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# Flamingo Magazine

## Sitemaps
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## Posts
- [Pop Tops & Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/21/persimmon-hollow-brewing-company/): The cream-and-emerald brick facade of Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company, situated along West Georgia Avenue in DeLand, is stitched into historic downtown with strings of white lights crisscrossed over the narrow brick street. Sunlight cuts through tall factory windows where the building’s former life as a midcentury Western Auto shop lingers, its floor still marked in faint yellow paint.
- [Carlton Ward Jr. Captures an Avian Surprise in Marks Pond](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/20/avian-surprise-night-heron-limpkin/): The site was difficult to access, requiring a long hike from the edge of Alligator Alley up a narrow trail lined with poison ivy and Smilax vines.—Carlton Ward Jr.
- [A Welcome Wrath: Surfing During Florida’s Hurricane Season](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/08/hurricane-season-surfing/): Summer is torture for Florida surfers. While our neighbors revel in sunny skies, soft breezes and warm water, we lament a flat, lifeless Atlantic. Four decades in boardshorts, I experience this reversed seasonal affective disorder annually. The gentle, lapping ripples at my home breaks in Cocoa Beach make me sullen and withdrawn—until hurricane season heats up in late summer, early fall.
- [Florida’s Great White Truffle Race](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/01/floridas-great-white-truffle-race/): “There’s no such thing as too much truffle.” These words echo in my head as chef Giuseppe Iannotti hunches over a baking sheet and begins delicately shaving literal mounds of the rare edible fungus over crostini topped with melted caciocavallo cheese. Aptly named Truffle Vesuvius, the dish is impossible to look away from. An earthy, unmistakable aroma drifts through the room. Next, the Michelin-starred chef plates Fassona beef tartare with space capers, white truffle honey mustard and anchovy perlage. Every course seems to find a way to outdo the other.
- [The Legacy of St. Augustine’s Datil Pepper](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/30/st-augustine-datil-pepper/): If Peter Piper picked a peck of datil peppers, where would he go to pick? Legend has it that he’d have to hightail it over to St. Augustine, where the exact combination of sandy soil and salty air grows datils strong and spicy. Around here, pepper people love to brag, showing off the bright green and orange chilis in closely guarded family recipes handed down over a century and smiling at outsiders when they take their first bite.
- [Miami’s Lengua Conference Brings More Than Just Food to the Table](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/23/lengua-miami/): The Lengua Conference in Miami is redefining South Florida's culinary scene by incorporating culture, creativity and unity
- [How to Make Chancho King’s Menestra Stew](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/22/make-chancho-king-menestra-stew-at-home/): Create Chef Chason Spencer's famous Menestra Stew with a few simple ingredients.
- [Twelve New Openings in Florida This Fall](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/15/new-openings-in-florida/): This St. Augustine staple relocated from downtown to a modern coastal cottage built from the ground up a few miles away on Anastasia Island. “It feels much more organically us,” says co-owner Genie McNally. In the dining room, Old Florida meets coastal chic with warm wood paneling and modern finishes, while outside, tables are shaded by a canopy of live oaks. A giant black-and-white alligator portrait anchors the space, and the farm-to-table menu leans into the owners’ local roots with dishes like a pork tenderloin served with goat cheese and olive oil and a cornbread stack topped with fresh fish and chimichurri aioli.thefloridianstaug.com
- [Meet the Miami Artists Behind Broadway’s ‘Buena Vista Social Club’](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/15/meet-the-miami-artists-behind-broadways-buena-vista-social-club/): A live band playing acoustic guitars, maracas, the udu drum and other Cuban string instruments in the number “El Carretero” signals performers in the Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club” to gather ’round in chairs, swaying and stamping to the rhythm of the Cuban guajira.
- [Professional Florida Women’s Basketball is Back](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/04/florida-womens-basketball/): With just under two hours until tip-off, That Bar At The Arena is abuzz. It’s the last night of July, a hot-but-bearable evening in Jacksonville with a slightly overcast sky. Inside the bar, conditions are just as they always are on game days. Servers bounce from kitchen to table and back again, delivering blackened fish tacos and spicy chicken sandwiches to families and clusters of friends. The bartender spins in her station like a top in a box, smiling, pouring and bantering. Some people order beers, others take shots.
- [What To Do This September in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/03/what-to-do-this-september-in-florida-2/): The largest community yard sale in the state is back this September along Historic Highway 90. Held twice a year, this epic roadside rummage stretches nearly 300 miles from Pensacola to Jacksonville, with antiques, clothes, local crafts and everything in between. Get an early start and stop by Hidden Treasures of Chipley or Alyssa’s in Pace for some of the route’s best thrift picks.visitwcfla.com
- [Editor’s Note: Jamie Rich Puts the Idea of Taste to the Test](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/01/editors-note-jamie-richs-taste-test/): Flamingo Editor in Chief Jamie Rich dishes on the Fall 2026 Taste Issue
- [Yesterday’s Specials: Nostalgic Dishes on Today’s Menus](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/28/nostalgic-dishes-florida/): I took my new bride to my hometown years ago, and we went pretty quickly to D’Angelo’s. I found myself making excuses for the place as we walked in, not remembering the yellow overhead lights, the sticky tables or, when the food arrived, that the subs were not in fact very good. 
- [Alex Ullom Is the Gen Z Mastermind Behind “It Ends”](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/21/alex-ullom-film/): With the Aug. 21 release of “It Ends,” his debut feature, Tampa native Alex Ullom, 28, is poised to become the next Gen Z breakthrough filmmaker. 
- [18 Spots to Visit In 30A](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/18/wastin-away-in-30a/): Misbehave at George's, grab Barefoot BBQ from an Airstream trailer, peruse vinyls and and much more in 30A.
- [Meet the Florida Filmmaker Bringing ‘A Land Remembered’ to Life](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/17/fast-forwarding-film-land-remembered/): Recently wrapped after 43 days of shooting across the state, the $25 million production of Patrick D. Smith’s historical novel “A Land Remembered,” adapted as a multi-episode series, is an epic tale that traces the fictional MacIvey family across 100 years of struggle and triumph in the cattle business. Tampa native Todd Wiseman Jr. wrote, directed and produced the project, which looks to the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove” as a touchstone in dramatizing the 1984 book, introduced to Florida schoolchildren in a special edition.
- [A Girls Getaway That Got Away From the Girls: Prissy Elrod Takes on Europe](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/07/girls-getaway-gone-wrong/): Our “girls getaway” got away, and not exactly in the way I planned. There’s an old Yiddish proverb: Man makes plans and God laughs. God must have been howling at us. And eventually, we did as well: not during the passport purgatory, the Norris/Beckford disappearance or the Italian taxi shouting match on what was most certainly not a road. But later, over wine, in retelling the moments like we meant for it all to happen. That’s the magic of old friends. They don’t make the trip smoother. They just make the chaos worth it.
- [What To Do This August in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/03/what-to-do-this-august-in-florida/): From skimboarding tournaments in Vilano Beach and wing battles on the Space Coast to Latin hustle festivals in Miami and lobster parties in Key West, there is much to do before back to school.
- [I Came to Tallahassee a Stranger. I Left Calling It Home.](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/28/navigating-youth-florida/): In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I bought a townhouse in Tallahassee, sight unseen.
- [Carlton Ward Jr. Captures an Unexpected Barred Owl](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/22/florida-barred-owl/): What I learned along the way is that a panther would come by this camera about once a month at night, but only a couple of times a year during the day, and that the swamp would fill with water for about half the year. I also witnessed the diversity of other wildlife that shared the path with the panther. There were expected suspects: bears, deer, bobcats, alligators and the occasional coyote. And there were surprises: a family of otters and this barred owl. You can see a sample of these photos in a section of my book dedicated to this camera site. 
- [This Miami Vinyl Shop is the Gateway to the Americas](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/20/for-the-record/): Teen DJ-turned cultural curator Lolo Reskin has been building Miami’s most eclectic record shop for decades.
- [Why Florida’s Forgotten Coast Wants You to Forget All About It](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/13/floridas-forgotten-coast/): Those of us who love the Forgotten Coast would prefer it stay forgotten—forgotten by condo builders, resort developers and fancy folks who want to erect beige palaces on the quiet sands of the northern Gulf; forgotten by tourists whose idea of Florida is a powdered sugar beach within shouting distance of a cocktail waiter and peacock blue water untroubled by jellyfish, stingrays and sharks. 
- [St. Martin: Where French and Dutch Cultures Fuse](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/03/the-island-between/): The internet promised a trailhead would begin here, on a farm on the western coast of the Caribbean island of St. Martin. But “farm” doesn’t even begin to capture what my wife, Jill, and I encountered when we arrived. A restaurant was perched in the trees, zip lines stretched across the jungle and loungers and beds surrounded the pool where the evening’s party was planned. Up ahead, we saw our destination: the tallest point on the island, Pic Paradis, looming at a 1,391-foot elevation like a bright green skyscraper into the cobalt sky. 
- [What To Do This July in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2026/06/29/must-do-events-this-july-in-florida/): Celebrate America's semiquincentennial, set eyes to the sky for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, stomp to tunes in Tallahassee , visit the World Equestrian Center and more this July.
- [Meet the Orlando Meadery Reviving the World’s Oldest Wine](https://flamingomag.com/2026/06/10/sweet-like-honey-at-zymarium-meadery/): Walking down Orlando’s artsy Mills 50 neighborhood, you might miss it—a stark black building tucked between noodle houses and strip malls. Inside, though, the scene glows. Geometric lights warm the space, while gold taps flow with a sweet brew and regulars clink glasses and sample flights. This isn’t the typical craft beer brewery or glitzy Champagne bar Orlando is used to. It’s a meadery.    
- [Editor’s Note: Florida Man, Rising](https://flamingomag.com/2026/05/23/editors-note-florida-man-rising/): Florida Man gets a bad rap. Usually, the internet meme dominates headlines by wrestling alligators on the highway or robbing a Waffle House. But in the case of Bert Kreischer, who began his comedy career with a now-famous bit about burglarizing a train during a Florida State University study-abroad trip to Russia, the ultimate Florida Man—and our cover star—is busting out a trove of funny ventures and ascending to new heights of stardom.
- [Florida Lighthouse Bucket List](https://flamingomag.com/2026/05/15/florida-lighthouse-bucket-list/): Notable event: The Key Lime Pie Drop is part of the annual Key Lime Pie Festival in July and invites competitors to try and drop their pies from the top of the lighthouse without sustaining damage.
