The Sunshine Sabbatical (A Florida Travel Blog)

Mazzaro’s Italian Market is the rare market that is so good, it might even convince you to switch cities just so you can be permanently closer to the energy, variety, and quality that is found here on a consistent basis.

Third places are disappearing all over the country, especially in Florida where real estate has become a source of foreign investment income. Austin’s Coffee’s journey highlights its importance to a population losing options for community socializing.

Winter Park is a superb mix of classic Florida nature with quality restaurant and shopping options. Here is how to spend a full day in Winter Park without having to drive beyond a one-mile radius.

The Florida Aquarium is a delightful display of Florida’s beauty, diversity, and fragility within all her waterways and paths towards the ocean and beyond.

One of my favorite destinations in all of South Florida, the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is miles of options, beautiful ocean waters, nice sandy beaches, and enough delightful walkability to make the rest of the Sunshine State jealous.

In the final chapter of my series about the massive Renniger’s Flea Market, I discuss the potential future of a green space that used to belong to artists, and might someday bring them back to the area with a bit of love and determination.

Renniger’s flea market is massive but just half the story. The nearby antique store is like stepping into a giant time capsule of a world that used to exist, managed and maintained by a delightful assortment of vendors offering centuries of items and relics of the past.

One of the largest flea markets in all of Florida is a giant adventure through the different corners of Americana, where pretty much anything you can think of is likely for sale here.

I write about an awesome Mills 50 bar representing a lesser-known spirit with an elongated history of banishment, and how absinthe’s history is repeated with the current controversies surrounding marijuana.

The best new restaurant from 2025 is a Hawaiian diner that perfectly blends quality traditional flavors with great diverse platters that stretches beyond the Pacific Ocean

The Tides Seafood Market features my favorite meal of 2025. But places like this are constantly threatened by greedy people willing to sacrifice Florida’s environment to make a few bucks.

Epcot’s success can be tied to its international festival events. But what if we can elevate the party to include the rest of the park and include even more countries?

Tarpon Springs is yet another gem within the beautiful borders of Tampa Bay. This is my quick little guide on how to spend a simple but perfect day there.

National Strike. Abolish ICE. We Deserve Better. But also, here are some examples of businesses that we need more of in this fractured country.

Montreal is one of my favorite places to visit, and this is a small itinerary that represents the beauty and culture of a world-class city.

Florida is going through a repulsive real estate saga that threatens the fragile ecosystem of a beautiful state that is very dependent on the people living in it. Otto’s High Dive is what happens when you develop with a plan and a willingness to maintain the natural beauty of the Sunshine State.

Juno Beach is one of those cozy quiet Florida beach towns full of beautiful sights, even if shuts down early when compared to the likes of Tampa Bay and the Miami Zone. Here is my recommendation on how to spend a full day there.

The Monroe is a wonderful venue of great food and drinks, but potentially suffering from the ongoing lack of activity within the empty and aesthetically lifeless Creative Village

One of my favorite experiences in the diverse and energetic Downtown Toronto is a multi-story gastropub with such an engaging personality, its impossible to leave the venue without a smile.

Clermont’s Citrus Tower is a delightful old-school Floridian attraction that has relaxed vibes, good coffee, and a vantage point of the Sunshine State that clearly displays its past, present, and future—-the good and the bad.