Tag: Florida

If walking along Worth Avenue—Palm Beach’s most famous strip—evokes feelings of being in Europe, that’s by design. Innovative architect Addison Mizner spent the early 1900s designing a picture-perfect downtown that feels plucked from a movie set.

It’s been more than 25 years since a new theme park opened in Orlando—which, coincidentally, is about how long it’s been since I moved from Central Florida to Atlanta. A roller-coaster lover by birth (growing up, we always had Florida-resident season passes to the parks), now a travel writer by trade, I was more than a little excited to check out Universal Epic Universe before it opens to the public May 22. Now that I’m back, I’ve compiled 5 things you need to know.

Need a fresh start? Amrit Island Resort, a new wellness-focused luxury property on Florida’s Singer Island, can help with that. Amrit is a Sanskrit word meaning “the elixir of life,” and the seaside escape just north of Palm Beach uses five “pillars of wellness”—nutrition, mindfulness, sleep, relaxation, and fitness—to lead visitors on a self-improvement journey, personalized to fit each guest’s health goals.

Unlike some Southern cities, where development has erased neighborhoods and stories, Jacksonville has retained its charm. Every time I drive here, I feel my blood pressure drop, and I’m hungry to explore. It took decades for me to get to this First Coast of Florida, and now that I’m here, I’m not sure I want to leave.

Along Centre Street, old brick buildings sport striped awnings and flower-filled window boxes, and lit-up trees sway in the harbor breeze. This seaport town on Amelia Island—which has more than 50 blocks on the National Register of Historic Places—has coastal charm in spades.

A writer recalls a childhood trip to Wakulla Springs, Florida—and the freedom that came with diving into prehistoric waters.

The country singer shares which parts of the Panhandle have his heart, as well as some of his favorite spots around Grayton Beach.

Who doesn’t love a long, far-flung vacation? Fortunately, even when a lengthy trip isn’t in the cards, there’s plenty to explore close by. These eight spots are just over the Georgia state line and make ideal stops when you’ve got only a night or two.

In New Smyrna Beach, Florida, not a day goes by that you won’t see surfers heading out to the beach, longboards in tow. A jetty and three sandbars off the coast provide dependable breakers, especially when the breeze kicks up the waves and the swell direction is just right.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could reasonably be considered Mother Nature’s approach to American alligators, prehistoric holdovers that have remained largely unchanged for at least 8 million years. With a range extending from coastal North Carolina across to East Texas, these lords of the bayou are symbols of a wild, untamed South—and its preservation.