- [This Florida Woman Was Responsible for Tupperware’s Success](https://flamingomag.com/2026/05/04/tupperware-brownie-wise-kissimmee/): Created by Earl Tupper in 1946, the original Tupperware container was an innovation in the world of food storage. While not the first line of plastic containers, it was the first of its kind with a lid that had an airtight seal. The company is known for its “burping” bowls, a reference to the sound the lids make when they are correctly closed. Today, the name Tupperware is synonymous with food storage. None of this would have been possible without the help of Brownie Wise, one of the company’s most successful saleswomen.
- [The Origins of Florida Flambeau, a College Newspaper](https://flamingomag.com/2026/04/20/diane-roberts-florida-flambeau-newsroom/): He sent me off to the Florida Flambeau, a pugnacious little newspaper operating out of a ratty, smoke-stinking cottage on the edge of campus. I crept in and asked for Steve Dollar, the arts editor. That would be the Steve Dollar who later became a movie critic for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, as well as a regular contributor to this very magazine. The boys in the newsroom (it was mostly boys in 1980) looked at me as though I were a bow-headed Pekingese who’d wandered into the dodgy end of the dog pound. I was wearing sorority pins. And pearls. But Dollar was kind and handed me a record to review. I stuck around all afternoon, sitting at a corner desk in front of a manual typewriter the size of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, eavesdropping on conversations about who was cheating on whom and with whom, how the United States undermines Latin American democracy, whether the P-Funkster Bootsy Collins or the Family Stone’s Larry Graham was the greatest of all bass players and where to get good uppers in Tallahassee. 
- [The Allman Betts Band Is Taking a Page Out of the Family Songbook](https://flamingomag.com/2026/04/06/the-allman-betts-band-legacy-music/): On a snowy winter night in Pennsylvania, Devon Allman and Duane Betts are settling into their pre-show rituals, which, these days, involve a little “meditative prayer to ask for the power to let everybody shut the world off for a couple hours” and maybe a couple of Diet Cokes. Three nights into a coast-to-coast run, the longtime collaborators—and sons of Allman Brothers Band founders Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts—have just kicked off the annual Allman Betts Family Revival tour, where the set list shifts nightly and the two sons of rock royalty pay homage to a family legacy. When they’re not celebrating their fathers’ songbook, the pair channel that same chemistry into their own project, The Allman Betts Band. Together, they’ve produced two albums of original music for the band and stoked the fires of their solo careers. The two rockers sat down with Flamingo during their Revival tour to talk about honoring the past, Floridian inspiration and who’s shaping the future sound of Southern rock.
- [Finding the Wild Cigar Orchid](https://flamingomag.com/2026/04/01/cigar-orchids-wild-everglades/): Tucked away in Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, there’s a group of plants that aren’t supposed to be there. No record shows any gardener planted them, but among the curated blooms and leaves of the sanctuary, this rare plant has naturally claimed its rightful home—and it stands out. When the cigar orchids bloom every year, there’s no question that their masses of yellow and maroon flowers are right where they belong.
- [Author Lauren Groff Says Florida Gave Her Literary Life](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/30/brawler-gainsville-author-lauren-groff/): An unprepared woman riding out a Category 5 hurricane. Two abandoned children befriending nature on a sun-bleached island. A mother, her two sons and a writer’s ghost wandering the French coast. New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff is known for creating characters in states of peril—both literal and internal—throughout her books that include “Florida” and “Matrix.” Her latest anthology, “Brawler,” spans across decades, state lines and lives. In one story, Groff pays a visit to a Sunland facility based on the real chain of state-run psychiatric hospitals that once operated in Florida. Her new book explores outgrown relationships, pockets of historical vulnerability and unexpected wildness. 
- [Your Classic Summer Beach Holiday Begins At Ponte Vedra Inn & Club](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/26/ponte-vedra-inn-and-club-beach-holiday/): In Northeast Florida, holiday weekends call for a place where the days stretch long, the ocean sets the rhythm, and there’s just enough activity to keep every generation entertained. At Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, the historic oceanfront resort just south of Jacksonville, that balance comes naturally. From sunrise beach walks and spa treatments to afternoons on the golf courses or tennis courts, the hours unfold with coastal ease. 
- [Inside the Abandoned Orlando Sun Resort](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/12/orlando-sun-resort-abandoned/): The first living thing I saw at the abandoned Orlando Sun Resort, a once upmarket hotel and convention center, was a baby turtle basking in the sun on a filthy mattress floating in a stagnant, algae-choked swimming pool. I inched closer, and noticed more debris inside—four more mattresses, a sunken shopping cart, crusty old tires and an upholstered dining chair. There was no water left in the adjacent jacuzzi—just mountains of broken glass, mounds of debris and a discarded box of Captain Crunch cereal. The hotel rooms situated inside the pod of four two-story structures that surround the decaying pool had just three walls left but there were still signs of life. Plywood boards and sheets were strung up to cover the missing walls, and one unit had a homemade-looking door with a colorful wreath on it.
- [Florida’s Culture Keepers](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/09/floridas-culture-keepers/): "The quality of water in the state of Florida is the culture of the state of Florida,” says Benny Blanco, 49,  a professional fishing guide based in South Florida and the father of three college-age daughters. “Our water is under attack, and it’s the foundation of all that’s beautiful in the state.”
- [Lisa Unger’s Latest Novel Explores Florida’s Dark Side](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/03/lisa-unger-served-him-right/): In 2004, international bestselling author Lisa Unger and her husband, Jeff, spontaneously waded into the swamp and cypress forest of the Everglades with little preparation and no expectations. As new residents of the state, the couple discovered an entirely unknown-to-them side of Florida as they walked through wildlife-infested waters.
- [Editor’s Note: 10 Years of Flamingo](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/02/flamingo-tenth-anniversary-editors-note/): Ten years have passed since we ran a story titled “Where Have All the Oysters Gone?” in Flamingo’s first issue. The piece laid out the dynamics of the “water war” between Florida and Georgia, warned of unstable salinity in Apalachicola Bay and chronicled the imminent threat to its natural oysters—a once-abundant delicacy harvested for two centuries.
- [What’s Blooming at Naples Botanical Garden](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/02/46641naples-bontanical-garden/): Springtime in Southwest Florida means vibrant blooms, sunny skies and idyllic temperatures made for lingering outdoors. There’s no better place to soak in this time of year than at Naples Botanical Garden, a 170-acre tropical oasis celebrating its most colorful season yet. From immersive exhibitions to hands-on explorations of nature’s palette—and even the science behind the plants that end up in your pint glass—there’s something to inspire every visitor. Whether you’re here to learn, wander or simply bask in the botanics, you’ll leave feeling energized and reconnected to the living world around you.
- [Elevate Your Adventure in the Florida Keys & Key West](https://flamingomag.com/2026/03/02/florida-keys-key-west-adventure/): Fishing in The Florida Keys spans open water, quiet flats and generations of maritime tradition. With access to the Atlantic, the Gulf and the backcountry, anglers can cast for everything from bonefish to sailfish. Trips balance exhilaration with stillness, earning the island chain a reputation as one of the world’s most iconic and premier fishing destinations.
- [One Sassy Grandma and Five Birthday Trips](https://flamingomag.com/2026/02/11/sassy-grandma-prissy-elrod/): Grandparents have their own name-game going on. Nobody wants to be Grandma or Grandmother anymore. No siree—today’s roll call sounds like a concert lineup: Gaga, Bebe, Mango and Mumbo. Four of my friends have chosen these names. 
- [18 Places to Visit in Boca Raton](https://flamingomag.com/2026/02/09/boca-raton-travel-food-sports/): From left: Boca Museum of Art, The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, El Camino on Restaurant Row, Mizner Park amphitheater, The Boca Raton. Illustration by Leslie Chalfont. Lake Boca Raton String your rods, pack your reels and head over to this well-known fishing spot, where tarpon, snook and jack crevalle abound. With calm waters and sandbars perfect for lounging, it’s Boca’s unofficial backyard. 600 E. Palmetto Park Road Joseph’s Classic Market Family-owned and Italian at heart, this foodie favorite brings a taste of New York to Boca Raton with house-made pastas, gourmet cheeses and chef-prepared dishes served with neighborhood warmth. 6000 Glades Road Mizner Park Named for architect and city founder Addison Mizner, Boca Raton’s signature mixed-use outdoor district buzzes with people, upscale boutiques, cafes and an amphitheater that hosts national acts and local music festivals. 327 Plaza Real  Restaurant Row This collection of independently owned, chef-driven concepts is fast becoming Boca’s dining darling. Explore global cuisine at Stage, modern Mexican fare at El Camino and kosher specials at Motek. 5377 Town Center Road The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum Founded by South Florida entrepreneur Marilynn Wick, this regional theater produces musicals, plays and shows, including the upcoming “My Fair Lady.” 7901 N. Federal Highway The Boca Raton The vision of architect Addison Mizner, this century-old hotel has blossomed into a dreamy oceanside retreat, boasting a championship golf course, waterpark, beach club and four Major Food Group restaurants, spread across 200 acres. 501 E. Camino Real Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Named after a tree native to South Florida, this 20-acre nature complex on Boca Raton’s barrier island features a 40-foot-tall observation tower with sweeping views, a butterfly garden and an aquarium. 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. Crazy Uncle Mike’s Equal parts brewpub and music venue, this Boca favorite lives up to the hype the name implies. Swig some house-made craft beers and rock out to high-energy bands: things may get a little, well, crazy. 6450 N. Federal Highway Bookwise Touted as Boca Raton’s biggest used bookstore (with an estimated 75,000 volumes in stock), this indie shop feels like a literary labyrinth, with rows upon rows of classic and contemporary hits and cozy nooks that invite you to stay for a while. 145 NW 20th St. The Seed Boca Raton At first glance, it’s a coffee shop, but linger and it reveals itself as a gathering spot for lively conversations shared over lavender lattes. Rustic wood finishes and greenery keep the vibes warm and grounded. 199 W. Palmetto Park Road E Cielito Artisan Pops This popsicle shop lives up to its name, offering made-from-scratch icy treats that include vegan varieties and puppy pops. The rotation of 46-plus flavors includes frozen faves like the Pavlova and brigadeiro. 327 Plaza Real Boca Museum of Art Founded in 1950 and located in Mizner Park, this fine art museum’s exhibitions reflect the full spectrum of visual arts, and its permanent collection includes 19th- and 20th-century European and American works, Pre-Columbian art and more. 501 Plaza Real Red Reef Park Beach This stretch of white sand is known for its snorkeling trails including a jetty and 20 artificial reefs. Prefer to keep your hair dry? Bask beneath palm trees and soak up the sun across 40 acres of shoreline paradise. 1400 N. Ocean Blvd. Boca Ice This cool local hangout makes even the most devoted sun-seeker fall for a little chill. Glide across two NHL-size rinks, drive bumper cars on the ice or book a session in the venue’s alpine skiing experience. 900 Peninsula Corp Circle Ramen Lab Eatery Owner Louis Grayson brings his inventive spirit and flavor bombs to this trendy eatery that dips into Far East fare. Expect collaborations with Latin American restaurant friends like Zipitios and dumpling-making classes with expert chefs. 100 NE 2nd St.  The Funky Biscuit The music will already be bumping when you arrive at this venue. With a robust live music schedule that ranges from rock to reggae to jazz, this intimate downtown venue produces big-time late-night jams. 303 SE Mizner Blvd. Padel X Boca Raton The rapidly growing racquet sport of padel serves up some serious action at this 28,000-square-foot space featuring eight courts, an elevated players’ lounge, sauna, cold plunge and recovery area. 1081 Holland Drive The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum Trace Boca Raton’s evolution from humble farm town to glamorous coastal retreat at this local history museum, home to nearly 2,000 artifacts, from pioneer-era relics to one of the first IBM personal computers. 71 N. Federal Highway For more guides on Florida cities, click here.
