Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions! Orlando historian Rachel Williams joins the podcast to talk about Colonial Plaza Mall (now a shadow of its former self and called Colonial Marketplace), and from there the conversation moves to caves in Ocala, coffee roasters we love, and the importance of the shopping mall in Florida culture.  Links We Mentioned Ocala Caverns (and what's the difference between...

Send us your Florida questions! TJ Fridrich, with the Save the Manatee Club, joins the podcast to talk about what listeners need to know about when manatee can be dangerous (seriously!), what their mating behavior might look like, and where you can see some excellent documentaries about manatee and their ilk. Links We Mentioned Save The Manatee Club The Disturbance Theory Mating herd in Haulover C...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about the middle basin of the St. Johns River, eco tours, and wildlife seen along the waterway.  Links We Mentioned Floridiana Festival at the Matheson Squarehouse Pizza Love Vine? Welaka Florida Lake Jesup St. Johns River info Airboat on the St. Johns Airboat chase sequence in  Gone Fishin' " 36 Hours in Orlando " ( New York Times...

Send us your Florida questions! Josh Ginsberg, author of Secret Tampa Bay , Secret Orlando , Tampa Bay Scavenger , Oldest Tampa Bay — among others — joins the podcast to talk about his favorite hidden gems in Tampa Bay and Orlando. The trio talks about everything from the Wizard of Oz to taxidermied animals. Links We Mentioned TerriblyOdd.com Josh Ginsberg books Dysfunctional Grace (Ybor City) Tig...

Send us your Florida questions! Craig Pittman, co-host of the Welcome to Florida podcast, joins Florida Spectacular to talk about his latest book by the same name. This episode takes a roller coaster approach to Florida, and along the way the trio discusses nudist resorts, snakes, where to find dead bodies, and... well, take a listen. It's quite a ride. Links We Mentioned Welcome to Florida D...

Send us your Florida questions! Josh Gunderson, the creative mind behind the popular Oviedo Mall account on Twitter, joins the podcast to talk about mall culture in Florida, his new book, The Lamenting Mall Rats Society , and whether or not Oviedo Mall really is haunted.  Links We Mentioned  @OviedoMall on Threads The actual Oviedo Mall The Lamenting Mall Rats Society B. Dalton Booksellers Distric...

Send us your Florida questions! Jon Bortles joins Cathy and Rick to talk about Florida Tiki culture and all things Tiki.  Bahi Hut Meetup with Rick, Cathy, and Jon — April 11, 7 p.m. Links We Mentioned Tahitian Motor Lodge Tarpon Tahitian Inn Tampa Hawaiian Inn Daytona Best Western Aku Tiki Peking Palace in Clearwater Mai Kai Julian's Ormond Beach The Honu Support the show Question or comment...

Send us your Florida questions! Spring has sprung, the pollen is here, and it's time once again to talk about plants and landscaping. Eric Schmidt, the Botanical Records Specialist for Harry P. Leu Botanical Gardens, talks about a few of his favorite plant places in Florida, his experiences consulting on the Animal Kingdom and Star Wars landscaping efforts at the Walt Disney World Resort, and...

Send us your Florida questions! This week, Joe Colucci from Munyon's Paw Paw Liqueur joins the podcast to talk about his Florida-made papaya liqueur — and the fascinating Florida history behind it. Links We Mentioned Munyon Island Munyon's Paw Paw Liqueur Mai Kai The Great Outdoors in High Springs Ottos High Dive Copper Rocket Munyon Hope Association Tiki A Go Go Support the show Questio...

Send us your Florida questions!  Cathy and Rick give a whirlwind tour of botanical gardens they have loved, talk about Rick's proposal to his wife and where he hid her ring, how to pronounce anole, and where to find flamingos.  Links We Mentioned Florida Botanical Gardens Harry P. Leu Gardens Orlando Exploration Gardens Brown anoles and more about them Selby Botanical Gardens (and the George...

Send us your Florida questions! Jack Davis, the Pulitzer-winning author of The Gulf: Making of an American Sea , joins the podcast to talk about what he thinks of the Gulf of Mexico's nomenclature glow-up. The talk migrates to sea level rise, John D. MacDonald's books, and his "Gulf of Mexico" playlist. Links We Mentioned General Jesup and Lake Jesup Pork Chop Gang John D. MacD...

Send us your Florida questions! At the Florida Springs Council, the Florida Madcaps podcast host Ryan Worthington and Florida Spectacular host Cathy Salustri taped a crossover podcast in front of a live audience. Their guests are Max Chesnes, the Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter; TJ Fridrich, a biologist with Save the Manatee Club; and Federico Acevedo, of the Florida Wildlife Federation.  T...

