See that picture up there?
Now that’s camping!
OK, it’s not. But we had fun at Lazydays RV imagining what it would be like — and we also checked into less extravagant options.
But really, why stay in a mobile hotel suite this summer when you can indulge in the glories of the great outdoors?
I’m not the outdoorsy type myself (what, my sickly pallor gave it away?), but I swear this edition of the Summer Guide would roust even the most unregenerate hermit from his lair.
Read on, and you’ll want to follow in the footsteps of CL’s writers as they:
Snorkel in West Palm, romp with sea lions in the Keys, and kayak across Pinellas.
Play among the treetops in Dade City and splashdown in the new water park in Indian Rocks Beach.
Heed the siren call of music festivals sans mosquitoes and humidity, let the dogs out at a laid-back resort in Islamorada, and eavesdrop on the Weeki Wachee mermaid auditions, cook up creative variations on a campfire staple and try some tasty vegan treats.
Plus, because one of the boons of Florida summer is good A.C., we give you some suggestions for camping out in front of your TV or inside the local multiplex.
A&E Editor Cathy Salustri is outdoorsy, so much so that she wrote about many of the aforementioned journeys herself. But she still managed to shackle herself to her computer long enough to compile a thorough list of all the season’s happenings, including a Week By Week guide to your summer.
She also assembled an array of Florida voices to pay tribute to one of Tampa Bay’s greatest outdoorsmen ever: Terry Tomalin.
Terry was a great reporter, a great dad and an all-around great guy, and he left us way too soon last week. Maybe the best way to honor his memory is to take the time this week simply to go outside. As two other stories in this issue illustrate — on the threats to Lake Okeechobee and the Chassahowitzka River — the natural resources of this state are under constant siege.
If more of us were to embrace Florida’s wild beauty as passionately as Terry Tomalin did, that’d be the most fitting tribute of all.
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 2, 2016.