- [Key West is the City That Refuses to Behave](https://flamingomag.com/2026/02/06/city-of-key-west-inhabitants/): Too much of Florida is ersatz: Palm Beach cosplays as Newport, Rhode Island, while large chunks of Miami, Tampa, St. Pete and Orlando all channel an HGTV version of Mediterranean villas. Disney World? Please—even some of the trees are fake. Key West is not like that. Key West is what Florida could be if Florida had more imagination and fewer inhibitions. Key West is sui generis: Caribbean, Cuban, gay, literary, tatty, arty, a place of strange histories and animals misbehaving. Key West, like New Orleans, isn’t really American—and I mean that in a good way. Islanders will only begrudgingly acknowledge their United States citizenship, preferring instead to identify as citizens of the Conch Republic. 
- [Made in Florida, With Love: 2026 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide](https://flamingomag.com/2026/02/04/florida-valentines-day-gift-guide/): We've rounded up Cupid-approved gifts for both him and her, including handcrafted persimmon golf clubs, luxurious skincare sets inspired by Roman bathing rituals, coastal chic mahjong tiles, handmade Colombian leather goods and more—all made in the Sunshine State.
- [Stories From Scuba Diving Off the Coast of Pensacola](https://flamingomag.com/2026/02/02/scuba-diving-florida-pensacola/): “Just so you know, there’s a shark below us,” I say, spitting out salt water as I pull my regulator from my mouth. My father pauses in the boat above me and looks down to where I tread water in the Pensacola Bay. We have ventured out on this summer day in 2024 on his 24-foot Trophy Pro motorboat, searching for sunken barges. My father and I have been diving together for 10 years. 
- [Bicyclette Cookshop Chef Kayla Pfeiffer on Eating Well in the New Year](https://flamingomag.com/2026/01/29/bicyclette-cookshop-kayla-pfeiffer/): For many of us, January has the same beginning: Eat well for a while, and maybe there will be a reset from all the bad decisions during the holidays. Which is never as easy as it sounds. So, I reached out to Chef Kayla Pfeiffer of Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples, whose cooking leans bright and ingredient-driven without turning the menu into my worst nightmare: health food.
- [An Interview With ‘The Perfect Neighbor’ Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir](https://flamingomag.com/2026/01/22/geeta-gandbhir-the-perfect-neighbor/): The film, which won a directing award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, offers something much deeper and painfully relevant, at once a portrait of community solidarity, the failures of law enforcement—especially amid racial divisions—and the deadly impact of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir didn’t know she was making a documentary when a call came from her husband’s family (producer Nikon Kwantu) with the news that Owens, who was his cousin’s best friend, had been shot. “We immediately jumped in to try to support the family,” Gandbhir says, “To get media attention around the murder, because it was not really being covered. It was only covered by very local news at best. Without media attention, law enforcement may not be as quick to act. (Lorincz) hadn’t been arrested because of Stand Your Ground laws in Florida, and that ongoing investigation. We were able to get the family on the news there (and) amp up the noise around it.” Lorincz was charged four days after the shooting, and in 2024 was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- [Stefania Martucci Brings a Taste of Italy to Tallahassee’s Kool Beanz Cafe](https://flamingomag.com/2026/01/20/stefania-martucci-kool-beanz-cafe/): If you grew up in northwestern Italy like Stefania Martucci, a mere mention of the sweet custard dish stirs childhood memories of family meals destined to conclude with the irresistible treat.
- [A Floridian’s Guide on Where To Stay in Asheville](https://flamingomag.com/2026/01/05/where-to-stay-in-asheville/): ashevilleflatiron.com
- [Inside Derek Trucks’ Whiskey Distilling Journey](https://flamingomag.com/2025/12/23/derek-trucks-whiskey/): “It was George T. Stagg, and early Pappies,” Trucks says, referencing the prized and legendary Pappy Van Winkle whiskey, bottles more elusive than he knew. “We were drinking it like idiots.” A year later, back on another tour, Trucks and his bandmates would ask their friend for more of the same. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s not really that easy to get.’ That was the first time I was tipped off to the really high-end bourbon.”
- [Try This Honey Vodka Cocktail From Distillery 98](https://flamingomag.com/2025/12/17/gold-rush-recipe-distillery-98/): Preparation: Add vodka, lemon juice and rosemary syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a rosemary sprig and a honey drizzle.
- [9 Camps for Adults in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/12/16/9-camps-for-adults-across-florida/): Frank Stephenson finally made it to the big leagues—at age 74. As Stephenson stepped up to the plate in Bradenton, staring down a 60 mph pitch from a former Pittsburgh Pirate, he found himself in a pinch-me moment. Stephenson, along with 95 other guys ages 30 and up, had made it to the final day of the Pirates Fantasy Camp, which included a matchup against the former pros who had coached them all week. 
- [12 Places to See Holiday Lights in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/11/26/holiday-light-shows-across-florida/): Millions of twinkling white lights transform every balcony, waterfront and brick-lined street in America’s oldest city into a holiday storybook scene during St. Augustine’s award-winning Nights of Lights. Walk the illuminated streets on foot or hop aboard the complimentary park-and-ride shuttles now through Jan. 11. “I always recommend arriving a little before dusk so you can watch the lights come on,” shares Susan Phillips, CEO and president of the St. Johns County Visitors and Convention Bureau. “It’s a beautiful transition from golden hour into full sparkle.” New this year, the Nights of Lights app offers insider maps, pro tips and event details right at your fingertips.
- [These Two Professional Partiers Are Raising the Bar (Car)](https://flamingomag.com/2025/11/20/betty-boujee-regard-libations-bar-car/): The 50th birthday celebration in question, planned and executed by Betty Boujee and Regard Libations a full-service event bartending company—was a bash straight out of Tommy McCollum’s wildest dreams. Classic cars lined the entryway, and Amar’s crown jewel, Betty the Boujee Cocktail Car, was the first thing to greet guests.
- [A Christmas Storybook Escape in Amelia Island](https://flamingomag.com/2025/11/05/dickens-on-centre-in-amelia-island/): While the manacled spirit of Jacob Marley may not be truly haunting Amelia Island’s annual Dickens on Centre weekend, there are plenty of other characters and settings pulled straight from the quintessential holiday tale, “A Christmas Carol,” to be seen in its historic downtown this December. Carolers in top hats and bonnets fill the blocks of Fernandina Beach with fa-la-las, the charming buildings and cobblestone streets bask in the warm glow of sparkling lights and revelers of all ages wander through an enchanting Christmas Market, brimming with gifts for under the tree, festive sips and dazzling entertainment. This year, the Victorian wonderland is happening from Dec. 11–14, and it’s  a jubilee that will banish even the most severe case of the “bah humbugs.”
- [An Ode to Old Florida Restaurants](https://flamingomag.com/2025/11/04/old-florida-restaurants-of-yesteryear/): “My favorite memory of an Old Florida restaurant is the Kapok Tree Inn in Clearwater. I often drive by the old buildings and remember being a little girl, in my best dress, sitting under the trees while waiting for a table with my parents. It was always such an exciting experience!” —Cyndy M.
- [Eat, Pray, Swell: Prissy Elrod Learns How to Travel With Food Allergies and Medical Maladies](https://flamingomag.com/2025/11/03/prissy-elrod-food-travel-allergies/): ​​Let me just say this up front: I adore food. Not casually. Not the let’s-grab-dinner kind of love. I study menus. I plan entire vacations around where and what I’ll be eating. While other people research museums and historic walking tours, I’m knee-deep in restaurant recommendations, chef bios and indulgent ambiance. If I’m traveling, I’m tasting.
- [What To Do in Florida This November](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/27/november-events-florida/): Wander through a corridor of blue trees lining historic downtown, witness murals take shape and even join a parade drum line during this weekend of immersive arts and culture.
- [With Messi’s Arrival Comes a Gourmet Upgrade to Stadium Food at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/24/inter-miami-cf-chase-stadium-messi/): Mike Grinberg remembers the July day two years ago when the soccer gods smiled upon the South Florida sports community. On this humid afternoon, Grinberg’s hometown MLS team, Inter Miami CF, announced the groundbreaking signing of seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion Lionel Messi to a multi-year deal. To the average soccer fan, the acquisition of this once-in-a-generation player of Messi’s magnitude was a nice headline. But to Grinberg, a Miami-based realtor and lifestyle content creator who has been a long-time Messi fan, this move was epic.
- [‘River of Grass’ is Retold in a New Documentary](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/20/river-of-grass-sasha-wortzel/): Inspired by Marjory Stoneman Douglas and her 1947 book of the same name, “River of Grass” is a fittingly poetic, yet also exhaustively researched, cinematic exploration of the Everglades. The 1.5 million acres of Southwest Florida wetlands are protected as a U.S. national park yet forever threatened by an array of factors, from developers to climate change, and most recently American immigration policy. The documentary is an emotional project for filmmaker Sasha Wortzel, who ultimately added her own voice as its narrator.
- [How to Make Chef Clay Conley’s Roasted Seminole Pumpkin Salad](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/13/roasted-seminole-pumpkin-salad-recipe/): PREPARATION: Arrange pumpkin, onion and mushrooms on separate parchment-lined baking sheets. Drizzle all vegetables with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until golden and tender, about 25 to 30 minutes for the pumpkin, flipping once halfway through; 20 to 25 minutes for the onion; 18 to 20 minutes for the mushrooms. Let vegetables cool slightly. Massage kale with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt for 30 to 60 seconds to soften the texture. Spread Greek yogurt across the bottom of a large serving platter. In a large bowl, gently toss roasted vegetables, kale and garam masala vinaigrette until just coated. Layer the dressed salad over the yogurt, and top with pear garnish, cilantro, scallions and pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside grilled meats.   
