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Bigger is Better

For three straight summers during my grade school years, our family traveled from Dayton, Ohio, to the same hotel on St. Pete Beach, a quaint oceanfront property called the Normandy Inn. Though I had relatively little to complain about growing up in the Midwest—outside of winter waits for the school bus and being recruited to

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Magic, Madness or Marvel?

Historic Coral Castle just might be a little bit of each The Coral Castle is the kind of place locals can pass dozens of times and never stop to visit. It always seems a little too kitschy, too old-fashioned, as if maybe it’s just another quirky sideshow on the long list of Florida’s infamous tourist

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Tee It Up

Tom Watson doesn’t have the golfing résumé of Jack Nicklaus (eight professional major victories to the Golden Bear’s 18) or a devoted army like the one that followed Arnold Palmer throughout his career, but as I’m standing over a tap-in birdie putt on an overcast afternoon at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, my judgment is final.

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Walk in the Park

Back in the 1940s, Gulfstream Park drew winter tourists to Hallandale Beach for the South Florida weather and what Miami florist and landscaping millionaire James Donn Sr., called “the most beautiful race course under the tropic sun.” Today, locals and tourists alike flock to the famed thoroughbred racing destination to do more than just place

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Wynwood

WYNWOOD Once a neglected neighborhood overrun by dowdy warehouses, the Wynwood Art District is now a mecca for Miami’s cultural movement. Known for its graffiti-clad streetscape and multicolored murals, the neighborhood stretches from 36st Street to 20th Street, and Interstate 95 to NE First Avenue, making it one of the largest open-air street art installations

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Continental Christmas

What you need to know about European holiday markets Sparkling ornaments. Christmas carols. Gingerbread. Spiced hot wine. If you love the sights, sounds and fragrances of Christmas, add a European Christmas market trip to your bucket list. Markets vary by theme, size and style, ranging from the spectacular to the historic. Larger cities often have

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Private Paradise

Avra Jain, the Miami developer known in South Florida hospitality circles for the restoration of the historic Vagabond Hotel and Miami River Inn, remembers going to Negril seven times as a girl with her parents. When Jain got wind of a hotel for sale in the Jamaican city, she jumped at the prospect of having

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How Suite It Is

Years before her father embarked on a campaign to reimagine America, Ivanka Trump was on the ground floor of another restoration project, this one specific to South Florida. After acquiring the legendary Doral Golf Resort & Spa in 2012, Trump Hotels poured some $250 million into the 800-acre property, transforming everything from the 72 holes

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Deerfield Beach

Deerfield Beach harks back to a different era; the coastal town embodies the South Florida that people envisioned before sprawling resorts and towering condos dotted the coastline. The town’s beach, which received “Blue Wave” certification from the national Clean Beaches Council, is beautiful and not crowded, and though the city’s population approaches 75,000, Deerfield maintains

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A World of Good

  The Orlando World Center Marriott is just three miles south of Walt Disney World—but it feels as far from the House of Mouse as you can get. The hotel, a cluster of four towering buildings, wastes no time making an impression. The vibe—chic, clean-lined and absent of extravagant artwork and overdone production—speaks to the

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Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

The Great American Beach Town remains untouched by time  Lauderdale-By-The-Sea has an easy time preserving its beachside charm and boutiquey ebb and flow. The entire town, steeped in mid-century modern architecture, is only 1.5 square miles. There isn’t a Starbucks or chain restaurant on its strip of East Commercial Boulevard. And though its surrounding neighbors

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Paint the Town at Asheville, North Carolina

By Karen F. Buchsbaum Once a sleepy mountain town, today’s Asheville boasts an upbeat, creative vibe for every taste. Its highly acclaimed farm-to-table dining scene aside, the city’s burgeoning artistic side is gaining attention on its own. And that doesn’t mean the kinds of crafts you can find in almost every hilly Southern town and

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