By Mary Thurwachter
For 20 years, my husband and I have spent a considerable amount of time traveling the Sunshine State. We have been everywhere from the Panhandle to the Keys, staying in homey bed-and-breakfasts, intimate boutique hotels, large luxurious resorts and one wildlife refuge for lions and tigers retired from the circus (but that’s a whole other story!).
We sipped water from the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, rode the glass-bottomed boats in Silver Springs, took in the sunset in Mallory Square, collected shells on Sanibel Island, watched the mermaids swim at Weeki Wachee, and even sat in on a séance in Cassadaga.
Our travels took us to neighborhood cafes and five-star restaurants, to juried art shows and high-end galleries, to museums and historical sites.
For various reasons, this year — at least so far — we haven’t been able to get away. And that fact annoyed me like a blanket of dead lovebugs sticking to the grill of my car.
However, I am much less bugged now, after we took a staycation. We live in a vacation wonderland, after all. Our beaches are beautiful. Our sunrises are awesome. We are blessed with gorgeous botanical gardens, great restaurants, an abundance of art and antiques shops and, last but not least, luxurious resorts with amenities that are as good and, in many cases, better than anywhere else in the state.
This year, we made it a point to visit some of the local resorts that tourists have enjoyed for decades. We had pancakes at The Ritz and took a historic tour of the Boca Raton Resort & Club. We sunbathed at Delray Beach and swam through the waves in Lantana.
Whether you have or haven’t taken some time to visits a local resort, this is one of the best times of the year to do it because resorts are offering summer season specials and the crowds have thinned. Check out our local resorts story on Pages 10 and 11. You’re sure to find appealing ideas for a summer getaway close to home.
And, there’s a bonus: Driving to local destinations will surely help you avoid the sticky lovebugs-on-your-car’s-grill dilemma.
Have a great summer!
Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor
Comments