Tag: Florida
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Micanopy
Founded in 1821 and named after the Seminole Chief Micanopy, this inland Florida town comprises all of 1.03 square miles (is it the .03 that makes “mile” plural?) and it’s about as quaint as quaint can be. I loved it. I grew up in a small town in Texas where I routinely “rescued” turtles from
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Payne’s Prairie State Preserve
The draw for a 2-hour drive to Payne’s Prairie was that you could see bison and wild horses roaming free. Good luck! I understand that having wild animals right where you want them at any given moment probably involves a zoo situation, but maybe park websites should post a “chances are” percentage rate when talking
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2023 Roundup
If you’re a senior sitting around thinking there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and you can’t do things alone anyway, I say – BS. “Mind inertia” is a debilitating problem. You sit around with the familiar things in your life and grow accustomed to doing just that – sitting around with memories, seldom venturing
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Howey Mansion
In 1920, William Howey bought 60,000 acres in Lake County, Florida and set about establishing a citrus empire. A forward-thinking man for his time (hell, still forward thinking today), he hired a female architect, Katherine Cotheal Budd, to build his dream home. The 24-room house was begun in 1925 and completed in 1927. Over time,
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Duncan McClellan Gallery
If you’re in the mood to see something delicious, delectable and colorful, check out the Duncan McClellan Gallery. Not only do they have gorgeous glass pieces from artists all over the world, they also have a workshop where you can watch the creation process. If you’re in the market to buy something, bring your platinum
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Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe
Ella’s was established in 2009 in Tampa’s historic Seminole Heights district. The website says it’s a place where “blue hairs hang out with blue hair.” I found that to be true. Officially old enough to be a blue hair, I had a young couple with their dachshund, Pippin, sitting right behind me in the outdoor
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Chase Sanctuary
Chase Sanctuary, an animal rescue for monkeys, lemurs, sloths and anteaters, is waaaaay back in the country. I have found that some of the tours off the beaten path can be a tad dicey as far as being well-maintained and a good environment for the animals. I’ve often wondered if being further out serves as
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Fort King
Fort King was built in 1827 to uphold the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. It was named for Colonel William King, who’d been appointed as the civil and military governor of the provisional government of West Florida. The treaty guaranteed prime land to the Florida settlers and, of course, kind of screwed the Seminoles. It gave
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Bury the Hatchet
Of all the harebrained ideas I’ve had, axe throwing might be quite near the top of the list. I have to tell you though, it was a blast. I worried that my 70-year-old shoulders wouldn’t be able to heft an axe over my head and hurl it at a target, but that didn’t cause me
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Showcase of Citrus
I should’ve been suspicious that my trip to a place called Showcase of Citrus wasn’t going to turn out well when I pulled up to spy rows of tiny trees (maybe 6-7 feet tall?) with nary a fruit to be seen. I was more than a little surprised since their website touted “50+ varieties” of
Lisa Browder 