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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.
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1 week 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 week 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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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.
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2 weeks 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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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.
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2 weeks 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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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.
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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.
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3 weeks ago | 
floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross
Pigeon Key, a little island in the middle of the Old Seven Mile Bridge, is a singular place with beauty and history equally well-preserved. When I first visited the Florida Keys in 1978, the most memorable experience was driving across the Seven Mile Bridge. This was the old Seven Mile Bridge — 22 feet wide with no shoulder, a two-lane highway built atop Henry Flagler’s historic train tracks. The guard rails on the side were created out of the rusting railroad tracks.