“Florida is different things to different people. To some, Florida is a paradise. It has warm water, sun-drenched beaches, mysterious swamps, and stunning coral reefs.” – Perry Chang

We truly enjoyed our four winters spent in the Florida sun!  I don’t think I could or would want to spend another winter in cold upstate New York.

I have posted the places in Florida that we have visited and enjoyed muchly.  We’ve traveled and camped at places all around the state and I’ve come up with these places that are our favorite.

Cedar Key is on the Gulf side, about 50 miles southwest of Gainesville, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.  It sits three miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. Highway 24 is only one road coming into town. It is an Old Florida fishing village of about 700 people that has become a tourist attraction in this part of the state.  There are no high rises or huge apartment complexes. It’s a community of quaint cottages, single-family homes, working water front and aquaculture structures.

Going  through the streets you will see completely re-done  cottages next to weather beaten old houses  and businesses that have never seen a paint brush.  Many of them more than 100 years old and in all kinds of condition.  There is a small beach in a downtown park near the dock. There is also Cedar Key Museum State Park, that shows what it would be like to be John Muir, naturalist and conservation leader, who started his “thousand mile walk” in Indiana and ended it in Cedar Key on October 23, 1867. He then spent several months in Florida, and the only such park in the state that commemorates his accomplishment is Cedar Key.   Cedar Key also other museums, and the entire village has national historic status through the Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological District and the U.S. National Register of Historic places.

If your in Cedar Key you’ll have to stop by the Tiki Bar and watch the sunset. It’s also a Motel and RV Campground situated right next to The Gulf, what a great view and decor to enjoy.

On the Atlantic side is St. Augustine FL. It was founded in 1565 by the Spanish Pedro Menedez de Aviles  and it is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the contiguous United State. We got to spend just a few days here and enjoyed it. We went to check out the old part of town and Anastasia State Park. Seeing the old part of town was both interesting and fun and it was great to be on the beautiful beach.

Gotta put Nasa in here, we went twice in the four years we were here. We were amazed both times to see what it would be like in space and all it entails an incredible place. Plus Dave wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid and also watched Star Trek, So passing it up wasn’t an option.

Silver Springs State Park is definitely worth a visit if your in the Ocala area.  It’s really picturesque  and it’s history is s tastefully preserved. In 2013, the state of Florida took over the famous spring attraction, merging it with a neighboring state park and preserving one of the most scenic places of Florida’s natural beauty Silver Springs State Park offers visitors a wide variety of activities to do.

In the 1930s, Hollywood discovered Silver Springs and over the years, scenes from at least 20 movies were filmed here, including Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, Distant Drums starring Gary Cooper, the James Bond movie Moonraker, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and six Tarzan flicks.

Episodes of television shows such as Sea Hunt, were filmed at Silver Springs as well. In fact, legend has it that Sea Hunt star Lloyd Bridges learned to SCUBA dive at Silver Springs!

We camped here twice and enjoyed it both times. One of the times there was a festival going on which was really fun. There are a lot of things going on if you happen to stop by. Walk around and if you want definitely take the kayaks out and explore the crystal clear spring or take a ride in the glass bottom boat and enjoy!

We got here on a day when it was 94 degrees, walked the nature trail and went in the Soring. It was a refreshing 72 degrees. The combined daily water flow from Juniper and Fern Hammock Springs is about 13 million gallons. The water wheel and old mill building at Juniper Springs was constructed in the 1930s by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide electricity for the brand new campground. Today, the mill houses interpretive and historical exhibits, and the stone walls that the CCC used to channel the spring into a swimming area have been refurbished to better show off the beauty of this natural wonder.  Those CCC guys were really fantastic!

Coral Castle Before you enter into The Florida Keys, a definite is to visit The Coral Castle in Homestead.

Dave & I are might be a little biased when it comes to Southern Florida because we have spent a lot of our time here, especially because it’s warm in the winter months when we were volunteering in this area. If you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge and going to The Keys, now is the time to do it. “We must not fall asleep in the present because the now moment is the only reality we truly have.”
― Kat Lahr, We had a great time volunteering in The Keys and visiting all the islands through to Key West.

