Uruguay: Out of the Past’s Shadow

After years under a brutal military dictatorship, Uruguay is finally enjoying its place in the sun.

The Grand Outdoors: Glamping in Central Florida

Have you ever wanted to go on a rugged excursion that still feels like a vacation?

Fun Without the Sun

Summers in Tampa Bay involve two types of weather: “raining now” and “raining later.”

Summer Traditions: Highlands & Cashiers, N.C. and Anna Maria Island

Parrots flew overhead just after midmorning, less than a block from the Anna Maria City pier, the gentle Gulf breeze swaying the palm trees along Park Avenue under a radiant sun.

The Florida Tailgate Adventure

Explore the college lifestyle of Florida

Dining at the Crossroads of History

If you take Highway 60 southeast, passing through first Bartow and then Lake Wales, you will enter the wild, almost endless marshes of South-Central Florida. Keep driving a bit further and you’ll find yourself at the only intersection for miles in every direction, a two-lane crossroad that geographically is both the center of everything and also the epicenter of nothing.

Ybor City, Florida: The Cuban Connection

After more than 50 years of political animosity, economic interference and cultural estrangement, Cuba and the United States have finally reestablished diplomatic ties. This means unrestricted travel to Cuba is hopefully in our near future, but for those who want a taste of the island now, Ybor City has the cigars, food and architecture on what is literally designated as Cuban soil.

Bern’s Steakhouse

Writing about Bern’s Steakhouse is, more often than not, an exercise in futility. The internationally acclaimed, extravagantly adorned culinary experience is quietly nestled on South Howard Blvd. in Tampa, Fla., and is home to the largest private collection of wine in the world—one must truly see it to believe it.

Orlando Farmer's Market: Bringing Community to the Heart of the City

 In the past, if you wanted to shop for organic food, custom jewelry or home goods in downtown Orlando, you’d have to get in your car and drive across town to several separate locations. These days, downtown residents instead walk to the Orlando Farmers’ Market in Lake Eola Park…

Springs of the Holy Spirit

In 1539, Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto thought he had struck gold. Arriving on the shores of what is now Old Tampa Bay, the explorer found what he thought was the legendary Fountain of Youth, a series of five nearby mineral springs. Though native Tocobaga Indian mounds close by suggest that the spring waters at the north end of Tampa Bay have been inhabited by one group or another for thousands of years, De Soto believed that he was the first to “discover” them. 

Store of Storie: The Old Tampa Book Company

Few possessions seem to imbibe their previous owner’s personality more than used books. Habits, traits and wear can reveal a wealth of information about readers long after these books change hands.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Old Tampa Book Company — a repository of used and rare books spanning thousands of volumes downtown — should have its own story to tell.