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Cathy Salustri 鈥�95 will tell you that she鈥檚 a 鈥渕ilitant Floridian.鈥�

Before anyone assumes what she means by that, it鈥檚 important to know that her main job is as a travel writer. She graduated from 小优视频ampa with a communication degree and later earned a master鈥檚 in Florida Studies from USF.

Today,听she has authored several books that if they had arms would wrap the state in a knowing hug, pulling together its history, ecology, geology and geography, culture and more in stories that enlighten, entertain, criticize 鈥� and elicit and encourage respect.

She calls her style 鈥淔lorida-splaining,鈥� and to read along, it feels like taking a walk-and-talk with a smart and witty friend.

Sometimes that trek is a true adventure, a slog through the swamp, or a hands-and-knees crawl through a tight spot on the wildlife corridor, mere steps from snakes coiled along听a path obscured by scratchy saw palms. Sometimes, it鈥檚 a nostalgic saunter tracing an old rail line, a trip through time and place with nods to progress and peril, development and听decisions.

鈥淚 do have a tendency to go into situations that most people wouldn鈥檛,鈥� Salustri said recently. 鈥淎 lot of what I know is by exploration. 鈥� You only hear the tales of the explorers who live to write about it.鈥�

In 2017, the New York Times interviewed Salustri after her book, Backroads of Paradise: A Journey to Rediscover Old Florida, was published by University Press of Florida. The book traces routes documented by Works Progress Administration writers in the 1930s, when the government sought to boost the tourism economy by capturing potential听travelers鈥� imaginations through guidebooks.

She wanted to tell people about the Florida beyond the theme parks, she told the Times then, and today she鈥檚 still doing it through all sorts of means and media. She owns The Gabber Newspaper, a weekly in Pinellas听County; gives 鈥淔lorida talks鈥� at libraries, festivals and museum gatherings statewide on topics like roadside attractions and "bad-ass Florida women鈥�; blogs about state parks, endemic and endangered species, food and听the environment; and co-hosts the Florida Spectacular podcast, which shares its name with her newest book, 2024鈥檚 Florida Spectacular: Exceptional Places and Exceptional Lives, also published by University Press of Florida.

Salustri isn鈥檛 a Sunshine State native 鈥� she moved here from New York at 7 years old. But she never heard her parents say, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not how we did things up North,鈥� and they never restricted her reading, giving her wide exposure听to thinkers and things growing up. Both these aspects of her upbringing shape her work today. She objects to Florida being a character in a meme and rejects 鈥淔lorida man鈥� jokes as 鈥減unching down.鈥� Her observations often challenge contemporary notions and reveal untold or neglected stories, adding context to popular perceptions.

She was 30 when she gave writing an honest shot as a career, and at the beginning, it wasn鈥檛 glamorous, she said, nor was she qualified to write on all subjects assigned to her in the 鈥渟hoppers鈥� and content mills she worked for at first.

鈥淚f you see an article online written by me on how to build a sea wall, don鈥檛 follow the instructions,鈥� she said.

But a Florida day trip story? Maybe one with a historical connection to the University of Tampa campus? There might be no one more qualified for that than her.

鈥� Holly Neumann

LET'S GO: THE FLORIDA-SPLAINED EDITION

The South was beaten. Bruised. Angry. Certainly听no place for a gentleman from Connecticut to听make a name for himself in the 1880s.听But Henry Plant was not to be deterred. He鈥檇听worked in the South, both before and during the听Civil War. He fled before the end of the war, but听less than 20 years after the Union defeated the听Confederacy, he returned, this time to Florida,听cobbling together an empire of recovered rail lines and听new, bringing service across the state. In 1882, work began听on his Florida railroad; not quite two years later, the first train听pulled into Tampa. When it did, he鈥檇 yet to build the grand听Tampa Bay Hotel 鈥� that would come in 1891, three years after听his first Tampa Bay hotel, the Inn at Port Tampa.

Yes, you read that right. Plant really banked on Tampa听being the next great thing (and he wasn鈥檛 wrong).听Along the (rail)road to Tampa, Plant made some stops.听Literally. He built or bought grand hotels at key places听along his tracks. Florida in the 1880s, while stunning with听its natural beauty, didn鈥檛 have as many people attracted to听the peninsula 鈥� for good reason: Although John Gorrie had听invented a crude form of air conditioning some 40 years听prior, few places had it. This made summers a bit of a hurdle听for folks, and places south of Gainesville had few residents,听save for some coastal communities. That didn鈥檛 discourage听Plant; he saw Florida as a giant blank canvas on which he听could paint the future he saw for the state.