Traveling there by car takes you down a string of palm fringed tropical islands made of coral that stretch more than 120 miles from the Florida mainland down to Key West.   Highlights along the way include Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West. Get up close with an amazing array of fish while snorkeling, diving or fishing in the warm turquoise waters. Creeks, coral and costumed spectacles are other lures along the way. Highway 1 is a spectacular ribbon tying together the islands and atolls of this paradise between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, is in Key Largo, where we spent a lot of time volunteering and exploring. If you like to snorkel, dive or you want to kayak out to the mangroves, or take a ride on a glass bottom boat, or just take a dip in the ocean and snorkel from the shore, It’s one of the best spots to snorkel in the USA according to various surveys, so this is the place you must stop! Even if you don’t want to do any of the above stop in at the aquarium and take a look around the park.

Dave & myself visited all the islands during our stay in The Keys and they all have their own little spark. I won’t bore you with all the pictures in between Key Largo and Key West, but here are some of Key West if you’ve never been but are thinking of going, what are you waiting for, it’s a fun place!

Once your in Key West you have to check out the Butterfly & Nature Conservatory as well as FT. Zach State Park to visit the fort and it also has a great beach.

Close to perfect, but far from normal

You can leave the Keys, but the Keys will never leave you

Easy, Breezy, Keysey

Weak in the Keys

If you made it all the way to The Florida Keys, why not check out our Island paradise Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne?   Especially if you have time on your hands and don’t mind tackling the Miami traffic. 

Another definite must if your going to visit Key Biscayne is Vizcaya museum and courtyard. Located right next to Key Biscayne in Coconut Grove. You definitely won’t regret going!

“The biggest sin in the world would be if I lost my love for the ocean.”
Laird Hamilton

Our stay here includes walks by the ocean, followed by a swim in the crystal blue warm waters.

When the tide is out you can walk into the water till it reaches your head and then keep swimming.

AND

“Each sunset brings closure, and each sunrise brings new possibilities and both have beauty.” Karin Schwan

We went to Whiskey Joe’s in Key Biscayne, the fish tacos were delicious! And we watched as they took boats off the top shelf, with a huge fork-lift, and took them to the boat ramp to set sail. A fun evening!

Signs the Park put up along one of the walking paths

Dave & myself getting ready for the day at the gate house (Ranger Station) Dave Changing the flags from the yellow flag – medium hazard winds to green flag – low hazard winds. The purple flag is to let people know there is Marine pests present. The last picture you can see the giant shark that was over Key Biscayne, so glad it didn’t attack the Village!

“Another ingenious vessel lands at Bill Baggs over the weekend, likely with refugees from Cuba or Haiti.”

Made entirely of Styrofoam, this boat was the latest to be found along the South Florida coastline at Bill Baggs State Park, in the past couple of years. Wooden beams were fastened across the seating area, which had the capacity to seat maybe a dozen people. They made it here very early in the morning and disappeared into the darkness. We saw it on our morning walk and it really makes you think about how badly some people have it. I only wish they could have done it the legal way.

Dave & I were lucky to meet up with Don Sackrider, an ex-pilot who has been living in Key Biscayne for many years, when there was nothing here. I met him last year from working at the gate and it was great to see him again this year. He’s 92 and swims at the beach here. The plaque was donated by Don to the park.

Various pictures of our stay on the island.

Staying once again at Bill Baggs was great, great rangers and volunteers!

We are now in St Augustine Fl, staying till Saturday at the St Augustine Beach KOA. We left Key Biscayne this morning around 10 or so, after three months of workcamping(maybe our last also).Went straight up I-95, took 6.5 hours and drove 335 miles. A long drive since it’s been a while. I also had a helper, my gas buddy. A 14 gallon gas can with hose. It is one royal pain to stop with the rig and try and get gas, so I thought I would try it. It worked good. The gas light just came on as we got in the campground. It also feels (Very) weird to be around Rv’s and people again.

