Bonnie Gross

1 week ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

A Key West vacation won’t be cheap — no matter how many tips you read or how much you plan. In 2024, Key West’s average hotel room rate was $348 a night, according to Expedia.com — among the highest in the country. In addition, restaurant prices have risen, and you can spend lots of money on admissions and tours. But the reason Key West commands high prices is that it is a special one-of-kind city and it’s a long way from alternative places to lodge.

2 weeks 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.

2 weeks 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.

2 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Roads generally take you places, but this one takes you someplace extraordinary: Into the past. I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing the Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail in a motorcycle sidecar during Daytona Bike Week a few years ago. While it’s not a great road for bicyclists (it’s a narrow two-lane road without bike lanes) it is just the place for motorcycles and convertibles. The Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail is Road Trip: Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail worth more than a quick rideand dune views.

3 weeks 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.