Mr. Chatterbox

Where Are Sarasotans Supposed to Retire?

Mr. C has a suggestion: Mount Dora.

08/01/2019 By Robert Plunket

Grand Getaways

Grand Florida Hotels

Indulge at Florida's finest historic hotels.

05/27/2019

Grand Getaways

Grand Florida Hotels

Indulge at Florida's finest historic hotels.

05/27/2019 By Kay Kipling, Susan Burns, Cooper Levey-Baker, Megan McDonald, and Ilene Denton

Grand Hotels

The Don CeSar Recalls a Romantic Era

The "Pink Palace" is a wedding cake of a resort hotel that has towered over St. Petersburg Beach since 1928.

05/27/2019 By Ilene Denton

Grand Hotels

The Breakers Is a Gilded Age Retreat

Real estate tycoon Henry Flagler named the hotel The Breakers because his hotel guests kept requesting rooms “by the breakers”—the place where the Atlantic breaks on the shoreline.

05/27/2019 By Megan McDonald

Grand Hotels

Luxury and History Collide at Boca Raton Resort & Club

The hotel’s architecture was inspired by a Spanish convent built in the 11th century.

05/27/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Grand Hotels

Step Back in Time for a Luxurious Stay in America’s Oldest City

At five stories, 138 rooms and 14 suites, Casa Monica is beautiful.

05/27/2019 By Susan Burns

Grand Hotels

The Biltmore Offers Historic Mediterranean Flavor and Renovated Luxury

The historic hotel was built in a mix of Italian, Moorish and Spanish styles by developer and Coral Gables founder George Merrick in 1926.

05/27/2019 By Kay Kipling

Worth the drive

Sebring Festival Lets You Explore the Sweet World of Craft Soda

Sample colas, ginger ales, root beers and cream sodas, with flavors like caramel apple, prickly pear, espresso, peach cobbler, candied bacon and more.

03/22/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Heat Index

Five Great Kayak Trips

A paddle pro shares best places to go. (Just be sure to call first.)

03/28/2018 By Ilene Denton

Great Escapes

Five Perfect Spring Road Trips

Feeling a touch of spring fever? Take to the highway—and the waterways—for some fun destinations, from laid-back Sanibel/Captiva to historic Winter Park and ...

03/01/2018

Road Trips

Winter Park Offers Small-Town Charm and History with Grown-Up Amenities

Winter Park's got Old Florida attractions, excellent restaurants and great shopping.

03/01/2018 By Megan McDonald

Road Trips

Explore the St. Johns River on a Super-Comfortable Houseboat

It's a wonderful river to explore by boat, because there are so many ecosystems—rivers, lakes, creeks and springs—that are all connected.

03/01/2018 By Pam Daniel

Road Trips

Kennedy Space Center Aims to Inspire Future Astronauts

You can plan a trip to Kennedy to coincide with a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral; videos of takeoffs and landings are breathtaking.

03/01/2018 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Road Trips

Sanibel-Captiva’s Laid-Back Atmosphere Recalls Vacations Past

The Chamber of Commerce slogan for the islands is “250 kinds of shells, 230 kinds of birds, 15 miles of beach, zero traffic lights,” and that should give you an idea of what to expect.

03/01/2018 By Kay Kipling

Road Trips

For Old Florida Island Idyll, Head to Boca Grande

Boca Grande—that idyllic Old-Florida town on Gasparilla Island south of Englewood—retains its small-town charms while the rest of Southwest Florida has burgeoned around it.

03/01/2018 By Ilene Denton