Latest Backroads Podcast Episodes
Episode 150: Florida Springs: How Anyone Can Help
Florida Spectacular - April 25, 2024 11:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRyan Smart, Executive Director of the Florida Springs Council, joins Cathy and Rick on the podcast to answer a listener's questions about Florida springs. Q: If the springs naturally come to the surface, why would the bottled water companies need permits to pump out? A: We answer this more in...
🔒 Robbie's Marina: So much more than a tourist joint
Florida Spectacular - April 25, 2024 11:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode 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 Ke...
Episode 149: Top Tiki Bars and Experiences in Florida
Florida Spectacular - April 18, 2024 21:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsCathy and Rick talk about their favorite Tiki bars and events in Florida. Links We Mentioned The Donn of Tiki film Tiki hotels in Daytona Beach Tiki Bars Bahi Hut in Sarasota The Wreck Bar in Fort Lauderdale (Rick's post) Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale (Rick's post) Don the Beachcomber in M...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 8: Please Don't Feed the Deer: Everything You Want To Know About Key Deer
Florida Spectacular - April 11, 2024 11:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Florida Key Deer are the smallest of the white-tailed deer subspecies, and you can only find them in the Florida Keys. Brad and Cathy talk about the oft-debated origins of these tiny creatures, the legend of the cryptid key deer (aka Conch Republic Border Guards), and ho...
Episode 148: Florida New Deal Art, Post Offices, and State Parks
Florida Spectacular - April 10, 2024 15:00 - 53 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRick and Cathy welcome Keri Watson, author of Florida's New Deal: Parks and Post Office Murals. Her book takes people on an armchair tour of Florida post offices with New Deal art. It explores Florida's first 10 state park (nine of which still exist as state parks today.) Links We Mentioned Ge...
Episode 147: Let's Get Small: Check Out These Small Florida Towns
Florida Spectacular - April 06, 2024 14:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRick and Cathy talk about what there is to do at some of their favorite small towns in Florida, and why you should visit. Take a listen, load up the car, and let's go! Links We Mentioned Safety Harbor Resort & Spa | Spa Resort in Tampa Bay, FL Welaka, Florida | Quiet Old Town on the St. Joh...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 7: Purple Isles: Legend, Lore, and Truth
Florida Spectacular - March 28, 2024 11:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Islamorada means "purple island." After all, Isla (island) and morada (purple), right? Think again. Brad explains why that's not how this part of the Florida Keys got its name. He takes Cathy — and listeners — on an armchair journey on why the "morada" in the name date...
Episode 146: Matlacha, Pine Island, and a Different Kind of Paradise
Florida Spectacular - March 27, 2024 16:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRick and Cathy talk about mangos, Matlacha, and a different type of Florida paradise. Pine Island and Matlacha don't have high rises, chain hotels, or franchises. This small island haven has plenty of small pleasures on offer, especially for people seeking a less-traditional type of paradise. T...
Episode 145: Traveling the World to Come Home to Florida
Florida Spectacular - March 22, 2024 15:00 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsOn this week's podcast, Jenny DeWitt talks about why she left Florida, where she traveled when she did, and why she came back. Links we mentioned: Eau Gallie Arts District. Backwater restaurant. Downtown Creedo. Green Gables, Melbourne, FL Lil Bit of Life, Mount Dora, FL Grow Lake County...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 6: The Florida Keys Eco Trail
Florida Spectacular - March 14, 2024 11:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Everyone loves the Florida Keys — but not everyone has discovered the sheer magnificence of the wilder and more natural parts of the island chain. The Florida Keys tourism board wants to change that; they created an an app that lets anyone earn points (and swag) for chec...
Episode 144: Lighthouses, Florida Parks, and the Dry Tortugas
Florida Spectacular - March 14, 2024 02:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsMeet Shilpi Rawat, who left Mumbai for a life in Florida. As a new Floridian, she planned a Florida lighthouse road trip. Learn about her experiences from the panhandle to the Dry Tortugas, the time she swam with a barracuda (not on purpose), and hear about some of her favorite lighthouses. Lin...
Episode 143: Florida Journeys, Nibbling Cockroaches, and John Muir
Florida Spectacular - March 07, 2024 16:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsLeslie Kemp Poole, author of Tracing Florida Journeys: Explorers, Travelers, and Landscapes Then and Now, comes on the podcast to talk about recreating Florida journeys made by famous Floridians and Florida-fans such as John Muir, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. She gives li...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 5: Snorkeling the Florida Keys
Florida Spectacular - February 29, 2024 12:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Looking for places to snorkel in the Florida Keys? Brad's the expert. He explains not only how snorkeling ignited his interest in Florida Keys and Monroe County history, but where anyone can snorkel in the Florida Keys. Brad's Florida Keys snorkeling spots Bahia Honda...
Episode 142: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Citrus, and Writing in the Woods
Florida Spectacular - February 28, 2024 16:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsCathy and Rick talk about how nature influences their writing, Cathy's camping experience at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, Rick's upcoming keynote at the MKR annual conference, and where to find wild citrus. Links We Mentioned Matheson Museum, with the anniversary exhibit Rick ...
World "PIG" Championship
Faces To Places - February 27, 2024 20:00 - 18 minutesJoin me at the York Country Store in Pall Mall Tennessee as I talk with Jim Buck to learn all about the 24th annual "World Pig Championship". In this case Pig is not what you might think. Pig is a card game that originated in Fentress County and Jim is the organizer of the World Pig Champi...
