Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions!

Did you know Florida has dry air caves you can explore, even if you don't have any experience spelunking? This week, Rick and Cathy explore Florida caves – virtually, of course. They also talk about underwater caves, and while they both strongly advise against attempting to explore underwater caves, the show notes contain a link to a great video, Water's Journey.

Florida Caverns State Park

Ocala Caverns

Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre

Water's Journey with Wes Skiles

Devil's Den

Blue Grotto

Florida Museum (with a cave exhibit!)

Bill Belleville blog about Florida water. More from Bill.

Eric Hutchinson cave map drawing

Find Rick on Twitter @OldFLA and online at RickKilby.com.

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Rick and Cathy talk about iconic Florida restaurants, past and present, and others that are just plain fun. This episode focuses mostly on Central Florida and the Tampa Bay area, but look for a future episode about the best restaurants in South Florida, the panhandle, the Keys, and other parts of the Sunshine State!

Links we mentioned

Bubble Room

Sci-Fi Dine In Theater Restaurant

Boathouse at Disney Springs

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar at Disney Springs

94th Aero Squadron

Kapok Tree Inn

Tarpon Springs food

Greek salad with potato salad

The Yearling

The Columbia

Ulele

Outz Too

Lee and Rick's Oyster Bar 

Bern's

Fun with taxidermy

Find Rick on Twitter @OldFLA and online at RickKilby.com. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week Cathy Salustri and Rick Kilby talk about their favorite beaches (and why they love them) and what makes Florida beaches unique.

Among their favorite beaches mentioned were:

Little Talbot Island State Park

Egmont Key State Park

Fort De Soto Park

St. George Island

Have a favorite Florida beach? Let 'em know!

Also mentioned were:

Old Florida Facebook group

Sandbar on Anna Maria Island

White Gate Court

Long Key State Park

My Octopus Teacher

The Soul of an Octopus

Cathy's favorite waterfront restaurant

Rick's favorite waterfront restaurant

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

We welcome Rick Kilby as The Florida Spectacular's new co-host, and he and Cathy talk about the first two Thanksgivings celebrated in North America, which – spoiler alert – both happened in Florida. Learn the short history of the French Huguenot Floridians who celebrated the first Thanksgiving on North American soil – in 1564. The second Thanksgiving, celebrated by the Spanish in 1565, takes us to St. Augustine, where there's plenty to discover outside the Spanish Quarter.

Links we mentioned:

Lincolnville Museum

Fort Mose

Lightner Museum
Historic Tours of Flagler College
Fort Caroline National Memorial

Ax Handle Saturday

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week Cathy sits down with Davida Breier and talks about her novel, "Sinkhole," growing up as a GenX in Florida, and how she came to write this particular delicious book.

Davida Breier's Fun Stuff

Reader's Guide for Sinkholereaders-guide.pdf

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Welcome to fall in Florida! Cathy and Jon talk about how real Floridians know fall has arrived, the best reason to travel to the Keys in September, and what the season looks like in different parts of the state.

Links we mentioned

On This Day: 1933 gas prices in Key West 

Hidden Gem: King Seafood, Marathon

Holderness Family's Fall Expectations vs. Realty

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week, Cathy and Jon debunk famous Florida history myths, stepping on all the cherished legends they learned in grade school. 

Some myths we discussed

Fountain of Youth

Gasparilla Myth

First Thanksgiving

History that isn't fake

Discover Florida Tours – (Sacred Lands)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida's origin

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

In January, Cathy decided she'd get rid of single-use plastic in her home, RV, and at the newspaper she and her husband own – all by Dec. 31. Her travels through the best parts of Florida motivated this decision, because everywhere she went, she saw plastic litter. 

She and Jon talk about the Florida road trip that cemented that decision, what she's doing to make earth-conscious swaps, and why she doesn't recycle. They also talk about which Florida beach town is fireworks-safe for people with PTSD, dogs, and wildlife, why Jon's seventh-grader has a case of existential angst about the environment, and how trash can reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

The Plastic Project

Boca Ciega Bay

Zero Waste Cartel 

Little Pond Farm

Sans Market

Find your city's water quality report

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Today Jon and Cathy talk about hurricanes in the panhandle, UFOs in the Florida panhandle, and hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail through Eglin Air Force Base.

Hiking through Eglin

Carnivorous pitcher plants at Apalachicola National Forest

Wewahitchka

Ulee's Gold

DeFuniak Springs

Wewa RV Park

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week Cathy and Jon talk about the Clermont area of Florida, including Lake Louisa State Park, Citrus Tower, and a few other places of note in the area, including the Presidents Hall of Fame.

Links we mentioned

Lake Louisa State Park

Citrus Tower

Presidents Hall of Fame at Atlas Obscura or on Facebook, or on Florida Traveler

Clermont Brewing Company

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!