- [Inside Tallahassee’s Midcentury Modern Furnishing Store, Rare Bird Interiors](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/08/rare-bird-interiors-design-district/): She doesn’t remember her haul from that mission to the border. It might have included a teak credenza, a Danish daybed or a Malm fireplace begging to be connected to a butterfly roofline with its bold metal flue—all sought-after pieces from another era that have entered and exited the doors of her furnishings and design studio Rare Bird Interiors in Tallahassee.
- [How to Make a Taco Tini](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/06/taco-tini-recipe-fall-2025/): PREPARATION: Combine liquids in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir 15 times. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with micro taco.
- [Inside the Work of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/03/fish-and-wildlife-foundation-of-florida-2/): Every evening around sundown, something begins to stir under the coral-colored Spanish tiles on the roofs of homes south of Orlando all the way down to Miami. If you listen closely—first for the flutter of a wing, then a chirp—you will hear the sounds of the United States’ rarest bat getting ready to take off for a nightly moonlit feast in South Florida skies.
- [Make a Caviar-tini at Home](https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/01/caviar-tini-recipe-boatyard-2025/): The moment the Caviar-tini hits the table, it sparks curiosity. Boatyard’s over-the-top indulgence starts with three hand-stuffed goat cheese olives, each crowned with Osetra caviar. Add gin or vodka, stir with olive brine and pour over a crystal-clear, diamond-shaped ice cube. It then gets a delicate spray of absinthe. It’s one “showstopping” cocktail, according to Tony Boukhari, Boatyard’s director of operations and beverage.  
- [The Blue Jay Listening Room: Where to Catch Live Music in Jacksonville Beach](https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/24/the-blue-jay-listening-room/): Tucked behind a nondescript door off Jacksonville Beach’s busy Third Street, Blue Jay Listening Room reverberates with the long, soulful squeal of a harmonica. Singer JJ Grey is wailing away to the delight of a standing-room-only crowd of about 80 people when he stops and breaks into a story about his days growing up across town in Baldwin. It’s just another Thursday night inside this tiny-but-mighty music venue: where vintage radios double as tables and a blue velvet curtain frames the stage. Before every show, owner Cara Murphy, 37, welcomes the audience in her signature rasp and reminds them how a listening room works: Hootin’ and hollerin’ in praise of the band is just fine, but once the music starts, make sure to shut the hell up. Murphy’s no-talking rule, however, doesn’t put a damper on the vibes or the level of talent performing on stage. On any given night, acts range from Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats to Flipturn to little-known bluegrass quartets you’ve never heard of before but will thank the music gods you did. In a world full of distractions, Murphy has created a spot along the lines of Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe—where original music, community and quiet reverence still matter. Flamingo caught up with Murphy on a recent afternoon to talk break-through moments, the listening lounge’s namesake, MTV Unplugged and Murphy’s all-time favorite artists.
- [What’s New at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club](https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/18/ponte-vedra-inn-and-club-dining/): All it took was a childhood memory to spark an entire dinner menu at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club’s Inn Dining Room. Chef Erik Osol remembers being 9 or 10 years old when his parents took him to Bern’s Steak House, the storied Tampa restaurant. They ordered a Caesar salad, which was prepared tableside. “And to this day, I can still see the ingredients going in the bowl, see them making it, and still taste the flavors,” says Osol, now the Chef de Cuisine of the iconic Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. “It’s those scenes that get burned in your memory, the scene and smell. And that’s the sensation I wanted to give hotel guests and members at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.”
- [It’s Garden Party Season at Naples Botanical Garden](https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/11/naples-botanical-garden-fall-events/): While there may not be a kaleidoscope of red, orange and yellow foliage to denote the change in seasons in Southwest Florida, Naples Botanical Garden is ushering in the autumn and winter months with a leaf season of its own, featuring a lineup of can’t-miss happenings. The 170-acre tropical oasis located just 10 minutes from downtown Naples has truly planted roots within its community, delivering unparalleled horticultural education and experiences for visitors of all ages. These award-winning grounds, that include everything from Brazilian and Asian gardens to orchids and succulents and beyond, always provide a serene escape, but an amazing way to see the property in a different light is by touring them during one of their special events.
- [Finding Flavor in the Florida Keys and Key West ](https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/04/florida-keys-culinary-conservation/): To truly appreciate the Florida Keys, you have to taste and savor its storied past. Long hidden behind the Conch Republic’s laid-back lifestyle and waterside adventures, the region’s food and beverage scene is now getting its long-deserved spotlight. Here, three of the area’s culinary innovators share what it’s like to source from the region’s abundant waterways to master the art of casual dining.
- [Editor’s Note: Jamie Rich Saved You a Seat at Florida’s Dinner Table](https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/02/jamie-rich-2025-taste-issue/): That is the power of food—creating connections that nourish not only the body but also the soul. —Jamie Rich
- [5 Tailgate Recipes for Game Day](https://flamingomag.com/2025/08/30/5-tailgate-recipes-for-game-day/): We rounded up tailgate favorites from some of the biggest college towns across the state, from the northern Noles to the 'Canes of Biscayne. Get ready for game day and click below for these must-try recipes.
- [Why Actor and Floridian Chrissy Metz Loves a Good Underdog](https://flamingomag.com/2025/08/25/chrissy-metz-the-hunting-wives/): After 12 years in Los Angeles trying to make it as an actor, Chrissy Metz had just 81 cents in her bank account. “I was about to head back home,” says Metz, known for her roles as Kate Pearson in “This Is Us” and Starr in Netflix’s “The Hunting Wives,” tells Flamingo. “I just thought that I was delusional about being an actor and that nothing was happening.”
- [Stetson Kennedy’s Fight for Civil Rights](https://flamingomag.com/2025/08/11/stetson-kennedy/): On election day in 1950, Stetson Kennedy—journalist, folklorist, civil rights activist and champion of the poor—turned up in the tiny hamlet of Switzerland, Fla. Before he was able to vote, Kennedy was confronted by a small mob threatening him with broken beer bottles. A couple of deputies ran them off, only to arrest Kennedy for supposedly violating the law by possessing campaign materials near a polling station. 
- [She’s Still Got It At 109: Helena Powers’s Tips for a Long and Happy Life](https://flamingomag.com/2025/08/04/helena-powers/): My brain stopped right there. Helena Powers. I hadn’t thought of her in years. I assumed she’d passed sometime after her hundredth birthday—the one Mama and my sister Deborah attended in 2016, just around a year before Mama passed herself. Deborah had called me after that party: “Helena drank three bourbons. After the third one, she stood up and said, ‘That’s my limit.’ And the party was over.”
- [Meet Us at Mistletoe, A Tranquil Tallahassee Retreat](https://flamingomag.com/2025/07/31/mistletoe-tallahassee/): Welcome to Mistletoe, an 85-acre retreat named after the plant that grows in the trees there—a picturesque locale in the Red Hills region, beloved for its unspoiled pine forests, abundant bobwhite quail and lush rolling hills. 
- [‘No Sleep Till’: An Interview With the Filmmaker Behind This Atlantic Beach-Inspired Hurricane Drama](https://flamingomag.com/2025/07/16/no-sleep-till/): At once a love letter to a beloved coastal community, an evocation of climate anxiety familiar to every Floridian and a confidently low-key flourish of cinematic poetry, “No Sleep Till” frames the town of Atlantic Beach through the lens of its young filmmaker’s childhood memories. 
- [‘Florida Palms’ Author Joe Pan on the Space Coast, Biker Parties and Florida Man](https://flamingomag.com/2025/07/09/joe-pan-florida-palms/): Space Coast-native Joe Pan’s debut novel releases this month, but he’s no newbie in the literary world. He’s authored five poetry collections, was featured in the New York Times and founded Brooklyn Arts Press, a National Book Award-winning independent publishing house. It’s no surprise that Pan's first leap into the world of fiction made a splash among HBO producers, who have already started working on a TV show based on the riveting novel. Ahead of the release of his book, “Florida Palms,” a gripping story of crime and brotherhood set on the state's Atlantic Coast (out July 22), we sat down with Pan to talk Floridian stereotypes, the real-life inspirations behind his characters and the book’s potential adaptation to the screen.
- [Must-Do July Events in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/30/july-events-in-florida/): Watch the Blue Angels blaze across the Gulf sky in a weekend of aerial acrobatics. The show builds all week with practice flights and a finale over Pensacola Beach.visitpensacolabeach.com
- [SipMarg’s Classic Cadillac Spritz](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/23/classic-cadillac-spritz/): PREPARATION: Combine tequila, orange juice, SipMargs and a pinch of salt in shaker. Shake well. Run orange slice on rim of a wine glass and dip in salt. Add ice to glass and pour drink from shaker. Add triple sec floater on top. Garnish with orange wedge.
- [‘Razing Liberty Square’ Returns to PBS This Summer](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/19/razing-liberty-square/): If you’re looking for an alternative to all the hoo-ha, though, you’re in luck (unlike most of the cast of “M3GAN 2.0”). Emmy-nominated 2023 documentary “Razing Liberty Square” returns to PBS this month where it streams for free through July 31. The film was directed by Katja Esson, a German filmmaker who moved to Miami in the 1980s and watched the city blow up into the metropolis it is today. The housing project in Liberty City—where Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins grew up, and set his film “Moonlight”—becomes a critical site in an ongoing wave of climate gentrification in Miami, where rising sea levels are driving real estate developers further inland and the 753-unit public-housing complex lays square in the wrecking ball's arc. The ironies abound, as the community arose in the 1930s to house Black residents who weren’t allowed on “whites-only” beaches. 
- [The Buko Boys Are Building Their Indie Dream](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/17/buko-boys/): The Buko Boys aren’t your typical band—they’re a vibe, a virtual hangout, a chaotic group chat come to life. What started as an idea thrown around on South Florida beach kick backs has turned into a genre-blurring music project that combines Brazilian bossa nova-inspired beats with indie-pop rock flair and thrives as much online as it does on stage.
- [New and Noteworthy Openings Across Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/04/hotels-and-restaurants-across-florida/): A new endeavor from the folks behind River & Post and River & Fort, Saint brings high-end Italian cuisine to St. Augustine’s historic bayfront, opening after an extensive renovation of one of the city’s oldest buildings, situated between Harry’s Seafood and The Tini Martini Bar. The space makes the place, with rooftop dining, indoor seating and a sprawling courtyard—and views onto the Matanzas River. All in all, there’s enough room for around 400 diners. The menu is as welcoming, with indulgent dishes such as short rib bolognese, seafood bucatini and braised veal osso buco. Starters boast Old World classics like Nonno’s Meatballs and the Amalfi Coast seafood cone—a cornucopia of shrimp, calamari and scallops suitable for the mighty Neptune himself.saintsta.com
- [Check Out Cabot’s Other Golf Resorts Around the World](https://flamingomag.com/2025/06/02/the-cabot-collection-resorts/): The Cabot Collection is a developer of luxury golf resorts founded by Ben Cowan-Dewar, a Canadian whom GolfPass calls “arguably the hottest golf developer on the planet.” Cowan-Dewar started work on the collection’s first course, Cabot Links, built on a former mining site in Nova Scotia in 2004 at age 25. Cabot Citrus Farms is the company’s first U.S. resort. 
- [Barbecue & Beach Days: A Taste of Summer in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2025/05/30/grouper-sandwiches-and-barbecue-in-summer/): The first time I truly knew it was summer, I was about 10 years old, holding a sandwich too big for my hands while at the beach. It was nothing more than wheat bread, crunchy peanut butter and homemade jam. My grandmother made the jam herself—raspberries that’d pucker your entire face, blueberries she collected on hikes and strawberries as sweet as rock candy. 
- [Editor’s Note: FSU Alumna, Mom, Floridian](https://flamingomag.com/2025/05/27/fsu-mass-shooting/): My editor’s notes generally recount fun little stories, usually about something that happened along the route of making the magazine you are holding, something to entice you to keep reading. This time, I’m struggling to find the lighthearted words I need to paint a bright and sunny picture of our state. In the final days of producing our Summer 2025 Icons Issue, a mass shooting unfolded on the campus of my alma mater, Florida State University, in Tallahassee leaving two people dead, six injured, and thousands of students and staff traumatized.
- [The Slice: Tropical Getaways and Hidden Gems From Our Latest Issue](https://flamingomag.com/2025/05/05/florida-getaways-and-culture/): Perfectly positioned in the Yucatán Peninsula, and about 70 miles from Key West, Club Med Cancún offers an up-scale all-inclusive experience designed with families in mind. Fresh off a renovation project that reimagined its Sports & Wellness Island and created a dedicated Family Oasis with Kids Club, Baby Club Med and a new splash pool with Mayan-themed water features, every need and experience has been carefully considered. Flamingo traveled to Club Med Cancún this spring to check it out firsthand. Read our feature story on the luxury digs and family fun awaiting at this oceanfront resort. clubmed.us
- [Prissy Elrod Goes on a Wild Havanese Hunt](https://flamingomag.com/2025/04/30/prissy-elrod-goes-on-a-wild-havanese-hunt/): Courtney found a retired FBI agent turned volunteer dog tracker. Yes, an actual canine Sherlock Holmes.—Prissy Elrod
- [A Toast to Tallahassee’s Tiki Hut Haven](https://flamingomag.com/2025/04/24/a-toast-to-tallahassees-tiki-hut-haven/): After 32 years, Waterworks, the world’s greatest tiki bar, is no more. It survived the 2000 presidential election vote recount mess, various hurricanes, COVID-19 and even the occasional incursion of frat boys. It was part of Tallahassee’s history; it was part of my personal history. I laughed in that bar; I cried in that bar; I fell in love in that bar; I flounced off to that bar to drink white Russians after a bad breakup. It was my clubhouse.
- [Flora-Bama Mullet Toss: A Tradition Across State Lines](https://flamingomag.com/2025/04/16/flora-bama-mullet-toss-a-tradition-across-state-lines/): St. Louis has the Gateway Arch. Seattle has its Space Needle. Los Angeles has the Hollywood sign. Yet, can any of these symbolic civic wonders really compare to the salt-crusted, mullet-tossed, beer-sodden glory that is the Flora-Bama Lounge? The Panhandle’s weathered monument to honky-tonkin’ good times is surely as alluring a roadside attraction as those other historic sites and speaks to an idiosyncratic sense of place with its very name. This oyster shack on steroids they call “the last American roadhouse” famously straddles the state line that separates Florida and Alabama—hence the name—but represents a state of mind that is wholly its own. Neither the wayward tides of time nor the howling winds of multiple hurricanes have altered that. Although the establishment that sprawls across the beachfront at Perdido Key has been rebuilt on an occasion or two, it abides—as surely as Jeff Bridges’s fabled the Dude from “The Big Lebowski,” who is exactly the kind of fella who would be right at home here, with his louche wardrobe. 
- [Florida’s Frame Worthy Shades](https://flamingomag.com/2025/04/08/abaco-polarized-sunglasses/): Breaking your favorite sunglasses is a plight all Floridians can relate to. And unfortunately, for every scratched lens or broken frame, you’ll likely have to buy a replacement. Thankfully, Abaco Polarized is changing that with their line of high-quality glasses: from bamboo shades that float in water to aviators with prescription lenses that aren’t just affordable, but are also backed by a limited lifetime warranty. 
- [And Now, a Few Words on Boca Raton](https://flamingomag.com/2025/03/19/boca-raton-poetry-100/): How exactly does a city celebrate its multifaceted identity with words? How does it encapsulate so much of its evolution over a centennial celebration with written phrases? For the City’s Centennial Committee co-chairs, Amy DiNorscio and Anne Marie Connolly, poetry was the answer. DiNorscio was inspired by the impact of a popular poetry campaign – O, Miami – which celebrates the city through a poetic form invented by O, Miami, in partnership with WLRN written by its residents every April, also national poetry month, and had a vision for creating something similar in Boca. 
- [The Storied Past Behind the Crystal River Archaeological State Park](https://flamingomag.com/2025/03/10/crystal-river-archaeological-state-park/): When I reached Crystal River Archaeological State Park, I threw my car into a space and immediately set off striding toward the highest spot for miles around. The day was cool and clear—perfect for pretending to be on a trip into the distant past. I passed lots of families strolling around the park, the children chattering with excitement, while I made a beeline for my objective.
- [Naples Botanical Garden Celebrates Environmental Artistry](https://flamingomag.com/2025/03/04/naples-botanical-garden-frame-and-flora/): A visit to Naples Botanical Garden feels like stepping into a living masterpiece, where every leaf, bloom and pathway tells a story of tropical splendor. Nestled in the heart of Naples, this lush, 170-acre sanctuary is a celebration of botanical artistry and environmental stewardship, offering visitors an immersive experience of nature’s wonders.
- [Follow Our Key Lime Pie Trail to These 10 Places](https://flamingomag.com/2025/03/03/10-places-to-find-key-lime-pie-with-a-twist/): The Florida Keys takes its Key lime pie as seriously as its sunsets. From tangy to sweet, whipped cream to meringue and traditional to downright wild, here are 10 must-try spins on the Sunshine State’s signature dessert.
- [Why Natalie Morales Wants to Be the Scorsese of Miami](https://flamingomag.com/2025/02/27/why-natalie-morales-wants-to-be-the-scorsese-of-miami/): Natalie Morales' first-ever audition couldn’t have gone much worse.
- [Editor’s Note: How a Rain Check Turned Into a Worthwhile Reroute](https://flamingomag.com/2025/02/24/editors-note-rain-check-reroute/): Don't be afraid to let unexpected detours shape the adventure.–Jamie Rich, Editor in Chief
- [Eat A Taco Like Frida Kahlo](https://flamingomag.com/2025/02/24/frida-kahlo-tacos-mexico-city/): Perhaps Mexico City’s most famous personality, Frida Kahlo, was at the center of an artistic movement of her time, and the food she ate represented her leftist, artistic ways. Kahlo never ordered a modern stove for her home, cooking instead with a traditional wood-burning stove. Her recipes have long been documented in cookbooks that feature her traditional dishes, like turkey in mole. If she had a favorite restaurant, I couldn’t find mention of it. I’d wager her labor-friendly views would mean she’d lean toward places like Tacos Tony, a modern spot that is situated a short drive from her childhood home. It serves simple tacos to taxi drivers and repair shop workers, where they eat from paper plates piled high with chopped steak on tortillas topped with cilantro and onions and dripping with hot sauce.
- [Mexico City’s Six Can’t-Miss Neighborhoods](https://flamingomag.com/2025/02/24/six-mexico-city-neighborhoods/): A bit hipster and often called the Brooklyn of CDMX, Roma Norte mixes street corner taco stands with finer restaurants that have all the buzz of a New York City hotspot. There’s plenty of sit-down stars, like Máximo Bistrot, where chef Eduardo García puts out a seasonal menu that feels something like a dinner party. Once you’re taco-ed out—which does happen, I’ll attest—there are small plates and legit Neapolitan pizzas for a good price at Pizza Félix.
- [Why Florida Citrus Is the Sunshine State’s Treasure](https://flamingomag.com/2025/02/07/gift-florida-citrus/): Winter is the perfect season to share the love of Florida Citrus, and the wide variety of offerings from Florida Citrus Gifts let you share the warmth of Florida groves with loved ones near and far. Filled with your favorite varieties of fruit and local touches like orange blossom honey, artisan jellies or chocolate, these boxes deliver more than flavor—they capture the charm and sunshine of the state. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, marking a milestone, sending a care package or simply brightening someone’s day, Florida Citrus Gifts are as thoughtful as they are delicious.
- [Florida-Made Gifts for Your Valentine](https://flamingomag.com/2025/01/31/valentines-gift-guide-2025/): Shop for loved ones this February from Flamingo’s 2025 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide. Whether you're playing backgammon on a hand-painted board, casting a line with a custom rod and reel or gifting a piece of Sunshine State style, we’ve rounded up the best ways to celebrate love and friendship.
- [Director Warren Skeels Shares the True Story Behind His Latest Film, “The Man in the White Van”](https://flamingomag.com/2024/12/18/warren-skeels-the-man-in-the-white-van/): Terror intrudes on seemingly idyllic small-town Florida in “The Man in the White Van.” The new thriller, from Jacksonville native Warren Skeels, opened in theaters nationwide on Dec. 13. The film revisits a string of abductions and murders that actually happened in the mid-1970s, which led to the grisly discovery of a “house of horrors” in Spring Hill, a yard full of buried bodies and the life imprisonment of Billy Mansfield Jr., for the killing of five women— although his murder victims are still being identified, all these years later.
