Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for florida
Florida’s Forgotten Coast
By Linda Tancs
Florida’s Forgotten Coast lies along the Panhandle, punctuated by cozy towns with names like Port St. Joe, Indian Pass and Apalachicola. From a touristy perspective, the area may indeed be quiet and unassuming (hence, the name), but this is where foodies congregate for some of the best seafood in the country amidst a strong maritime culture. That’s especially true in historic Apalachicola, a tony hamlet with Queen Anne-style architecture known for its fishing and oysters. The Apalachicola Bay area boasts the state’s largest national forest and the second largest Estuarine Research Reserve System in the nation.
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A Classic Queen
By Linda Tancs
Movie buffs recall the African Queen, a steam-operated boat featured in the 1951 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Lest you think the old gal was consigned to a studio storage facility, you’ll be happy to hear that she’s fully operational and touring the canals off Key Largo, Florida. Built in 1912 in England for service in Africa, the 101-year-old vessel, registered as a National Historic Site, has been restored for cruises and private events.
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Treasures from the Sea
By Linda Tancs
If seashell collecting seems as thrilling as watching paint dry, then you haven’t been to Sanibel Island, Florida. The island’s east/west orientation brings a plethora of colorful shells ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. This is where shell collecting is elevated to an art form. There’s even an annual shell fair and show. Taking place this weekend at the Community Center, the indoor/outdoor event features 250 shells, some elusive, as well as masterful works of shell art at the exhibition.
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Christmas in Florida
By Linda Tancs
It may seem incongruous to have a town in sunny Florida named Christmas. Originally named Fort Christmas, the tiny town of less than 2000 inhabitants east of Orlando boasts a full size replica of Fort Christmas, built in 1837 during the Second Seminole Indian War. In addition to exhibits and a video on the wars, the fort brings pioneering to life, featuring restored historical homes in the age of homesteading, fishing, trapping and hunting. The fort is closed today. It is, of course, Christmas in Christmas!
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Iceploration in Florida
By Linda Tancs
For those adults who want the kids in their lives to put down their electronic gadgets long enough to see what else the world has to offer: Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida offers you Iceploration. Featuring a journey to the four corners of the globe, the show brings to life the African Serengeti, Great Barrier Reef, the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest in a production including skaters, puppets and animal acts. This is one 30-minute show that just might seize their attention.
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Time and Space
By Linda Tancs
It’s been 50 years since former astronaut John Glenn orbited the earth in a historic mission. Such an auspicious anniversary merits a visit to the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here you’ll find the world’s largest collection of personal memorabilia from our space heroes, along with a G-Force Trainer (simulating the pressure of four times the force of gravity) and a space shuttle landing simulation. Junior astronauts can climb a moon rock wall, crawl through rocket tunnels and slide to the surface of the moon at the Children’s Play Dome. Not to be missed is the Space Mirror Memorial, a 42-1/2-foot-high-by-50-foot-wide black granite surface emblazoned with the names of the 24 U.S. astronauts who gave their lives for space exploration as well as the astronauts from training and commercial airplane accidents.
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Automotive History in Boca
By Linda Tancs
From 24 to 26 February the cognoscenti from the motor world will gather in Boca Raton, Florida for the sixth annual Concours d’Elegance at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Amidst gourmet food, fine wines and cocktails presented by South Florida’s finest restaurants, motor enthusiasts will revel in exotic cars (including the collection of Michael Fux), custom motorcycles, spectacular boats, private jets, vintage aircraft, and luxury motorcoaches. On 26 February an expert panel will judge a selection of the finest automobiles and motorcycles. But perhaps best of all is the tribute to the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Aston Martin and the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra, featuring a large collection of Aston Martins, original Shelby Cobras and Mustangs. Start your engines and motor over.
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A Palace in Miami
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, Florida promises visitors the opulence of Buckingham Palace in a subtropical setting. The European-inspired estate was built for industrialist James Deering and features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a native forest. You’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the Main House from the Italian and French inspired gardens. Inside, royal pomp is conjured by the ornateness of the dining room, Cathay bedroom, library and enclosed loggia. The estate is just one mile from downtown Miami.
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Tale of a City
By Linda Tancs
Stranahan House Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is more than just the old homestead of the city’s founding family. Built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, the oldest surviving structure in Broward County also served as a trading post, post office, and town hall. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the museum located at the New River is the eastern anchor of River Walk downtown. Tours are given daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. with an admission price of $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students and children. If these walls could talk, what tales they would tell.
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Fabergé Debuts in Palm Beach
By Linda Tancs
The iconic Fabergé egg is the highlight of this year’s fine arts fair in Palm Beach, Florida. Now in its 16th year, the American International Fine Art Fair is the premier art, antique and jewelry fair in the United States, returning to the Palm Beach County Convention Center from 4 to 12 February. Fabergé will present a special exhibition and lecture series – Faberge: The Rebirth of an Icon-by Geza von Habsburg. Paying homage to the legendary Imperial eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Romanov family, Fabergé has designed a collection of one-of-a-kind egg pendants, Les Fameux de Fabergé. Each design illustrates a traditional Russian proverb. Now if that doesn’t egg you on to attend, nothing will.
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