Quiet views, moss-draped riversides, and sunlit backroads—these are the photo-worthy pauses in the middle of the journey.
Florida is not exactly a state known for waterfalls. We have springs that glow blue beneath the trees. Rivers darkened by tannins. Sinkholes, caves, wetlands, beaches, and enough swamps to keep an alligator comfortably employed for the foreseeable future. But waterfalls? Those are a little harder to come by. So when our travels brought us … Read more
Florida is not a state known for whitewater. Beaches? Absolutely. Springs? We have some of the most beautiful in the world. Swamps? More than enough, thank you. Mountains, dramatic elevation changes, and raging rivers? Not so much. And yet, hidden along the Suwannee River near White Springs is a place where Florida breaks its own … Read more
Long before Florida became synonymous with beaches, theme parks, and roadside attractions, people were already traveling to the state in search of something remarkable. They came for the water. Along the banks of the Suwannee River in the tiny town of White Springs, Florida, a sulfur spring once poured millions of gallons of mineral-rich water … Read more
Sometimes the best discoveries aren’t on the itinerary—they’re the ones you almost drive past. I almost missed this stop. Just after crossing the St. Johns River, a small green historical marker caught the corner of my eye. By the time I realized what I’d seen, I was already past it. If you’ve followed Travel Made … Read more
A three-day North Florida journey built from one simple errand, a lot of extra time, and more detours than expected Some road trips begin with a carefully chosen destination. Others begin because somebody needs paperwork signed. This was definitely the second kind. What started as a simple weekend trip to Lake City, Florida, quickly turned … Read more
Some places are beautiful because of nature. Others are beautiful because of history. And then there are places like Bulow Plantation Ruins—where the beauty exists despite the painful history beneath it. When Dusty and I finished our Volusia County Bingo Passport adventure, we decided to squeeze in one last stop before heading home. Bulow Plantation … Read more
Some places become part of your story before you ever learn theirs. For me, Lake Eola has always been one of those places. Long before I knew anything about sinkholes, cattle barons, mysterious names, or iconic fountains, I simply knew it as somewhere my mom liked to take me. We’d walk laps around the lake … Read more
There are some places you plan carefully for. And then there are the places that seem determined to make you work for them. Fort Matanzas fell firmly into the second category. A few months before this visit, my son and I were heading north on our Washington D.C. road trip. Fort Matanzas was supposed to … Read more
Little Talbot Island State Park isn’t a place that demands your attention. It doesn’t greet you with grand entrances or neatly packaged stories. There are no towering ruins or dramatic placards spelling out why you should care. It simply waits—quietly—behind dunes and maritime forest, letting the tide do what it has always done. For us, … Read more
Some places don’t announce themselves.They wait. Kingsley Plantation sits quietly on Fort George Island near Jacksonville, Florida—white walls softened by time, palm trees standing like sentinels, the river moving along as if nothing ever happened here. At first glance, it feels calm. Preserved. Almost peaceful. But peace can be deceptive. This stop came during my … Read more