Bonnie Gross

Co-Founder, FloridaRambler.com and Travel Writer at Freelance

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Articles

Cap's Place, the oldest Broward restaurant, a former speakeasy & casino, is a fascinating visit

5 days ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Every time I go to Cap’s Place, the historic landmark where presidents and celebrities have dined over almost 100 years, I wonder how long Cap’s, the oldest operating restaurant in Broward County, can survive. In a region where houses from the 1950s are considered tear-downs and highrises are popping up on every corner, how does a rustic shack opened in 1928 that you can’t even reach by car stay in business?
11 ways to enjoy Palm Beach island history, beauty & recreation

5 days ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Palm Beach island is the exclusive winter home of billionaires and their poorer colleagues, the multi-millionaires. It is, of course, home to what President Trump calls the Winter White House, Mar-a-Lago. A dozen presidents ago, John F. Kennedy also had a Palm Beach island home. All this history means Palm Beach island is an interesting place to visit; all that money means it is also quite beautiful. According to the Palm Beach Daily News, it is home to more than 50 billionaires.
Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim: Unusual July 4th tradition

1 week ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

It started small and spontaneous. More than 30 years ago, Punta Gorda attorney Michael Haymans and some friends decided to celebrate the Fourth of July by swimming the 1.5 mile distance across the Peace River. They weren’t athletes in training; they had heard stories about how in the 1940s, swimming across the river was a rite of passage for teens. They had a good time, they told their friends, and those friends told a few more friends.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park: Towering dunes, perfect beach, rare lakes

2 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Some of the most spectacular untouched dunes in Florida and three miles of perfect white sand beach are preserved in Topsail Hill State Park in the Panhandle. The park offers 15 miles of hiking through the complete dune ecosystem, where you weave through 25-foot dunes, past rare freshwater coastal dune lakes and through pine forests and cypress swamps. It’s an unusual state park in several ways.
Two Florida Keys parks offer old-fashioned swimming holes and recreational features

2 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Visitors are often surprised to learn that the Florida Keys have very few sandy beaches. The water, however, is great – clear and warm year around; full of fish and sea life for snorkelers. In recent years, Monroe County opened two new Florida Keys parks that make that water accessible in enticing old-fashioned swimming holes. Even better: Both are free and right along the Overseas Highway.
After years of mango cookery, here are my best mango recipes

2 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

June is mango month for me, and despite the humid 90-degree days, it’s my second favorite month in Florida. (It’s hard to beat the weather in March.)I’ve had a mango tree in the yard for more than four decades. On each side of my house, neighbors’ trees shower me with more mangoes. I cut up enough mangoes every day to turn my fingers orange. My husband and I eat heaps of them daily. I give them to neighbors and friends. I host my book club at my house in June with a mango-centric menu.
Circle B Bar Reserve: Park in Lakeland is more than a birding hot spot

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Two trails have reopened after being closed because of 2024 storm damage — Alligator Alley trail, which borders Lake Hancock, and the Marsh Rabbit Run trail. Summer visitors, note: Several of the trails are shaded, including Alligator Alley, the Lost Bridge Trail, Shady Oak, Tree Frog and Heron Hideout Trail. LAKELAND — If you don’t live near it, you probably don’t know about Circle B Bar Reserve, a Polk County park that is just as impressive as many of Florida’s state parks.
Paddle Florida: 2025-26 kayak trips explore Florida's top waterways

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

One of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors during Florida’s long hot summers is to start planning where you’ll go this winter. For ideas about paddling trips, you can find inspiration from Paddle Florida, whose Florida kayak tours for 2025-26 were announced recently. Paddle Florida is a non-profit that supports kayaking and canoeing in Florida by organizing reasonably priced multi-day paddling and camping trips on Florida’s greatest rivers and waterways.
On a budget? Key West on the cheap isn't easy, but here are tips

1 month 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.
Swimming and tubing is back at Blue Spring State Park in Central Florida

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.

Journalists covering the same region

Steve MacLaughlin

Meteorologist and Climate Change Reporter at WTVJ-TV (Miami, FL)

Steve MacLaughlin primarily covers news in Miami, Florida, United States and surrounding areas including Tampa and the Florida Panhandle.

Alyssa Morlacci

Lifestyle Writer and Editor at Freelance

Alyssa Morlacci primarily covers news in South Florida, including Miami and surrounding areas such as Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida, United States.