My gas buddy

Yesterday one of my friends that I grew up with stopped by. Last time we got together was two and a half years ago. We were in Fort Myers and we went to Naples to see them. This time they came from Naples to visit us here, so they drove from the gulf coast to the Atlantic coast. Took almost three hours. What a great day seeing, my good buddy Mike, (we grew up right next door to each other) and Ann Marie. He was also my best man at our wedding 500 years ago. We talked a lot about the past, what we are up to now. Took a nice long walk around the park in 90 degree heat, but cooled off with refreshments in the Rv. After while we went to the lighthouse which was closed,(but we have a key), walked up and admired the great view that is up there. Then had a bite to eat at the Lighthouse Cafe, and strolled the beach for awhile. Just like that it was after seven. So away they went. It was great to see them both and catch up on life. GREAT DAY HAD BY ALL

The Vizcaya Estate, which overlooks Biscayne Bay, was built between 1914 and 1922 as the winter home of farming manufacturer James Deering.   He was a successful businessman and millionaire from the Midwest.  In 1908, after retiring as the vice-president of the International Harvester Company, he bought property in South Florida.   He chose to build an Italian style waterfront villa, surrounded by formal gardens and set in a carefully preserved South Florida jungle hammock.

In 1910 he got together with artistic director Paul Chalfin. Together they made plans to build a The Vizcaya Estate . After traveling to Italy, touring villas, and buying up decorative antiques for the new estate.  Deering hired Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr. as the architect that would build his estate on the 130 acres of Vizcaya Bayfront land.  in 1914 Deering again traveled to Florence and met  Diego Suarez. a landscape architect who designed  Vizcaya’s amazing gardens.

Over 1000 people were employed in the construction of Vizcaya between 1914 and 1916 at a time when the population of Miami was only 10,000.  The project faced challenges as World War I consumed Europe, but the work continued. By 1916, the Main house was completed, and the surrounding gardens, extensive and manicured, were done by 1923.

The  38,000-ft mansion has 70 rooms fitted with European antiques and American art vintage furniture commissioned in the 1900s, ten acres of formal gardens and diverse collections including European antiquities, and century-old plants.  Over the years, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has expanded its assortment of plants. There are over 2,000 specimens of orchids and other plants in Vizcaya Gardens and Museum. Inside the museum, you will find much of the original pieces.

At Vizcaya, with it’s reference to the past complete with antiques, had technology, and modern comfort. Regardless of its Baroque appearance, Vizcaya was a very modern house. It was built with large reinforced concrete, with the latest technology of the period, such as generators and a water filtration system. Vizcaya was also equipped with heating and ventilation, two elevators, a dumbwaiter, a central vacuum-cleaning system and a partly automated laundry room.

The house was not finished until the end of 1916, when Deering moved in on Christmas Day. The gardens were completed in 1921.  He approached his villa from the sea.  As his yacht’s gangplank touched down, the boom of ancient cannon heralded  his arrival on Christmas Day, 1916. Deering was dressed as a Renaissance prince and his guests were dressed as Italian peasants.

Deering had only nine years to enjoy his 70-room villa, his art treasures and his formal gardens and to entertain his friends in one of the greatest of American mansions. In September 1925, he died at the age of 65. 

The ground floor features a grand entrance opening into a spacious two-story courtyard.  The rooms on this floor include the entrance hall, library, reception room, living room, east veranda, music room, dining room, flower room and serving pantry. 

The beautiful Hallway

The Living Room was the largest room in Vizcaya. It has been called the “Renaissance Hall” because many of the objects were created during the European Renaissance. The organ can be played either manually or automatically using music rolls. Around the organ there is a religious painting that was cut in half to create the doors that conceal the organ pipes.  

The Music Room – Documents suggest that the player piano and the organ were probably the only instruments actually used during James Deering’s lifetime, and that the selection of fine antique instruments in the Music Room functioned more as a gallery.

The Dinning Room

Enclosed Terrace/Loggia is another room that combines so many different patterns, painted surfaces, and materials to a great effect. the 18th-century gilded iron gates that lead to the South Arcade are originally from the Pisani family palace in Venice.

The Flower Room – It’s where flowers were cut and arranged for the house. This side of the house was dedicated more to staff and now this room is where volunteers prepare for tours of the house and gardens.

