About Florida Traveler

Welcome to FloridaTraveler.com,

As a native of California, I grew up with a stereotypical mental map of Florida. Florida was Disney World surrounded by orange groves, rimmed with white sandy beaches. To complete the picture, just toss in alligators, flamingos, condos and retirees strolling about in sandals with white socks.

Do we really have flamingos in Florida? I’ve seen them at the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa. It took me more than a decade to visit our major theme parks, and I’ll be just fine if it’s another decade before I visit them again.

But that mental map omitted hundreds of fascinating out-of-the-way places that locals call “The Real Florida.” How much more interesting the map has become now that I’ve added first magnitude springs, historic oddities like the Koreshan community or the world’s smallest police station. This site is a travel journal and a notebook of some of my favorite places. Some of these articles first appeared in some form in the Ocala Star-Banner, Tampa Tribune, Ocala Style and other publications in the 1990s. The online versions have been updated where contact information, pricing and other details have changed.

Thanks for wandering by,

Michael Warren

P.S. If you would like information about advertising or sponsorship opportunities please call (352) 361-8875 or contact me using the form below: