Florida’s finest
Four sure-fire places to find your inner snowbird
I’ve been lucky enough to make it to Florida almost every year for the past couple decades and have been up and down and all around the state. Here are four of my favourite corners.
VENICE This is a bit of a hidden beach town, just south of cultured Sarasota. It was very much a society spot back in the day, with stars such as babe ruth, Ty Cobb, Henry Ford and Thomas edison hitting the sun and sand. The demographic is getting younger now as folks discover the beautiful, quiet beaches and the pretty downtown, with its acres of parks and towering trees and where buildings are kept to a strict height limit. The beach is famous for shark teeth and there’s a pretty pier with a colourful waterfront restaurant called Sharky’s. Try the macadamia nut-crusted grouper and shrimp and be prepared for huge portions, even by American standards. more discerning diners might aim for the Crow’s Nest, located on a pretty marina with excellent seafood. better yet, grab an ice cream or a chocolate pretzel at Kilwin’s Chocolate on venice Avenue and watch the passersby. The Inn at the beach is right across the road from a fine stretch of sand. (innatthebeach.com).
APALACHICOLA This might be the funkiest town I’ve found yet in Florida, a way-off-the-beaten-track city that’s east of Panama City beach on the Florida Panhandle. It’s not quite the city that time forgot, but parts of it look and feel that way. you’ll find a new craft brewery called Oyster City, but there’s also weatherbeaten signs and old-style shops selling aged buoys and pirate statues and such. Gibson Inn (gibsoninn.com) is a fine old hotel with a massive porch that just begs you to sit with a frosty glass of lemonade. Hole in the Wall serves massive oysters and other seafood, while up the Creek raw bar has a nice patio with fine views of the Apalachicola river. you’ll find great kayaking and solitude galore at nearby St. vincent Island National Wildlife reserve (fws.gov/saintvincent), just west of town. A few minutes east is fun and casual St. George Island, with a great lighthouse and family-style seafood joints. There’s also a fine nature centre nearby where you can stroll on boardwalks and learn about local marine life, including live turtles. Great for a rainy day.
DELRAY BEACH This is a town that doesn’t get a lot of press, sandwiched by miami and Fort Lauderdale to the south and posh Palm beach to the north. but it’s an adorable, walkable and beautiful town that Canadians seem to love, with shaded outdoor cafés and a lively arts scene. Located in the refurbished Pineapple Grove Arts district, the Gallery Arts Garage features displays you might expect in Toronto or vancouver. The delray Center for the Arts at Old School Square (delraycenterforthearts.org) features a theatre complex, art school and museum, partly housed in a beautiful school dating back 90 years. morikami Gardens (morikami.org) is a Japanese centre with lovely trees, plants and lakes, and tells heartbreaking stories of settlers from Japan who tried to make a go of it here. deck 84 makes tasty fish tacos and has tables just a few metres from the Intracoastal Waterway. The Seagate Hotel (theseagatehotel.com/) is a gorgeous, old-style spot close to the beach.
AMELIA ISLAND One of my favourite spots in Florida, with old-time charm oozing out of old-time brick buildings on the main street in Fernandina beach. The Palace Saloon (thepalacesaloon.com) in Fernandina is billed as the oldest in Florida, with glorious tin ceilings and a fantastic wooden bar with all the trimmings. The Pickers market sports everything from aromatic candles and housewares to 1970s Cds. There’s a fun fort at the northern tip of the island called Fort Clinch (floridastateparks.org/park/FortClinch) that’s great for kids or history buffs and there’s a cool museum that explains how the island once was home to the largest African-American winter resort in the u.S. and how the island has flourished under the flags of eight nations over the centuries. Luxury lovers will find plenty to like at the ritz-Carlton (ritzcarlton.com), while families should check out the Summer beach condos (summerbeach.com), which are on a great stretch of sand. There’s also an Omni resort, and a couple of Florida’s best golf courses. The folks at Kayak Amelia (kayakamelia.com) can take you out on the water or on a Segway tour of cool Florida forests with oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.