Florida Spectacular
Take a weekly trip across Florida with authors Cathy Salustri and Rick Kilby and discover a side of Florida you never knew existed. From the scallops in Panhandle bays to the Hemingway cats in Key West, every week's a Florida adventure. Twice each month, Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli joins Cathy for premium episodes available to subscribers focused exclusively on the Keys.
Episodes
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Rick and Cathy look at Florida crackers: Cracker culture, Florida cowboys, and cracker villages.
Links We Mentioned
The Secret History of the Word Cracker
Florida Wildlife Corridor and Wild Space Gallery
Lake Kissimmee State Park Cow Camp
Florida Cracker entry at FL Memory
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Cathy and Brad talk about Florida lobster. Lobster season runs Aug. 6- Mar. 31, but there's more to this tasty crustacean than meets the antenna! Hear why Brad (and many other Keys residents) thinks the mini-season has gotten out of hand, why spiny lobsters are actually crayfish, and how they reproduce.
“You should have seen the crawfish in the mangrove roots along the shor...
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A look at the history of Florida's role in the American revolution, the history of the Gadsden flag, and why Floridians hated everything for which it stood when it was a symbol of the American Revolution.
Links We Mentioned & Further Reading:
Don't Tread on Me post about the license plate and Florida history
Florida Frontiers podcast about early Florida history
Flor...
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Willett Hancock Museum Assistant at the Matheson Museum joins the podcast to talk about a new exhibit at the Matheson Museum in Gainseville: Voices and Votes. Rick, Cathy, and Willett talk about democracy in Florida, and the historical struggle to make sure everyone can participate in it.
Links We Mentioned
Voices and Votes (and other exhibits) at the Matheson Museum
Send us your Florida questions!
Were there pirates in the Florida Keys? Who was Black Caesar? What does Black Caesar have in common with The Princess Bride?
Brad Bertelli explains it all.
Links We Mentioned
Elliot Key in Biscayne National Park
Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume II
Mostly Fake Black Caesar History
General History of Pyrates (1724)
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This week, the best parts of Kissimmee, from roadside ephemera to the headwaters of the Florida Everglades.
Stay
Legacy Vacation Resorts, Cathy found it to be a great home base for exploring the less touristy areas of the area.
Disclaimer: Legacy hosted most of her stay, but she chose to mention them because of the B Corp certification and location.
Eat
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This week Rick and Cathy talk about some of their favorite bike trails in Florida.
Orange County Bike Trails
Bikes and Blades at Killarney Station
Post: Biking the Orlando Urban Trail
Post: West Orange Trail
Oakland Nature Preserve
Pinellas Trail
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If it's Old Key West you want, stop short of Key West on your drive down US 1 and explore Stock Island. Brad and Cathy talk about the island's cow-centric and crime-adjacent history, what's worth doing now, and where you can meet an ostrich.
Links We Mentioned
Bone Island Mambo by Tom Corcoran
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This week the "Florida Spectacular" welcomes Carey Winfrey, the editor of Key West Sketches: Writers at Mile Zero. Carey and Cathy talk about the writers who contributed to the anthology, Judy Blume's Key West bookstore, and what Carey says he wishes people would see instead of Duval Street.
Links We Mentioned
Hidden Key West: What To See Off Duval
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Lower insurance and power bills? Stop flooding in your neighborhood? Protecting Florida's beaches without spending billions on beach renourishment? This might sound too good to be true, but this week's podcast has ways you can help do all those things. Dawn Shirreffs, the Florida Director of the Environmental Defense Fund, joins the podcast to talk about why all isn't lost to climate ch...
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Some Florida Keys history is hidden in plain sight — and that's especially true when it comes to Henry Flagler's railroad from Homestead to Key West. Brad and Cathy give listeners insight to some ways to experience railroad history while enjoying the natural beauty of the Florida Keys.
Links We Mentioned
Alabama Jacks (not along the original railroad route)
How to see the...
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Jono Miller, author of "The Palmetto Book: Histories and Mysteries of the Cabbage Palm," joins the podcast to talk about the Myakka River. We're loving the Myakka River — and the park — a little too hard, but there are ways to experience the park without impacting the natural environment.
Jono talks about ways such as canoeing to the Upper Myakka, exploring the dry prairie, an...
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Merrillee Jipson, owner of Rum 138 in the High Springs area, joins the podcast to talk about the tragedy at Ginnie Springs last weekend, how to enjoy the springs responsibly, and some of the best places to paddle the springs.
Links We Mentioned
Santa Fe River Preserve Guide from Alachua Conservation Trust
Send us your Florida questions!
Think crocodiles are only for Australia? Think again, because you can find them alive and well in the Florida Keys.
Brad and Cathy talk about where in the keys you can find crocodiles and alligators, and also talk about why Florida crocodiles aren't as energetic as their Australian cousins. And caimans? They're here, too — but they're not the same animal...
Send us your Florida questions!
Rick and Cathy take a (metaphorical) dive into Warm Mineral Springs and the Venice/Nokomis area. They give you a guide of things to do and places to eat along the Venice/Nokomis coast.
Don't forget to subscribe to Florida Keys Spectacular — premium content about the Florida Keys! Support all things Spectacular, starting at $5/month.
Warm Mineral and Little Salt Springs
Warm Mineral Springs (City of...
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Cathy and Rick talk about Florida hurricane prep, the history of hurricanes, and how to prepare without freaking out.
Links We Mentioned
Oranges and Alligators: Sketches of South Florida Life by Iza Duffy Hardy
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
Hurricane prep suggestions: Turn off your TV and check hurricanes.gov, the least weather-terroristy source for real news. Instead of bottled water, buy...
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Brad and Cathy talk about Bahia Honda State Park. Brad shares the little-known history of Bahia Honda's pre-park days, and Cathy talks about which parts are best for camping and water activities.
Support the podcast! For $5/month, you get premium Florida Keys history and travel tips with Brad Bertelli and Cathy Salustri.
Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newslet...
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Kristalyn Shefveland joins the podcast to talk about her book, Selling Vero Beach. They talk about Vero's history, its first people, and why the past matters to newcomers.
Links We Mentioned
Selling Vero Beach: Settler Myths in the Land of the Aís and Seminole
Florida's disastrous plan for a reservoir
McKee and Sexton: A Perfect Match
Oh, and Cathy's breakfast? Muhammarra ...
Send us your Florida questions!
Rick and Cathy welcome Florida historian Joey Vars on the podcast to talk about Henry Plant's Belleview Biltmore hotel. Joey's the former staff historian for the hotel, now called the Belleview.
Links We Mentioned
Watch Joey's former tour of the Biltmore
Aerial view of Belleview Biltmore demolition [VIDEO]
Send us your Florida questions!
If you've driven past it and not stopped, you don't know what you're missing. Sure, you can do tourist things like feed a tarpon and have a frozen drink... but they also have a fantastic fish sandwich, knowledgeable fishing guides, and one particularly amazing Florida Keys historian (and some other stuff, too.)
Learn what Brad and Cathy both love Robbie&...
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