 The second floor housed Deering’s personal suite of rooms and guest bedrooms as well as a Breakfast Room and the Kitchen.

One of the staircases that goes to the 2nd floor

Some of the guests bedrooms all thru the 2nd floor

The 2nd floor provided Mr. Deering and his guests a breakfast room that looked out over the vast formal Vizcaya gardens

The kitchen is like a restaurant kitchen.  Complete with three sinks, a grinder for spice, a dumb waiter  and lots of room. The kitchen is on the second floor near the Breakfast Room,  You didn’t have to go far for breakfast.  

The Mansion is incredible !! There were other rooms, nooks and crannies that I was just to overwhelmed and amazed to take pictures of them or we weren’t allowed in the rooms.

East Terrace that goes to the Ocean

You go out these doors to the Incredible gardens. Vizcaya’s 10 acres of gardens. In many ways, the Formal Gardens resemble the layout of France’s Versailles

The sprawling Formal Gardens were designed by landscape architect Diego Suarez to feel like a great outdoor room, connecting to the main house along a north-south axis. Several architectural elements come together in one space. Massive shaped bushes lined the corridor and give way to The Mound, where The Casino pavilion provides an aerial view of the gardens.

Trimmed shrubs organize walkways into mesmerizing, geometric patterns. Thick columns, lush mazes and classical statues also lend to its European aesthetic, but Vizcaya uniquely embraces its tropical surroundings as well. Here, palms, rare orchids and Cuban limestone infuse the palatial Mediterranean vibe with a signature Miami flair. I Couldn’t have said it any Better!

Sculptures from eighteenth century Italian gardens – especially those around Rome – serve as accents in the gardens. New sculptures were also commissioned. The new sculptures were carved from a soft porous coral stone, which made them look weathered almost immediately.

Of course it had to have a pool. The swimming pool at Vizcaya is partially located under the living room and has a very unique indoor / outdoor design.  The indoor area gives the feeling of a traditional grotto.  There is a ceiling mural designed by American artist Robert Winthrop Chandler which features an underwater scene including fish, seashells, marine life and coral. I didn’t get a picture of the mural 😒

It also had a bowling alley and billiard room, unfortunately it is no longer there and I couldn’t come across any pictures.

Vizcaya included its very own farm and village. Located on the west side of South Miami Avenue, Vizcaya Village was built alongside the Main House and designed to house crops and farm animals. It is no longer here, but they are in the process of duplicating the farm as it once was.

Originally an estate of 180 acres, it had a dairy, poultry house, mule stable, greenhouse, machine shop, paint and carpentry workshop and staff residences. This required the staff to be present year round.

Approximately 16-18 staff maintained the house, and 26 gardeners and workers were permanent residents of the house.   The Village buildings housed the property’s staff quarters, auto garages, equipment sheds, and workshops, and also barns for the domesticated animals.

He built his dream winter villa from 1914 and through the Roaring Twenties, costing him an estimated $26 million at that time. Today, the property is worth an estimated $9 billion.

The family eventually donated the property to the people of Miami. The Miami-Dade County acquired the villa and gardens in 1952 and it then became the Dade County Art Museum, due to the impressive arts and antiquities amassed by James Deering. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

It is truly a grand setting, and as usual the pictures don’t to it justice! I wish I could have been there to join in on some of the celebrations.

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DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT

This past Saturday Bill Baggs State Park had a Dancing in the Moonlight fundraiser, , for the  historic Cape Florida Lighthouse located in the Park.  

Dave & I were asked to volunteer at the event, to watch the garbage cans so they don’t overflow and if they did, we were to dump the garbage into bags. Not a hard thing to do at all, We agreed. As it turned out there were other volunteers assigned to do the same thing. We ended up not doing anything, just enjoying a great party! And we didn’t have to pay $100.00 each.

The Friend’s Of The Cape Florida Lighthouse haven’t had any activities or dances since Covid so this party was definitely a success, it was sold out!

“Celebrate with an evening of dancing under a full moon while supporting Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Tickets include park admission, moonlit lighthouse tours, live music & dancing, souvenir cup, light bites, soft drinks, bonfire and more*.