- [The Art and Alchemy of Making Jelly](https://flamingomag.com/2024/12/16/the-art-and-alchemy-of-making-jelly/): While making jelly, my mother’s kitchen looked like the mad scientist’s lab in an old movie: boiling cauldrons, Pyrex beakers and a sinister-looking antique potato masher used to crush leaves and flowers. She liked to experiment. One year it was kudzu jelly. The reactions were decidedly mixed: Some people couldn’t get over the very idea of those choking, crawling vines producing anything edible, while others pronounced it sublime, especially when spread on a water cracker with brie. 
- [How Chris Baus Is Fueling a Hi-fi Revival](https://flamingomag.com/2024/12/05/chris-baus-cathode-bias/): Audio designer Chris Baus isn’t afraid of a weird niche. When he and his wife, Eylin, launched their hi-fi studio Cathode Bias in Miami amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they wanted to break the norm. “Our philosophy is that hi-fi and PA systems in particular have gotten pretty boring,” says Baus, who currently runs his business out of Cocoa Beach and Reno, Nevada. “It’s a black box in the corner.” 
- [Martin County’s Natural Beauty and Seasonal Events Offer the Ideal Winter Escape](https://flamingomag.com/2024/12/02/martin-county-with-its-unspoiled-natural-beauty-and-seasonal-events-calendar-is-the-perfect-winter-escape/): Martin County offers the perfect winter Florida escape with art festivals, light parades and guided eco-tours.
- [Catch the Holiday Spirit With a Day Trip to Disney Springs](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/25/disney-springs-holiday-spirit/): Disney Springs, with some of Florida's best shopping and dining, is the perfect place to make holiday memories.
- [How to Weekend in Winter Park](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/12/winter-park-arts-weekend/): The Winter Park Arts Weekend is the perfect getaway for art lovers and those who love to explore charming small towns.
- [Celebrate 15 Years of Johnsonville Night Lights at Naples Botanical Garden](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/07/naples-botanical-garden-night-lights/):  As twilight descends, Naples Botanical Garden transforms into a sparkling haven, where Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden weaves a dazzling display of illumination throughout the lush, tropical landscape and serene water lily ponds. This year marks the 15th anniversary of this monthlong spectacle, which begins Nov. 29 and bathes much of the 170-acre oasis in vibrant colors, igniting a sense of wonder in all who visit.
- [Florida Man Strikes Again: HBO Max’s “It’s Florida, Man” Brings the Sunshine State’s Wildest Tales to Life](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/05/florida-man-strikes-again-hbo-maxs-its-florida-man-brings-the-sunshine-states-wildest-tales-from-the-swamp-to-the-screen/): Hundreds of years from now, long after the hurricanes and rising sea levels have rid every beachfront of every condominium and returned the state to the tropical Eden it once was, whatever sentient lifeforms that prevail may dig through the moss-shadowed ruins in search of historical artifacts: The evidence of our civilization’s astonishments, the tracks of our tears, the arc of our ambitions—all to understand who we were when we lived in the world.
- [Unwrap the Charm of Amelia Island at Dickens on Centre](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/05/amelia-island-the-ideal-christmas-vacation-destination/): Every December, something just shy of a Christmas miracle unfolds in downtown Amelia Island. The fresh scent of evergreens drifts along an ocean breeze, steam rises from mugs of hot cocoa and the opening notes of “The First Noel” echo down cobblestone streets. Local vendors sell nutcrackers, seashell ornaments and other wares while marketgoers flit past wearing petticoats and bonnets on their way to a late-night soiree at The Lesesne House. The ghosts of Christmas past and present are out to play at Dickens on Centre, Amelia Island’s annual jolly jubilee based on Charles Dickens’s classic, “A Christmas Carol.” More than a festival, this winter weekend boasts a Victorian market, musical performances, parades, a beach fun run, outdoor movie screenings and more, attracting visitors from across the Southeast. In honor of their 10th anniversary, here’s where to eat, stay and play at Dickens on Centre. 
- [On the Farm With Congaree and Penn](https://flamingomag.com/2024/11/04/on-the-farm-with-congaree-and-penn/): In 2014, a patch of dirt brimming with weeds located about a 30-minute drive from downtown Jacksonville transformed into four acres of rice paddies under Scott and Lindsay Meyer’s care. Chefs around the area started requesting their custom-milled rice and 10 years later, Congaree and Penn is a thriving 330-acre farm of orchards and animals, and a slate of dining options including a chef’s tasting dinner set among their grapevines.
- [Sip, Savor and Shop Local in Alys Beach](https://flamingomag.com/2024/10/07/sip-savor-and-shop-local-in-alys-beach/): As the fire crackles and a crisp breeze sweeps through Firepit Park in Alys Beach, an invitation to gather and share stories emerges amid the smoke and laughter. Join us for an evening rich in tradition and flavor, where past and present converge over expertly crafted cocktails.
- [Prissy Elrod’s Anniversary Road Trip Takes a Turn](https://flamingomag.com/2024/09/06/an-anniversary-trip-tale/): Filled with a spontaneous spirit, and in honor of our 24th wedding anniversary, my husband Dale and I packed our bags for a road trip from Tallahassee to South Florida. Yearning to escape the chilly January weather, I craved the warmth of the sun, sand and sea. Though Dale isn’t particularly fond of beach life, he agreed to indulge me but only if we traveled by car. They say compromise is the key to a happy marriage. I say no good deed goes unpunished, so we traveled by car, not plane. I would choose a root canal over a car trip. At least the dentist would give me drugs.
- [An Epicurean Adventure Awaits on Amelia Island ](https://flamingomag.com/2024/09/04/an-epicurean-adventure-awaits-on-amelia-island/): The culinary adventure food lovers have been awaiting is just around the corner. Starting Sept. 1, the inaugural Amelia Island Dining Month will showcase a diverse array of gastronomic delights across this vibrant North Florida barrier island, offering diners an irresistible invitation to explore its flourishing food scene.
- [Mountains: A Heartfelt Tribute to Little Haiti Amid Miami’s Gentrification](https://flamingomag.com/2024/08/16/mountains-a-heartfelt-tribute-to-little-haiti-amid-miamis-gentrification/): Filmmaker Monica Sorelle was walking through Wynwood in 2018, looking at the gentrification in the Miami district, when she came up with the idea for "Mountains." 
- [Jennifer Adler’s Love Letter to Florida’s Freshwater Springs](https://flamingomag.com/2024/08/06/florida-freshwater-springs/): My Florida is not the stereotypical one depicted on postcards or Disney vacations—it's better. —Jennifer Adler
- [JJ Grey’s Triumphant Return: ‘Olustee’ Revives Southern Soul and Swampy Blues](https://flamingomag.com/2024/08/02/jj-grey-mofro-new-album-olustee/): While his natural habitat of the Florida swampland inspired a career’s worth of blues- and R&B-inflected songs, JJ Grey’s second home is the stage, where audiences across the country can see the Jacksonville singer-songwriter and guitarist and his band JJ Grey & Mofro on tour throughout the summer and into October (so far). Grey’s ninth studio album "Olustee" (Alligator Records) is his first since "Ol’ Glory" was released in 2015, a stretch that was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant disruptions.
- [How to Craft Coconut Cartel’s Miami Bird](https://flamingomag.com/2024/07/29/coconut-cartel-miami-bird/): MAKES ONE COCKTAIL
- [Getting Real With Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant](https://flamingomag.com/2024/07/19/getting-real-with-lynyrd-skynyrds-johnny-van-zant/): Editor In Chief Jamie Rich sat down with Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant for a long talk about Florida, faith and Southern rock. Van Zant opens up about the band's tragedy, stepping into the spotlight and spending time with his grandkids.
- [Plan Your Getaway to Martin County ](https://flamingomag.com/2024/07/19/plan-your-escape-to-martin-county/): The one thing that visitors to Martin County notice immediately is the region’s sheer beauty. Vast and largely untouched, the destination’s 22 miles of idyllic beaches with warm water are complemented with more than 100,000 acres of pristine parks and one of the most bio-diverse lagoon ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere. Seems like we’re not the only ones who have noticed. The enchanting city of Stuart in Martin County was recently voted the No. 1 Best Coastal Small Town in the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, an accolade that solidifies the area’s standing as one of the most charming destinations to visit all year round.
- [How to Make Gill Dawg’s Pan-Seared Scallops This Summer](https://flamingomag.com/2024/06/28/how-to-make-gill-dawgs-pan-seared-scallops-this-summer/): PREPARATION: Season both sides of the scallops with SPG seasoning mix. Sear scallops in a hot pan with butter. Once seared on both sides, add white wine, minced garlic and roasted red peppers. Let sauce reduce slightly and add lemon juice. Plate and top with shredded parmesan cheese and green onion.
- [Introducing Sol Squeeze: The Ultimate On-the-Go Organic Margarita Mix ](https://flamingomag.com/2024/06/26/introducing-sol-squeeze-the-ultimate-on-the-go-organic-margarita-mix/): Nothing says summer vacation like the first sip of salt, citrus and tequila in a made-from-scratch margarita. And now, thanks to North Florida entrepreneur Amy Davis, the refreshing cocktail can go wherever you do with the introduction of Sol Squeeze, her line of good-time, on-the-go cocktail pouches. 
- [Shedding Light on the Orbit Lamp’s Legacy](https://flamingomag.com/2024/05/08/kevin-gray-orbit-lamp/): This sparked the Orbit Lamp. The design classic features a long sloping arm with a circular metal shade on one end and a round metal ball on the other—a concept rooted in the idea of “orbiting the Earth,” says Gray. The lamp was introduced in 1981 and became a hit. “Miami Vice,” the defining TV show of the era, stocked up on the lamps to use as props. “They used to order them in turquoise, blue, orange and like crazy colors,” Gray recalls. “I said, ‘What’s going on with my lamps?’”
- [Discover the Best of Greater Miami: From Art and Cuisine to Beaches and Boutiques](https://flamingomag.com/2024/05/01/discover-the-best-of-greater-miami-from-art-to-cuisine-beaches-to-boutiques/): It’s no secret Miami has long been celebrated globally for its vibrant entertainment, but the city’s allure extends far beyond its nocturnal charms. If you haven't visited Greater Miami or Miami Beach in a while, get ready for a delightful surprise. The destination is undergoing an unprecedented boom, evolving at a pace unmatched everywhere in the country. The best part? The dynamic cultural scene, melting pot of world cuisines, and iconic sun-drenched beaches are just the beginning. Whether planning your first getaway or returning for more, follow along as we share the best of Greater Miami and Miami Beach that will redefine your perception. 
- [Panama City’s Newest Places to Eat, Stay and Play](https://flamingomag.com/2024/03/18/panama-citys-newest-eats-stays-and-plays/): A new breed of entrepreneurs have infused historic Panama City with a whimsical character all their own by introducing new concepts and giving a shine to some old favorites. If you go, here are some must-see stops that capture a real sense of place.