Episode 141: Pirates, Bureaucracy, and Gasparilla
Florida Spectacular - February 21, 2024 16:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsPeople love pirate lore — but what did it mean to be a pirate in Florida? According to Cathy, a lot more bureaucracy than you'd think. Rick and Cathy talk about pirates, real and imagined, and make a few Florida detours along the way. Links We Mentioned Legend of Jose Gaspar Sir Francis Drake...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 4: Land Sharks, Pirates, and Newspapers
Florida Spectacular - February 15, 2024 12:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Did the Florida Keys have pirates? Brad and Cathy debate. Brad unearthed an 1829 Keys newspaper and talks about an article warning of land sharks and advertising a house for rent for $20 a month in Key West. They also chat about the San Carlos, the Key West Firehouse M...
Episode 140: Explore Cross Creek (A Hidden Campground, Historic Paddle) and What Is Real Florida?
Florida Spectacular - February 14, 2024 17:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings made Cross Creek famous through her writing, and if you want to experience Florida as she did, there's no better place. From free-range venison starters at a Cross Creek restaurant to paddling the same creeks she did, immerse yourself in the world of Cross Creek. Here's ...
Episode 139: Florida Springs, Politics, and the Profanity Manatee
Florida Spectacular - February 08, 2024 02:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRyan Smart, the executive director of the Florida Springs Council, joins the podcast to talk about threats facing springs, some recent victories for Florida's environment, and how people can support the work that protects Florida springs. Image of the Profanity Manatee courtesy of Florida Sprin...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 3: Bahia Honda and Long Key State Park
Florida Spectacular - February 01, 2024 12:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Brad and Cathy take a deep dive into two of the best Florida State Parks in the Florida Keys: Bahia Honda and Long Key. Links We Mentioned Florida Keys Eco-Experience Trail app for exploring the Florida Keys. Bahia Honda State Park Long Key State Park Support the p...
Episode 138: Fort Mose, Black History Matters, and Florida's Underground Railroad
Florida Spectacular - January 31, 2024 16:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsToday's guest, Charles Ellis, who serves as the Fort Mose Historical Society president, talks about the reconstruction of the Fort, what’s happening in February, and Florida's place on the Underground Railroad. Links We Mentioned Fort Mose State Park Flight to Freedom Fort Mose Historical S...
Episode 137: Hidden Sarasota, Things to Do You Might Not Know About
Florida Spectacular - January 24, 2024 16:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsIf you want to explore Sarasota, Rick and Cathy have plenty of favorites. Places to Eat Owen's Fish Camp Yoder's of Pinecraft and The Gabber Newspaper's feature on Yoder's Bali Hut Tiki Hut Outdoors and Nature Experiences Myakka River State Park Warm Mineral Springs Selby Botanical Gard...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 2: The Most Beautiful Drive in America, State Road 4A
Florida Spectacular - January 18, 2024 12:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Flying into Key West is super-convenient, but people who fly into Key West miss one of the best parts of the Florida Keys: The Overseas Highway, which connects mainland Florida with the Florida Keys. The road didn't always look the way it does today, however. Brad and Ca...
Episode 136: Where to See Manatee in Florida
Florida Spectacular - January 17, 2024 14:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsIt's January! It's cold! It's the best time to see manatee! Where can you see them? Rick and Cathy name their favorite spots (see the links) and talk about whether manatee resemble sea potatoes or zaftig mermaids, manatee flatulence, and manatee nipples (when an animal has armpit nipples, you ...
Episode 135: Florida Trails: Hiking Shoes, Stepping on Snakes, and Sloughs
Florida Spectacular - January 10, 2024 20:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsA reader question about hiking shoes leads to a discussion about best places to hike in Florida. The Florida Madcaps' Chelsea Stevens joins to talk about hiking and water shoes, that time she stepped on a copperhead, and her favorite hikes. Links We Mentioned FloridaHikes.com Shoes for Hikin...
🔒 Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 1: Florida State Parks We Love in the Upper Keys
Florida Spectacular - January 04, 2024 12:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsSubscriber-only episode Florida does an amazing job with state parks, and perhaps this is best showcased in the Florida Keys. In the inaugural episode, take a tour of some of Brad and Cathy's favorite state parks in the Upper Keys. State Parks to Visit in the Florida Keys • Dagny Johnson Key ...
Episode 134: Into the Woods: Swamp Hikes, Snakes, and Stories
Florida Spectacular - January 03, 2024 16:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsTake a hike in the swamp! Cathy and Rick talk about hiking in Florida swamps, venomous snakes, and other things you might find as you experience Florida's wilderness. Also, Cathy talks about the time she got lost in the swamp and almost stepped on a venomous snake. Pictured is the juvenile cott...
Episode 133: Mermaids, Manatee, and Many, Many Paddling Trips
Florida Spectacular - December 27, 2023 18:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRick and Cathy talk about Florida places they want to visit in 2024. Unsurprisingly, many of the trips involve kayaking. Quick Travel Guide to St. Augustine Meehan's Irish Pub Osteen's Casa de Sueños Quick Travel Guide to West Volusia Heritage Corridor Cassadaga DeLand Memorial Hospital Museu...
Episode 132: Sanford, Arcadia, and the Disney Wilderness Preserve: Florida Places to Visit in 2024
Florida Spectacular - December 20, 2023 16:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsRick and Cathy talk about places they want to visit–or revisit—in 2024. Below, find guides to two not-often-visited places in Florida. Visit Sanford Visitor's Guide December's St. Lucia Festival Celery Soup—a folk life play Hollerbach's German Restaurant Pico Hotel (similar to the Tampa B...
Episode 131: Once Upon a Time in Florida
Florida Spectacular - December 13, 2023 16:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsJacki Levine joins Rick and Cathy today to talk about Once Upon a Time in Florida, a gorgeous coffee table book celebrating 50 years of essays about Florida. Jacki edited the book, which includes essays from Stetson Kennedy, Michael Gannon, and Rick Kilby. Links We Mentioned Once Upon a Time i...