Category Culture & Events

Florida looks different at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning. The beaches are still there, and the theme parks are already operating at full industrial strength. Somewhere on I-95, somebody is discovering that the rest of the state apparently had…

Florida architecture has never been restrained. The state has castles made of coral, hotels designed like Mediterranean palaces, forts built from coquina, Art Deco streets painted in tropical colors, wooden island homes, ornate theaters, lighthouses, and mansions constructed by people…

Family vacations are frequently planned by adults and endured by children. The itinerary may include scenic drives, architectural significance, historic context, and a restaurant described as “worth the detour.” The children would often prefer a dolphin, a giant dinosaur, a…

When I started organizing The Sunshine Republic region by region, the Florida Keys came first. That made sense. The Keys do not feel like an ordinary part of Florida. They feel like a threshold. You do not simply arrive there.…

The small things are not small. A shell in the hand. A palm shadow on a wall. A lizard crossing a sidewalk. A pelican flying low over the water. A line of sea grapes holding the dune. A gas station…

Florida is made of light, water, and weather. Everything else comes later. The roads, towns, beaches, houses, hotels, parks, docks, signs, bridges, and parking lots all sit inside something larger and older. The state is shaped by elements that are…

Not just visited. Not just photographed. Not just crossed off a list. Not just consumed in the usual sequence of beach, restaurant, hotel, sunset, and drive home. Noticed. There is a difference. To visit a place is to arrive there.…