more than 2 dozen primitive campsites to complete resort facilities. Here are a few favorite campgrounds and cabin rental opportunities: Ocala National Forest Camping: JUNIPER SPRINGS RECREATION AREA. A perennial favorite, Juniper Springs recreation area offers camping in semi-tropical scenery along the scenic Juniper [...]

Read the full article →

Orlando’s Best Barbecue?

Thumbnail image for Orlando’s Best Barbecue?

ORLANDO, FL — God bless the folks at Killarney Baptist Church in Winter Park. Because it’s by their gracious provision (or savvy business acumen, I’m not sure which) that you can find a parking space for Four River’s Smokehouse. A legal parking space, that is. You can try the residential streets behind the restaurant, but [...]

Read the full article →

3 Refreshing Day Trips near High Springs

Thumbnail image for 3 Refreshing Day Trips near High Springs

HIGH SPRINGS, FL — Looking for a great place to cool down as the weather heats up?  Why not head to High Springs, Florida?  After a morning of shopping for crafts and antiques in the historic downtown, you can spend the afternoon at one of several parks along the scenic Santa Fe River. Here’s a [...]

Read the full article →

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing: The Traveler Report

Thumbnail image for Mosquito Lagoon Fishing: The Traveler Report

TITUSVILLE, FL — Have you seen this redfish before? I wouldn’t be surprised. A quick-and-dirty calculation of the ratio between fishermen and redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon suggests that the 43-inch trophy in the photograph above has almost certainly appeared on numerous Facebook profiles before starring on my own wall. And this fish (or one [...]

Read the full article →

Featured Day Trip: Go Greek at the Tarpon Springs

Thumbnail image for Featured Day Trip: Go Greek at the Tarpon Springs

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — A good vacation can remind us how pleasant it is to stay at home. To that end, a day trip that includes the northbound drive from Clearwater to to Tarpon Springs along US Highway 19 may be especially effective. Try it. Go ahead. Fasten the kids into the backseat on a [...]

Read the full article →

Jacksonville Day Trip – Talbot Island’s Wild Treasures

Thumbnail image for Jacksonville Day Trip – Talbot Island’s Wild Treasures

JACKSONVILLE, FL — If you were to stumble upon a chest of buried treasure, Jacksonville’s Talbot Islands would be the perfect setting. Here, far away from the crowds (but an easy day trip from Jacksonville), you could sit in the dunes under the shade of a scrubby sabel palm and savor your discovery without distraction. [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries