Sandra Friend

Sandra Friend

For three decades, I've shared my love of travel, hiking, and the outdoors with people like yourself through my articles, books, and photography.
23
Mar
Blooms at Dorothy Oven Park

Dorothy B. Oven Park

A hidden gem in Tallahassee, Dorothy B. Oven Park is a city park on the former location of the Camellia Nursery of Tallahassee, established in 1919 by one of Florida's earliest camellia growers.
5 min read
21
Mar
Italianate Gardens at MacLay Gardens

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens

One of Florida's finest formal gardens, Alfred B. Maclay Gardens contains one of the most impressive and historic camellia collections in the South.
6 min read
21
Mar
Camellia allee, Middleton Place

Middleton Place

Laid out under a formal landscape architecture plan mirroring European gardens, the gardens of Middleton Place are the oldest of their style in America, started in 1741.
9 min read
17
Mar
Magnolia Gardens

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

At America's oldest public garden, the romantic gardens of Magnolia Plantation flow through natural woodlands and swamps, emphasizing azaleas and camellias.
9 min read
19
Jul
Space center building framed by arc of sycamore leaves

Race to the Moon: Apollo and Saturn V

It's the Year of Apollo at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and nowhere is that more evident than in the renovations and additions at the massive Apollo/Saturn V Center.
9 min read
17
Jul
First footprints on the moon Apollo 11 NASA

First on the Moon

North of Dayton, rural Wapakoneta celebrates its biggest claim to fame: it's the hometown of Neil Armstrong and home to the Armstrong Air & Space Museum.
8 min read
16
Jul
Apollo 11 earthrise

Apollo: To the Moon

Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the launch and landing on the moon by Apollo 11 at Kennedy Space Center, and what it means to American and world history.
8 min read
24
Apr
Cyclists looking at a colorful mural along a brick street

On a Bartram Adventure Tour

On a guided Bartram Adventure Tour, we hiked, biked, and paddled to follow the travels of William and John Bartram along the St. Johns River on the newly designated Bartram National Recreation Trail, centered in Palatka, Florida.
16 min read
18
Mar
Riding Rockets

Riding Rockets

In Riding Rockets, Mike Mullane peels back the glamour of being an astronaut by describing the day-to-day realities of working a job like no other during his years on the Space Shuttle program.
7 min read
13
Feb
Historic Stony Brook Mill NY

Surprised by Stony Brook

Surprised by the New England feel of Stony Brook, we lingered over museums and parks, soaking in history on our overnight visit to Long Island's North Shore.
8 min read