Author: Trent Holloway

Who would drive all the way to the Florida coast for a bowl of clam chowder when one of the most talked-about versions is hiding in a charming little town…

Ever walked into a grocery store for a few basic items and somehow walked out $100 poorer? Yeah, grocery shopping isn’t exactly the budget-friendly adventure it used to be. But…

Florida is famous for its beaches, palm trees, and tropical vacations, but every fall, one corner of Cape Coral starts feeling a whole lot more like Germany. And no, you…

Florida has hundreds of beautiful beaches, but one stretch of sand in Sarasota keeps making the rest of the country look twice. And the strangest part? The sand almost feels…

Finding great pizza in Florida is easy. Agreeing on which place does it best is where the trouble starts. Across the Sunshine State, neighborhood pizzerias are stretching dough, firing up…

Florida keeps attracting new residents, but not every town is sharing in the boom. In some communities, something very different is happening. Populations are shrinking. Younger residents are moving elsewhere….

Florida knows pizza. But New Haven-style apizza is a completely different story. The crust is thin. The edges are dark and blistered. A blazing-hot oven gives every pie that famous…

Some Florida beach towns feel like a theme park with an ocean attached. Englewood moves at the speed of a lazy pelican. This little Gulf Coast town sits between Sarasota…

There are road trip stops for gas, road trip stops for coffee, and then there are the ones that make you forget you were supposed to be going somewhere. Somewhere…

A really good sandwich can ruin the convenient lunch spot down the street forever. Once you have driven across Florida for bread that crackles when you bite into it, layers…

What happens when a chef with Michelin-starred credentials decides Florida needs a proper old-school red-sauce joint? The result is a restaurant that feels far more like a lively New York…

How much ice cream should you reasonably expect when you order a small? At one old-school Florida stand, the answer appears to be somewhere between “plenty” and “you may need…

When was the last time Sunday lunch came with nearly a century of history? Somewhere in Florida, a grand old hotel is still serving up a weekend tradition that feels…

How big does a sandwich have to be before lunch becomes a two-handed operation? Somewhere in Florida, one old-school Italian deli has been answering that question for decades, and apparently…

A 5 a.m. alarm sounds a lot friendlier when a Florida donut shop is the reason you set it. Getting out of bed still takes effort, but glazed rings and…

An old-school Florida steakhouse has a way of making a quick dinner last until nobody remembers why they were in a hurry. You settle into a dark wood booth, look…

Some people see a bolt of fabric. Florida’s devoted makers see a future quilt, a new dress, or the perfect excuse to begin another project. Inside one Lakeland shop, shelves…

Some Florida road trips begin with a map. The best ones begin with purple fingertips and the smell of pie cooling. Down a road in Lake County, rows of blueberry…

After a Florida theme park day, dinner should arrive with enough drama to compete with the roller coasters. In Orlando, one buffet answers with whole lobsters, crab legs, seafood, and…

In Florida, a great steak does not always begin beneath supermarket lights. Sometimes it starts across a butcher counter, with a greeting and someone who knows how thick to cut…

Winter mornings feel different on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Mist lifts from blue-green springs, sunlight reaches through the water, and gray shapes begin moving beneath the surface. They rise. A whiskered…

Dawn arrives quietly here. First comes the splash of a fish. Then wings cut across the Florida sky. A wooden boardwalk leads into the marsh, where mist hovers above the…

Forget the airport. Florida has a route to Chicago, and it begins with a sandwich dripping over its wrapper. Inside a Sarasota shop, slices of hand-carved beef soak up savory…

Most Florida dinners begin in a parking lot. This one begins with a boat pulling away from the dock. As the shoreline slips behind, traffic noise disappears and water takes…

Dinner in Florida rarely comes with a time machine, but one Ormond Beach dining room gets remarkably close. Step inside and the modern world fades behind velvet glamour, vintage details,…

The best comfort food in Florida does not arrive with tweezers, tiny portions, or a speech from the chef. It arrives by the ladle. Hidden beyond the theme parks and…

In South Florida, autumn does not crunch beneath your boots. It cracks beneath a wooden mallet. When stone crab season begins, one waterfront dining room turns dinner into a performance….

In Florida, a day of discovery can begin with a seashell and end beneath the wings of a fighter jet. The best surprise? You might never need to open your…

Florida has a way of making you hurry from one attraction to the next. On this Gulf Coast island, even the drive seems to ask you to slow down. The…

In Florida, one person’s junk can become another person’s masterpiece, and Gainesville has a store that proves it every single day. Step inside, and the usual rules of shopping disappear….

In Florida, the best road trips sometimes begin before sunrise, when bakery lights flicker on and the first loaves slide into the oven. By morning, the crust is golden and…

In Florida, some towns race toward the future. One community near Gainesville seems content to let time take the scenic route. Arrive beneath the moss-draped oaks and everything begins to…

In Central Florida, one downtown weekend is about to explode into a celebration of color, rhythm, and imagination. For two days, Orlando’s streets will become an open-air playground where creativity…

In Orlando, Florida, one grocery trip can send your taste buds across the world without a passport. Packages line the aisles, promising spicy noodles, unusual candies, crispy snacks, and colorful…

In Boca Raton, Florida, one dining room still believes dinner should arrive with white tablecloths, handmade pasta, and music floating softly from a piano. Step inside and the modern world…

In Panama City Beach, Florida, summer does not need upside-down loops or sky-high towers to make families scream with happiness. Sometimes the best memories begin with a slow float beneath…

Along Florida’s Atlantic coast, a normally peaceful stretch of sand is about to become one giant stage for speed, balance, and spectacular wipeouts. The shallow waves will turn into racing…

Florida mornings feel different when the streets belong to bicycles instead of cars. In Mount Dora, hundreds of riders gather beneath sprawling oak trees, click into their pedals, and roll…

The strangest part of a Florida road trip might be realizing you need a plan to explore a gas station. Pull off Interstate 95 near Daytona Beach and the fuel…

Out in the quiet countryside of Branford, Florida, sits a family restaurant that people happily drive miles to reach. Sisters Café serves up an all-you-can-eat buffet packed with classic Southern…

Florida has a donut shop where midnight is considered a perfectly reasonable time for breakfast. In Pompano Beach, the lights stay on, the coffee stays hot, and hand-rolled donuts keep…

Florida is supposed to be flat, green, and permanently dressed for summer. One park in the Panhandle clearly ignored the assignment. Near Bristol, the land rises into dramatic bluffs above…

You can eat lunch at the bottom of a swimming pool in St. Augustine without getting so much as a wet sock. At this unusual Florida café, the water is…

The best alarm clock in Florida is the smell of bacon drifting from a diner most tourists will never notice. Long before the theme-park gates open, tiny kitchens across the…

Somewhere in the Florida Panhandle, nature appears to have drawn a nearly perfect circle and built an entire town around it. A calm lake anchors the center while historic homes,…

The road to Cedar Key feels less like a drive and more like the world slowly lowering its voice. Traffic thins, marshes widen, and the horizon begins filling with water….

The tastiest road signs in Florida are not made of metal. They are handwritten boards promising fresh shrimp somewhere beyond the next curve. Follow them past marsh grass, weathered docks,…

The finest welcome on Florida’s Forgotten Coast may come from a weathered little building that looks like it has nothing to prove. Open the door and steaming trays tell a…