Blog Archives

Matlacha, FL. - Old Florida Art and Fishing Village

10/28/2021

If you want to experience the colorful charm and laid-back lifestyle of turn-of-the-century Florida, the old fishing village of Matlacha is the place to visit. With a population of under 800, this waterfront community of artisans and fishermen is located on a tiny island in Matlacha Pass on the road between Cape Coral and Pine Island.

Matlacha, pronounced Mat-la-SHAY, means “Big Warrior” in Seminole, and the history and heritage of this community extend over many centuries. Sign up for a walking tour of the island’s unique and eccentric homes, bars, galleries and gift shops or just park beside the road and make your own discoveries. It’s like nowhere else!

Suggested Photo Opportunities:
* Daylight & nighttime photos of the art and craft shops
* The main bridge highlighting locals fishing and the Bridge House at night (lighted)
* Colored pilings at Bert's Bar & Grill - waterside
* Sunset from the Bridge and moored vessels
* Side canals highlighting water proximity to homes

Additional information:
Florida Back Roads Travel - Matlacha and Pine Island
Must Do - Visitor Guide and Drone Overview by site

0 Comments

St Augustine

10/18/2021

0 Comments

St. Augustine is the oldest city in Florida, it is also the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. The city was originally founded as a Spanish colony in 1565 by admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who became the first colonial governor of Florida. Under Spain’s rule, St. Augustine served as the base for Spain to continue its colonial expansion and it was eventually designated as the capital of Spanish Florida.

St Augustine is a wonderful location for daytime and night-time photo shoots. We recommend that you consider taking the 1-2 hours Trolley Tour around the town. In addition to the individual locations below, walking Saint Georges Street at night offers a plethora of photo ops. The best time to start is around 9:30 pm at the city gates (across from Castillo de San Marcos} and proceed to walk to the end taking photos of all the shops and stores at night - after the crowds have thinned out. Most of the lights in the city are left on all night so you never run out of interesting things to shoot.

Suggested Photo Ops:
* (a must) The tower entrance to Old Town and the Oldest Schoolhouse in America
* Use Trolley (on and off) for interest scenes throughout (or note announcers 'best' sites)
* St George Street - daytime activity and nighttime lights
* Lions Bridge - the Lion and the Lions Bridge all lit up at night
* Castillo de San Marcos - take the exterior at night and interior during the daytime
* San Sebastian Winery (if you like interiors, production facilities and wine tasting)
* Flagler College at night

Additional photo ops here

0 Comments

Micanopy

10/17/2021

0 Comments

Micanopy, named after the Seminole Indian Chief, Mic-a-no-pee (my phonetic spelling) was settled in 1821 and is the oldest inland town in Florida. Cholokka Boulevard, once an Indian trading route, is Micanopy’s main street, and the town’s primary tourist destination known for its antique shops (self-proclaimed antiques capital).

The main street has a mix of rustic storefronts and dining for casual shoppers, collectors, and has been a location for Hollywood film makers (Note: Micanopy was the setting for the movie 'Doc Hollywood' starring Michael J Fox). The town also has a wonderful B&B (Herlong Mansion) and exemplifies that which is called Old Florida The Town of Micanopy encompasses 1.03 square miles in rural north-central Florida between Gainesville and Ocala just off Interstate 75, with 700 residents and 300 homes.
(tags: #oldest, #micanopy)
More photos ...

Suggested Photo Opportunities
* Historic Micanopy Sign
* Old barn with Coke Cola billboard
* Main Street and various shops
* The Herlong Mansion (Bed and breakfast)

Micanopy https://micanopytown.com/
The Town that Time Forgot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2x7EqlUdnM
Herlong Mansion https://backpackerverse.com/haunted-herlong-mansion/

0 Comments

Sopchoppy, FL.

10/12/2021

0 Comments

Sopchoppy ... just the name makes us interested in visiting this town/location. As it turns out, Sopchoppy is a small, yet unique town located near Crawfordville and 45 minutes southwest of Tallahassee. And, as we came to learn, although there wasn't much to see and do in Sopchoppy, there was a unique one-man business - pottery, that is tucked away in the woods. Although no real address or website was available, we pulled into the town and simply (and politely) asked some locals - the local grocery owner and street maintenance guys "hey, what's to see in town"? Their answer "Griffin's ... down the road a piece". So traveling Main St. we turn onto a dirt road and came upon George Griffin Pottery.

George's marketing approach is simple - word of mouth - he has no website, no cell phone, no email ... he relies solely on visitors sharing their visit on TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc. TripAdvisor. (update: I just received a note from our neighbor stating "In the 50's when my dad was a salesman for the Mennen Company, he actually called on the one small grocery store in Sopchoppy.") ... it's a small world.

Wakulla Griffin Pottery - https://www.visitwakulla.com/blog/a-wonder-of-wakulla-george-griffin-pottery/
Trip Planner: Griffin Pottery - https://is.gd/DWjoZV

0 Comments

Wakulla Springs, Fl.

10/11/2021

2 Comments

Traveling through the Panhandle, Ginger and I visited Wakulla Springs State Park - a rather unique and tranquil location south of Tallahassee. Traveling through the park, we saw hiking trails, streams and then we arrived at the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge. Built in the 1930's, the Lodge is a remnant of old Florida, and we learned that the ancient cypress swamps made the perfect backdrop for old Hollywood movies - Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The Springs are the home of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs! This is one place we seriously would plan to visit again and explore the local areas as well.

Wakulla Springs State Park - https://www.floridastateparks.org/wakullasprings
The Lodge at Wakulla Springs - https://thelodgeatwakullasprings.com/
Wakulla Springs Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakulla_Springs

2 Comments

Matlacha, FL. - Old Florida Art and Fishing Village

St Augustine

Micanopy

Sopchoppy, FL.

Wakulla Springs, Fl.

Author

Archives

Categories