Stories from the Islands
Travel stories, practical guides, and food adventures from trips across Florida.
These are our stories to you — from the places we've been, the food we've eaten, and the people who've shaped every trip. We'll keep them fresh, like the ocean breeze in Florida.
Flat Tire on Alligator Alley: An RV Breakdown Story You Won't Forget
Miami, Key West, then a flat tire halfway across Alligator Alley at dusk — with a swamp full of unknown things moving just beyond the rest stop. A North American RV trip story.
My First Trip to the Sunshine State: A Filipino Immigrant Falls for Florida
Before moving to the US in 2018, Florida existed only in songs and telenovelas for me. Ten days later — stone crab, Key lime pie, and the Space Center — I understood the obsession.
Florida Coast to Coast: A 2019 Road Trip from Jacksonville to the Gulf
Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Cape Canaveral, Miami, Fort Myers, Tampa, Clearwater — we drove the whole loop in 2019. Here's every stop, what surprised us, and why Florida keeps pulling us back.
Why Do New Englanders Retire to Florida? (We Finally Get It)
It used to be a cliché. Now we understand it completely. Why so many people from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island end up trading snowblowers for screened-in porches.
A New England Kid's First Trip to Florida: The Drive That Changed Everything
Scott's first trip to Florida was a family road trip from New England — windows down, Walt Disney World, and the moment a northern kid first felt real sunshine.