Send us your Florida questions! Ken Breslauer joins the podcast to talk about collectible Florida ephemera, his annual Floridiana show, and his favorite roadside attractions. Links We Mentioned Floridiana Fest (Sarasota, April 11-12) Florida Attractions History Atomic Tunnel Sarasota Jungle Gardens Bongo Land Pinecrest Gardens Sunken Gardens Silver Springs Ken's Feb. 19, 2025 talk in Winter P...

Send us your Florida questions! Shana Smith joins the podcast to talk about her book, Islands of Cedars . Shana based the book on actual events, but is a well-researched book of fiction. It's a beautifully written piece of history and Shana talks about what motivated her to write the book, what happened, and what's next.  Links We Mentioned Islands of Cedars FloridaRAMA The Rosewood Mass...

Send us your Florida questions! Looking for things to do that most people miss in Ormond Beach? Historian Randy Jaye has a lot for you to explore. Links We Mentioned Tomoka Mound Complex Legend of Tomokie (and that ridiculous statue Rick loves ) Old Kings Road Three Chimneys Dummett Plantation The Loop Scenic Drive McRae Plantation and Addison Blockhouse The Ormond Hotel Fortunato Park Birthplace...

Send us your Florida questions! Joy Wallace Dickinson, author of the old Florida murder mystery, Secrets of the Flamingo Café , joins the podcast to talk about her book, the history in which she grounded it, and her writing process. There's a rare snowfall in North Florida as we taped this podcast and of course Cathy has some big feelings about that. Links We Mentioned About Joy Wallace Dicki...

Send us your Florida questions! Ever heard of a zero-magnitude spring? It's a spring that has "historic flow" — meaning it doesn't have any water anymore (usually — some get water during times of heavy rain). Rick and Cathy talk about some of Florida's lost springs. Links We Mentioned Mosaic Peace Park Wakulla Springs State Park Daytona's Atomic Tunnel White Sulphur S...

Send us your Florida questions! Cathy and Rick talk about their favorite parks that aren't state parks. City and County Florida Parks You Need To Visit Fort De Soto (St. Petersburg) Greenwood Cemetery (map showing GAR ) (Orland) Mead Botanical Gardens (Winter Park) Boyd Hill (St. Petersburg) Moss Park (Orlando) Shingle Creek (Kissimmee) Princess Place Preserve (Flagler County) Brooker Creek P...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about Florida adventures for the new year and talk about kayaking. They also look ahead to 2025 and some possible new benefits for podcast subscribers.  Links We Mentioned Earth Kinship bioluminescence kayak tours Florida State Parks camping reservations Harvest Hosts Florida Bucket List scratch-off adventures   Keaton Beach Support the show Ques...

Send us your Florida questions! AyoLane Halusky talks about possible changes at Marineland, why you shouldn't be afraid of alligators , and favorite paddles in St. Johns area. Marineland Unusual gator behavior in Big Cypress My Life as a Turkey Earth Kinship Kayak Tours & Nature Education Geotripper Local Lorax Top  Kayaking Spots in the St. Johns Area  Deep Creek Welaka ( Dunn's Cre...

Send us your Florida questions! Kimball Love makes an appearance on the podcast to talk about her new book, Florida Is Not For Sissies .  Links We Mentioned Florida is Not for Sissies Florida Is Not for Sissies  merchandise Florida Is Not For Sissies  on Facebook Support the show Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com . Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter , and k...

Send us your Florida questions! Chris Meindl, associate professor or geography and the director of the Florida Studies Program at USF-St. Pete, joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration . Cathy, Rick, and Chris talk about the springs, the Florida Studies Program, and the politics of water. Go see him at the Sulfur Springs Museum in Ta...

Send us your Florida questions! What started as an episode on gratitude for Florida things meandered as much as the Kissimmee River in the 1920s. Rick and Cathy talk about what they're grateful for in Florida, and — naturally — that turns to talk of finding dead bodies and how to kill someone. It's the most nontraditional Thanksgiving episode ever. Take a listen. Links We Mentioned White...

Send us your Florida questions! Chris Beachum and Rich Robinson created a TV series, Crazy, Florida! — and the first episode is live now. Rich and Chris join Rick and Cathy to talk about the inspiration for Crazy, Florida! , what makes it special, and what's next for the docuseries. Links We Mentioned Crazy, Florida! S1E1 on YouTube Crazy, Florida! YouTube Channel Fast Channels include RokuTV...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about what to do at Wekiwa Springs, along the Wekiva River, at Rock Springs Run, and the surrounding waterways. Links We Mentioned Wekiwa Springs State Park Wekiva Island Wekiva River: a Wild & Scenic River Friends of Wekiva River Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park Emerald Cut Rock Springs Run Kelly Park/Rock Springs Run Katie's Land...