Candid Florida

One of my family’s favorite destinations in Florida when I was growing up was Rainbow Springs State Park just north of Dunnellon. Back in the day, it was filled with flights of fantasy – cruising underwater in submarine boats to see the fish face-to-face, drifting through the treetops inside a leaf on the Forest Flite monorail, and standing at the base of an immense waterfall to feel the cool splash amid tropical vegetation.

Now a Florida State Park, it’s still a favorite getaway. Here’s a peek at what Rainbow Springs used to be like back in the 1960s, courtesy of my mom, Linda Friend. And yes, that’s me in the photos.

Fairchild Gardens

This Friday is National Public Gardens Day, and no better time to take a stroll – or better yet, take your mother for a stroll – at your favorite public garden. With our temperate and tropical climates, Florida is blessed with some of the most colorful and beautiful gardens in the United States.

Better Homes & Gardens is a sponsor of the event and is providing two free tickets for the following Florida gardens if you go to their website and claim them. The gardens include:

Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales
Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai, Key Largo
Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables
Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Fort Pierce
John C. Gifford Arboretum, Coral Gables
Lakes Park Botanical Garden, Fort Myers
Milton Gardens of NW Florida, Milton

See slide shows from gardens throughout Florida at Botanical Florida
Find your way to Florida’s Gardens with my iPhone app!

At Bethedsa-by-the-Sea, worship is not held just in hallowed halls but in the grace of the garden. Surrounding this historic Palm Beach church are colorful plantings of unusual tropical plants like the big leafed sea grape. Behind, the lively Cluett Memorial Garden invites a stroll, where the fishes – colorful koi – will follow you until you break bread with them. Find a moment of serenity here.