- [Spiritual Joust: Exploring Modern Art’s Divine Satire at the Rollins Museum of Art](https://flamingomag.com/2024/03/07/surreal-spiritual-joust-exploring-modern-arts-divine-satire-at-transformations-exhibition/): A decorated knight raises his lance, wearing a menacing look under his panache and iron helmet. Across from him, a gallant musketeer tilts back his plumed cavalier hat and brandishes his weapon. The adversaries stare one another down, violent tension building as they rear their mighty steeds—their bright blue and neon pink mighty steeds—that bear an uncanny resemblance to My Little Ponies from the 1980s. They are squared off on either side of the Lamb of God, which is sacrificially bleeding into small, medium and large Big Gulp cups from 7-Eleven. Central Florida-based artist Gary Bolding’s triptych, “Big Gulp Altarpiece,” doesn’t look like most altarpieces, but it does capture the satire—and alarming truth—of modern society’s biggest religion: consumerism. 
- [Southern Geniuses: A.E. Backus, Zora Neale Hurston and the Florida Highwaymen](https://flamingomag.com/2024/03/05/ae-backus-fort-pierce/): On any given afternoon, the soothing sounds of jazz spilled out of the house and into the street at the end of Avenue C in Fort Pierce. A surreal coalition of Black and white artists, writers and musicians would eventually emerge from inside the home of A.E. “Bean” Backus. It was the 1950s and Jim Crow segregation divided the town at the railroad tracks. Still, this group communed over art regardless of race in one of the oldest communities on Florida’s East Coast.
- [An Artful Escape in New Smyrna Beach](https://flamingomag.com/2024/01/29/an-artful-escape-in-new-smyrna-beach/): New Smyrna Beach is one of Florida’s most idyllic coastal communities offering a cultural immersion with delicious diversions at every turn. The well-known surf destination attracts beachgoers from across Florida and the Southeast to its iconic shores, but while many visitors may head straight to the Flagler Avenue beach access for epic waves or a leisurely cruise on the sand, the town's lesser-known treasures await on dry land. A thriving culinary scene, award-winning chefs and an abundance of art galleries and festivals keeps this eclectic enclave ever-evolving. Let's explore a few ways to tap into the cultural side of New Smyrna Beach.
- [Think You Know Greater Miami and Miami Beach?](https://flamingomag.com/2024/01/22/think-you-know-greater-miami-and-miami-beach/): If you’ve been to Greater Miami and Miami Beach just once, most likely you hit South Beach. Perhaps you took in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brickell. Maybe you shopped in the Design District before taking in the art scene in Wynwood. All of that sounds like a pretty perfect itinerary for a trip here. But if you’re heading back to Greater Miami for the second (or thousandth) time, perhaps this time you want to see something entirely new, places you won’t find in the tourism magazines they leave in hotel rooms. For that, we’ve put together our curated list of seven ways to see Greater Miami, places that just might become your new favorite way to experience the city.  
- [Where to Shop in Florida for Antiques, Thrifting and Other Vintage Finds ](https://flamingomag.com/2024/01/16/where-to-shop-in-florida-for-antiques-thrifting-and-other-vintage-finds/): Scour the stalls at the largest source for antiques in Florida for 33 years. Shop for vintage furniture and rare finds like 1800s French copper, white ironstone and gold at over 200 individually-owned shops in this indoor second-hand-goods mecca. renningers.net
- [Seminoles’ Battle Cry: Outrage and Disappointment as FSU Misses Playoff Chance](https://flamingomag.com/2023/12/28/seminoles-battle-cry-outrage-and-disappointment-as-fsu-misses-playoff-chance/): Seminole Nation is puppy-kicking mad. People stop each other in the street, not to say, “Happy New Year,” but to vent their rage, deploy choice profanities and float conspiracy theories about how the NCAA, ESPN, the CFP, the SEC and, for all we know, the CIA and other Deep State actors, have connived to destroy our football dreams.
- [Florida’s Wildest News Year Yet](https://flamingomag.com/2023/12/27/floridas-wildest-news-year-yet/): However, if the game makers want to stay current with this product scheduled to hit stores in 2025, they better incorporate at least some of the weird stuff that happened in 2023. Fortunately, there’s a LOT to choose from.
- [Celebrating Florida’s Scrub Jay: A Conservation Success Story](https://flamingomag.com/2023/11/30/celebrating-floridas-scrub-jay-a-conservation-success-story/): I’ve spent the past decade photographing wide-ranging land animals—like the Florida panther—to showcase the importance of protecting the Florida Wildlife Corridor. I’ve also gotten to know smaller animals, like the Florida scrub jay, that tell a similar story of why we need to protect a network of connected natural lands. 
- [The Slice: A Preview of the South Beach’s Starlit Soirees](https://flamingomag.com/2023/11/27/the-slice-a-preview-of-the-south-beachs-starlit-soirees/): The 23rd annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival presents a weekend of fetes and feasts that capture the essence of the Magic City’s effervescent, multicultural vibe. From Feb. 22–25, attend demonstrations hosted by Food Network personalities, savor roses and reds from around the world and snag samples from more than one hundred mouthwatering events.
- [Maxwell Frost on the Frontlines: Tackling Florida’s Climate Crisis and Housing Woes](https://flamingomag.com/2023/10/19/maxwell-frost/): A sit-down with Congressman Maxwell Frost, who at 26, is the first Gen Z'er to be elected to the House of Representatives.
- [Must-See Events in Florida this Fall and Winter](https://flamingomag.com/2023/10/04/must-see-events-happening-across-the-state/): From country rodeos and songwriting festivals to science exhibitions and sand sculpting competitions, we've compiled a list of our favorite events across Florida this season.
- [Editor’s Note: Play It Again](https://flamingomag.com/2023/10/02/editors-note-play-it-again-with-jamie-rich/): Editor in Chief Jamie Rich reminisces on fall in North Florida and takes us through the new Fall/Winter issue. Plus, a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett
- [Discover the Artistry of Alys Beach Crafted](https://flamingomag.com/2023/09/26/discover-the-artistry-of-alys-beach-crafted/): Toast to this 30A oasis overflowing with bespoke brews, artisanal cocktails and coastal craftsmanship
- [Carlton Ward Jr. Snapped the Cutest Photo for His Path of the Panther Project](https://flamingomag.com/2023/05/11/carlton-ward-jr-snapped-the-cutest-photo-for-his-path-of-the-panther-project/): Carlton Ward Jr shares an experience of tracking new Florida Panther kittens to study them and monitor the Panther population.
- [Gone Coastal: The Music Inspired by Jimmy Buffett](https://flamingomag.com/2017/08/23/jimmy-buffett-gone-coastal/): As the night wound down, the duo transitioned from original material to covers. In a tribute to the man who had paved the way for both their careers, they performed Jimmy Buffett’s 1974 “The Wino and I Know,” one of the prolific musician’s more obscure works:
- [Tim Dorsey’s Florida: Loxahatchee Lore](https://flamingomag.com/2016/11/24/my-florida-trapper-nelson/): Trapper.
- [Make the Daytona Dirty Cobbler With Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company’s Ale](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/21/try-this-daytona-dirty-cobbler/): PREPARATION: Combine the bourbon, honey syrup and Angostura bitters in a rocks glass filled with cubed ice. Top with the chilled Daytona Dirty Blonde Ale. Stir gently. Garnish with the dried persimmon wheel and rosemary sprig.
- [Make a Citrusy Spritz With Persimmon Hollow’s Beach Hippie IPA](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/21/try-this-harvest-hippie-spritz/): PREPARATION: Add the persimmon puree and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Strain the mixture into a large wine glass filled with ice. Pour the chilled Beach Hippie IPA on top. Add sparkling water, if desired, and stir gently. Garnish the drink with an orange peel ribbon.
- [Fall Isn’t Over Yet in Cherokee County, North Carolina](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/15/cherokee-county-north-carolina/): By mid-October, fall is already beginning to paint the Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina. But in Cherokee County, the season doesn’t unfold all at once. Here, changing elevations stretch the show, with canopies of yellow and burnt orange appearing first along the higher ridgelines before gradually coloring the valleys, around lakes and along rivers. That means there’s still plenty of time for Floridians to head north and catch some of the most beautiful weeks of the year.
- [Florida Stone Crabs: The Hidden Cost of a Seafood Delicacy](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/15/floridas-stone-crabs/): Many Floridians know all about the sweet pleasure of dipping a hunk of succulent claw meat into warm melted butter or a tangy mustard sauce, but few connoisseurs stop to think about the life and times of that crustacean they just cracked. Florida stone crabs are the jocks of the sea—so beefy that they can’t even reach their claws to their backs. “They have these incredibly strong ratcheting claws, so perhaps what they lack in flexibility they make up for in brute strength,” says Kate Rose, a Florida Sea Grant agent. The thick-shelled bottom dwellers scuttle along the ocean floor, using their claws to crush and pinch prey. “They’re like little tanks,” Rose says.
- [Caribbean Club’s Hollywood Claim to Fame](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/15/caribbean-clubs-key-largo-claim-to-fame/): The tagline appears on the sign out front, the website, T-shirts and pretty much all other promotional materials: “Where the famous movie ‘Key Largo’ was filmed.” Yet the fact that the 1948 film was shot almost entirely on a soundstage in Los Angeles was lost somewhere in the annals of oral history and hasn’t stopped locals from leaning into the lore. The Caribbean Club is said to have been the location inspiration for the work, but like all good legends, the specifics have been muddled, twisted, repurposed and woven into the fabric of the oldest bar in the Upper Keys. In the nearly eight decades since the film’s release, other hit movies and shows—like the 1996 film “Blood and Wine” and the recent Netflix series “Bloodline”—have filmed on location. Jimmy Buffett even wrote about the place. 
- [What To Do This October in Florida](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/07/florida-events-october-2026/): For a taste of Cedar Key, start with the seafood. Locally harvested oysters, farm-raised clams and more fill the menu at coastal City Park, while more than 100 vendors line 2nd Street with Floridiana and other goods. Then head waterfront for live music and a chance to support Cedar Key as it continues to rebuild after Hurricane Helene.
- [Where to Savor This Season’s White Truffles](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/01/where-to-savor-white-truffles-florida/): Coral Gables Ring in the new year with Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli during his annual seven-course, family-style truffle dinner at Luca Osteria. He creates an entirely new menu each year; past dishes include yellowfin tuna tartare with white truffle vinaigrette and wagyu short ribs with black truffle Bordelaise sauce.
