Because only in Florida could you celebrate fish-throwing, frog legs, and swamp cabbage with equal enthusiasm. Florida is famous for its beaches, gators, and theme parks, but if you really want to experience the heart of this state, skip the roller coasters and head to its festivals. Nowhere else can you toss a dead fish … Read more
Long before Spanish explorers arrived on Florida’s shores, the state’s rivers, estuaries, and coastlines were home to thriving Indigenous communities. For thousands of years, these first people—like the Calusa, Timucua, Tequesta, and Apalachee—lived almost entirely from what the water provided. Their fishing skills were so advanced that early European settlers marveled at their techniques. In … Read more
There’s something otherworldly about an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) drifting across the water. Unlike their brown pelican cousins, who dive headfirst into the sea with reckless abandon, white pelicans hunt with patience and precision—silent phantoms gliding across Florida’s winter waters. Every year, as the temperatures drop in the northern plains, flocks of white pelicans … Read more