“Enjoy lighthouse views of Miami’s night skyline at South Florida’s only Full Moon Lighthouse party. Cash bar beer/wine/cocktails, drink tokens available in advance or on-site.”

We got there a bit early to take pictures before a lot of people arrived. We estimated that about 350 attended this grand event.

The beach by the lighthouse looked so different, with tables & table clothes, with white chairs and lounge chairs. Plus with the lights it looked really amazing.

Let the Party Begin . . . . .

What made the event extra Special was seeing the full moon from on top of the lighthouse.

The moon from the top of the lighthouse and the lighted sidewalk to the entrance of the lighthouse from above.

The party is where all the lights are. On the next picture where the green lights are, you see a tower with a light on top, that is the area where our RV is parked. The city lights you see after that are Key Biscayne and then further out is Miami.

Dave gazing up at the full moon

“The moon was so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror.” — Ani DiFranco

The Rangers and the Volunteers got together last Friday night here at Bill Baggs for a festive occasion to party, mingle, eat some ethnic food and have a good time!

It was held where the 3 volunteer sites are located, in a newly cleaned out are, that looks really nice. The volunteer that got the clean up going is Jim and his wife Nancy. We also had the party because Jim and Nancy are leaving us and heading back to New Jersey where they live.

The start of our ethnic food is Croatian Meat Casserole, Vietnamese Sandwiches and a Brazilian Salad, Plus an Italian pasta and meat dish. For dessert a Cuban cake, I’m only calling it Cuban because the Park Manager who is Cuban brought the cake. We also had an Italian Cheese Cake. All the food was delicious! And there was also some Moonshine and Homemade Rum.

This is part of the area that was cleared out, It’s now known as . . . . . .

We even had a fun ceremony where Jim (Himmy) was awarded a Badge & Gun for his contribution to the Park. Rangers Jorge, Shane & Alexis conducted the ceremony and presented the awards

It was great meeting & volunteering with Jim & Nancy!

 “What life expects of us is that we celebrate.” -José Eduardo Agualusa.

we’ve been enjoying our stay at the park again this year, talking walks and going to the beach, volunteering at the gate and just relaxing.

We are nestled in a big area close to the park office, from our site we take an old dirt road, only used by the rangers, to get to No Name Harbor where the marina is and Boater’s Grill on Biscayne Bay.

The walks

We walk by The Cleat Bar that is in the Channel inside the park.

Passing the fishing docks, our neighbor Beatrice and her dog Scarlet, boats and the seawall to the Lighthouse.

Continuing our walk past kite surfers and Stiltsville in the distance, fishermen at the sea wall and the lighthouse.

Walking back to the RV one route is to go thru the parking lot where we pass, tables, the lighthouse entrance, bike rentals, The Lighthouse cafe’ and pavilions. A great walk to take anytime.

Our good friends Jim & Ginny who are volunteering at Jonathan Dickinson State Park came out for a visit.

No outing to Bill Baggs is complete without a visit to the Lighthouse and it’s 109 steps to the top and a visit to The Keeper’s cabin.

And a stop at the Beach

We all had a great visit!

We also offer our time at the front gate on Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.

We open up the park get things ready for the day ahead and change the beach flags accordingly. Not a bad place to spend the winter.

We are now in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, in Key Biscayne Florida. This is a barrier island right next to Miami. We left The villages yesterday and traveled 298 miles to get here. We were here last year for three months working and back again for three months working. Leaving here June first. Our workdays will be, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We thought we were to be at the light house for work, but not to be. Melissa will be at the gate and I will do what I did last year, riding my bike around cleaning up the park , with a small project here and there to do. This will also be our last work camping gig for a few years as we plan to travel out west.

We have the same spot as we did last year.

The ocean and sunsets

We had fun in the pool & out. Sometimes they even had a band playing.

Bocce, Corn hole and horse shoes were always a happening thing.

Ice Cream on Sundays and different bands to dance to during the week.

They even have block parties where bands pick up and play.

It was a very nice time staying here. Everyone was very kind and friendly!

We had a grand time seeing the sights and sounds of Recreation Plantation and The Villages! Thank you Bill & Barb for your hospitality! !