- [Create Holiday Traditions That Last a Lifetime at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club ](https://flamingomag.com/2026/10/01/ponte-vedra-inn-club/): The holidays have a way of filling up fast: presents to buy, gatherings to organize and those once-a-year momentous meals to cook. This year, leave the holiday stress at home and escape to Northeast Florida for a fully planned, luxurious getaway at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. Here, luxury isn’t about excess—it’s about letting the experts fuss over the details, so you can spend more time celebrating the spirited season with loved ones. 
- [How To Make Datil Pepper Deviled Eggs](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/30/datil-pepper-deviled-eggs/): Serves 3 to 6
- [Make a Florida-Style Datil Pepper Bloody Mary](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/30/datil-pepper-bloody-mary-recipe/): Makes 2 large cocktails
- [The Keys Are Calling. Fire Up the Grill for These Conch Republic Recipes. ](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/29/the-keys-recipes/): It’s something of an off-season for the Keys this time of year, but the place I was staying, Three Waters Resort & Marina, was still nearly full, the cars in the parking lot mostly Florida license plates. If you’ve lived in Florida long enough, the Keys become something of your own little escape—renting a house in the mangroves for a quiet family weekend, meeting the old buds for a guys’ trip with lots of fishing and cheap beers dockside or heading all the way down for a taste of the food, the island vibes and the dive bars of Key West. I’ll take a bit of it all.  
- [Nearly 30 Years Later, Sister Hazel and Frontman Drew Copeland Are Still ‘All for You’](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/28/sister-hazel-all-for-you/): It was a typical night on Tallahassee’s infamous West Tennessee Street in 1997 when the line outside Floyd’s Music Store stretched farther than the members of Sister Hazel could believe. The Gainesville band did what came naturally: They ordered a stack of pizzas, walked down the sidewalk and started handing out slices to fans waiting for the doors to open.
- [Chancho King: Jacksonville’s Ecuadorian James Beard Darling](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/22/chancho-king-jacksonville/): Then one day you pull up to a bright storefront in Murray Hill, a chill, artsy neighborhood near downtown Jacksonville. You’ve heard the buzz about this place and its signature sandwich, the very thing that inspired its name: Chancho King. Chancho means pig in Spanish, and the royal designation implies a certain imperial grandeur—a crowning majesty of porkdom. The single-page menu downplays any hoopla. It offers a “pork sandwich” at a modest price ($7), but there is nothing modest about what slides across the counter a few minutes later.
- [Saving Old Florida One Cattle Ranch at a Time](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/18/saving-old-florida-one-ranch-at-a-time/): A drive along Pasco County Road 575 through Florida’s cattle country reveals a hidden world, one that the crush of development has almost buried along the state’s Interstate 75 corridor. Lonely State Road 575, so close to I-75 but seemingly a world away, skirts the Withlacoochee State Forest and briefly winds its way up and down through a landscape of mellow rolling hills that feels like Kentucky. I was looking for a bathroom on my way to visit Providence Cattle Company’s ranch, but the familiar sprawl of strip malls and gas stations was nowhere to be found. Instead, I passed humble homes hidden under Spanish moss with extravagantly patriotic bunting celebrating America’s 250th anniversary and signs advertising Hancock Farm & Seed, Pasco Honey, hay, cattle, horses and one that read, “Save Old Florida.”
- [Catch a Flick at These 20 Florida Film Festivals](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/08/20-florida-film-festivals-to-visit/): The Subtropic Film Festival features a workshop for aspiring filmmakers. Photography courtesy of Subtropic Film Festival Tallahassee Film Festival, Oct. 8-11, 2026 Naples International Film Festival, Naples, exp. October 2026 Freak Show Horror Film Festival, Orlando, Oct. 23-24, 2026 FLIFF Shorts, Fort Lauderdale, November 2026 Subtropic Film Festival, West Palm Beach, Nov. 6-8, 2026 Miami Short Film Festival, Miami, Nov. 13-15, 2026 Key West Film Festival, Key West, Nov. 18-22, 2026 Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival, Tampa, December 2026 St. Augustine Film Festival, St. Augustine, Jan. 7-10, 2027 Miami Jewish Film Festival, Miami, Jan. 13-28, 2027 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale, Feb. 19-27, 2027  Gasparilla International Film Festival, Tampa, April 1-4, 2027 Miami Film Festival, Miami, April 1-11, 2027 Sarasota Film Festival, Sarasota, April 9-18, 2027 Florida Film Festival, Maitland, April 9-18, 2027 Redfish Film Festival, Panama City, April 23-24, 2027 Sunscreen Film Festival, St. Petersburg, April 29- May 2, 2027 Fort Myers Film Festival, Fort Myers, May 2027 American Black Film Festival, Miami Beach, May/June 2027  Popcorn Frights Film Festival, Miami, exp. August 2027 To meet the cinephiles keeping arthouse theaters alive, click here.
- [A Complete Guide to Florida’s Independent Movie Theaters](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/08/a-complete-guide-to-floridas-independent-movie-theaters/): Popular with college students and movie buffs, the video rental shop also projects cult, classic and new-release films almost every night in its 65-seat screening room. capcityvideo.com
- [Inside the Florida Arthouse Theaters Reinventing Going to the Movies](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/08/florida-arthouse-theaters/): When a private equity firm bought their cherished Sun-Ray Cinema in 2024 and declined to renew the lease, millennials Tim Massett and Shana David-Massett weren’t about to let the curtains close on their arthouse dreams. The couple had 13 years invested in the historic venue, an Italian Renaissance Revival building in Jacksonville’s Five Points neighborhood that opened in 1927 as the Riverside Theatre, a vintage bijou with a unique status in the evolution of the cinematic medium. It was the first theater in Florida to premiere the “talkie,” a radical breakthrough that introduced dialogue and sound to the formerly silent movies.
- [V. 33 Fall 2026 Taste Issue](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/01/fall-2026-taste-issue/): https://issuu.com/flamingomagazine/docs/fall_2026_taste_issue
- [Eat Your Way Through Miami’s Latin and Caribbean Neighborhoods](https://flamingomag.com/2026/09/01/miami-latin-and-caribbean-neighborhoods/): Miami’s immigrant history is written as clearly on its menus as it is on a map. Follow the scent of grilled carne asada and fried cheese, and you’ll land in Sweetwater, where Nicaraguan families rebuilt lives and businesses in a city nicknamed Little Managua. Go on the hunt for a Cuban frita, and the trail will lead west from tourist-packed Calle Ocho to a family counter in West Miami. Head south, and Homestead’s taquerias tell a story rooted in the farmworkers who have long sustained South Dade agriculture. In North Beach, empanadas, medialunas and soccer chants spill from Collins Avenue storefronts; in Doral, arepas and cachapas draw locals to low-slung shopping plazas that have become gathering places; across north Miami-Dade County, the Caribbean flavors take over, from smoky Jamaican jerk chicken to citrusy Haitian griot. 
- [Jimmy Buffett, Key West and the Birth of the Coral Reefers](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/31/jimmy-buffett-documentary/): Jimmy Buffett and Key West are as intrinsically linked as any singer and location can be.
- [Postcards, Delivered: Meet the Winners of Our Florida Travel Photo Contest](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/20/florida-travel-photo-contest/): This summer, Flamingo took a trip through Florida—that is, through our readers’ lenses. We asked you all to submit your best travel photos from across the state for our inaugural Florida Travel Photo Contest, and your postcards have been delivered. From crystal-clear springs to starry skies and a sandy snowman to a duo of St. Pete kayakers, you reminded us that there is so much to love about our Sunshine State. Two photographers came out on top as the winners of our Readers' Choice and Editors' Choice categories—R.J. Adler for his dazzling photo of Green Springs Park and Emily Will for making St. Pete pier look like a painting. Scroll to see the full list of winners and honorable mentions.
- [‘The Easy Kind,’ Based on Singer Elizabeth Cook’s Life, Releases After Eight Years](https://flamingomag.com/2026/08/12/elizabeth-cook-the-easy-kind/): Cult-favorite country singer Elizabeth Cook is well aware that she’s lived a very unique, slightly surreal but ultimately special life. 
- [Carl Hiaasen Brings His Novels to the Big Screens](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/31/carl-hiaasen-on-hollywood/): For Carl Hiaasen fans, his next book can’t come fast enough. Unfortunately for them, the author doesn’t expect to have one out until the latter half of 2027, so the second-best thing will have to be an upcoming adaptation of one of his novels. Two Hiaasen television projects are in the works, with one more having already aired this year: a second season of “Bad Monkey” on Apple TV, a series based on “Skinny Dip” on Amazon Prime and the premiere of “R.J. Decker” on ABC. The Florida native has made the state a fixture of his books for 40 years, beginning with “Tourist Season.”
- [The James Beard Awards Snubbed Florida, Again. Our Readers Didn’t. ](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/27/james-beard-award-florida-restaurants/): Last month, after the James Beard Awards once again managed to look out across this big, beautiful, salt-rimmed state and see nothing worth rewarding, we asked Key Lime readers to help us make our own list. Tell us, we said, which Florida restaurants deserve a Beard. 
- [The Return of Florida’s Bison](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/27/bringing-back-the-bison/): In the summertime, a signature sound echoes across America’s grasslands. It’s like something out of an alien movie—a low, resonating gargle. That’s the call of American bison bulls announcing their presence during breeding season. Hundreds of years ago, the same deep groan rippled across North Florida prairies. Today, save for the sound of cicadas and chirping frogs, the Sunshine State’s grassy expanses sit nearly silent. But don’t be fooled. Bison are back.
- [The Restorative Focus in Every Cadence Design](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/08/cadence-architects-focus-on-restoration/): A particular kind of courage is required to confront South Florida—with its relentless sun, the waterlogged ground, the decades of development that have pushed nature to the margins—and try to make it whole again. Enter Cadence, a group of landscape architects who have built their entire identity on this restorative belief. For a firm whose projects range from Key West’s Perry Hotel & Marina to private residences across the state, its unwavering guiding principle is as philosophic as it is demanding: Let the land lead. 
- [In the 1960s, Every Shade of Summer Was a Coppertone](https://flamingomag.com/2026/07/02/fighting-the-rays-of-coppertone/): Now and then, a scent lands us smack-dab in the middle of a memory. Growing up in 1980s Atlantic Beach, summertime was spent hightailing it on bikes to a glorious stretch of sand in front of the Sea Turtle Inn. Miles of shoreline pulsed with bronzed bodies and boom boxes, and the aroma of Coppertone suntan lotion perfumed the air. It was a carefree time in life, and that coconutty, cocoa-buttery smell instantly calls me back to those sweet summer days, when a good tan was tantamount to a good day.

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