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1 week ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
Anastasia State Park’s dune-lined beach stretches four miles along the Atlantic coast — plenty of space to spread out and find your own place in the sand. Broad and beautiful, you can ride your bicycle on packed sand below the tide line or park yourself in soft sand below its wind-swept dunes. The nearby campground is a peaceful, back-to-nature experience with a high level of privacy afforded by dense vegetation between campsites.
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1 week ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
The teeth of ancient sharks are everywhere you look on Venice’s beaches. You don’t have to dig deep or look hard to find them. These are the sands of time, dating to a prehistoric era when 52-foot sharks prowled the waters of the Gulf. Over the centuries, Gulf currents have carried these ancient fossils into the calm waters off Venice’s beaches, where they settle near the surf line. And every few years, a hurricane comes along and kicks up a few million more.
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2 weeks ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
Our sub-tropical climate is glorious much of the year, but tent camping in Florida during the summer can test your limits because of overwhelming humidity. Here are 8 hot tips to help make your tent camping experience bearable, especially during Florida’s blistering summer months. The cardinal rule for Florida tent camping is a tent at least double the capacity you need, especially in summer. The reason is circulation. More space, more air. If there are two of you camping, get a four-person tent.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is sponsoring eight license-free fishing days during 2025. SaltwaterJune 7 and 8, 2025. (First consecutive Saturday and Sunday in June.)Sept. 6, 2025. (First Saturday in September.)Nov. 29, 2025. (Saturday following Thanksgiving.)FreshwaterApril 5 and 6, 2025. (First consecutive Saturday and Sunday in April.)June 14 and 15, 2025.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
Tucked into a corner of remote Hillsborough County, Lithia Springs Conservation Park packs a lot of nature into a small preserve with a quiet campground on the Alafia River. The namesake spring is the big attraction here, and the park and campground are largely intended to serve locals, although there is no price penalty for out-of-county campers as there are at some county parks in Florida. The spring pumps 25 million gallons of 72-degree water daily into a very large swimming bowl.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross |Bob Rountree
Florida is blessed with hundreds of crystal clear springs, representing the highest concentration of freshwater springs on Earth. Even with hundreds of springs, however, Blue Spring is exceptional: The clear spring water has attracted more manatees in one place than anywhere else in the world — a record 932 manatees on a cold Jan. 21, 2024! (That’s wall-to-wall manatees.)In the summer, though, it’s the humans who enjoy lounging in the cool spring, tubing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
Floridians should expect above-normal storm activity for the 2025 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and continues until November 30, according to the annual forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency is predicting 13 to 19 total named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, including six to 10 hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher and three to five major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher, NOAA said.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross |Bob Rountree
Two Gulf Coast beaches are among our nation’s best, according to Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, whose annual Top 10 list of best beaches in America is widely recognized because of its foundation in science. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, is ranked No. 4. St. Andrews Beach, just east of Panama City, is ranked as No. 7. Last year’s list included Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin, which has not reopened since it was damaged in the 2024 hurricane damage.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bob Rountree
Florida is surrounded by oceans and boasts hundreds of inland lakes, rivers, springs and wetlands, making boat-related activities dominate outdoor recreation during the state’s endless summers. With more than a million registered vessels, Florida is the “Boating Capital of the Nation,” and it should come as no surprise that more than two dozen major boat shows are held here each year, including some of the largest boat shows in the world. June 7-8, 2025.
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1 month ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross |Bob Rountree
Summer is the off-season for most of Florida, which makes Florida summer travel cheaper and accommodations easier to book. But lets admit the obvious: It’s too hot for many outdoor activities. I rarely hike in the summer, for example, and my bicycling and kayaking is limited to early mornings and evenings — if then. I do look forward to swimming in the summer, however. I’m such a Floridian that I consider the water in the Atlantic or Gulf too chilly for swimming for half the year.