And what an artist he was. Plant鈥檚 railroad forever听transformed our state. Some of our best-known cities are听best known because of his vision. While some of them don鈥檛听look exactly the way Plant must have envisioned, each has its听own vibe, worth exploring and discovering.

So grab your camera, and let鈥檚 take some road trips to see听some of the towns our Henry built!

KISSIMMEE: FINDING OLD FLORIDA

Today, Kissimmee is thought of as a suburb of Walt听Disney World, but to Plant, it was the perfect place for听the railroad 鈥� and a hotel. Long before Orange Bird,听oranges ruled the day in this part of the state, and听citrus packers would send thousands of grapefruit,听oranges and other citrus north along the railroad.

Today, Kissimmee has traded citrus for tourists,听but there鈥檚 more than Disney-adjacent venues here. It鈥檚听not hard at all to explore the off-the-tourist-path parts听of Kissimmee, which still look a lot like old Florida.

First, you鈥檒l need food to fortify yourself for your听adventure. Not too far from the bright tourist strip,听Woodsby鈥檚 Cafe serves classic American food to the听locals who keep coming back for more. Once you鈥檙e听satiated and ready to see and do things most visitors听never do, lace up your walking shoes. In the midst听of the tourist oasis lies one of another sort: Shingle听Creek Regional Park immerses you in the headwaters听of the Florida Everglades. Hike, paddle, cycle or take听a leisurely stroll here 鈥� the park spreads out into听the Shingle Creek Regional Trail. After all that, stop听in the Osceola County Welcome Center and History听Museum, which offers insight into the natural and听built history of one of Florida鈥檚 most underappreciated听towns. Bonus: They usually have a gator hatchling听or two in a tank. You cannot pet them, but they鈥檙e听fascinating to watch.

听

WINTER PARK: FROM ROUGH TO RAIL

Today, Winter Park is a study in elegance, but in 1886, it was rougher country. Plant was determined to change that, and rail passengers celebrating the 1896 new year in Florida could have done so on opening day of The Seminole, Plant鈥檚 luxe hotel on the shores of Lake Osceola. If you want to re-create the train trip to Tampa from Winter Park, head to Union Station in Ybor and board听the Silver Meteor, which follows the same line. Disembark at Winter Park and it鈥檚 but a few steps to the heart of town. Of course, you can drive there, too, but something about arriving by train feels more like Plant intended.

There鈥檚 no shortage of spectacular food in Winter Park, but the original Bosphorous on Park Avenue stands out as some of the city鈥檚 finest. Dine inside or al fresco on classic Turkish food. The soslu patlican (sauteed eggplant) and听lamb k枚fte offer tasty insight into Turkish foodways you won鈥檛 soon forget 鈥� and may have you planning a return trip.

As for arts, well, as it does with its food scene, Winter Park over-delivers. The Morse Museum gets the lion鈥檚 share of attention, but Winter Park has some other gems, too. If you only have time for one, pay a visit to the Albin Polasek听Museum & Sculpture Gardens, located on the space once occupied by Plant鈥檚 Seminole Hotel. Winter Park isn鈥檛 only visual art 鈥� Mr. Rogers called it his neighborhood while he studied music as an undergrad. Today you can follow听in his footsteps with a self-guided audio tour. Better yet: Book a two-hour guided tour.

SANFORD: ALL ABOARD THE CELERY TRAIN

Before there was Orlando and the Mouse, there was Sanford and celery. And Sanford, not Tampa, was one of two significant hubs for Plant鈥檚 railroad (the other was in Waycross, Georgia). But let鈥檚 go back to celery. Yes, Sanford was the celery capital of the country. Running the railroad here was a deliberate choice, because Sanford鈥檚 Lake Monroe leads to the St. Johns River, a crucial commercial waterway both then and now.

Today, the St. Johns Rivership Company carries different cargo 鈥� lunch and dinner guests 鈥� on a sternwheeler paddle-boat that travels part of the same river those first cargo ships did. They have lunch and dinner cruises, but save room. Back on the main thoroughfare, Hollerbach鈥檚 draws fans of German food from across the state, and their kalbsschnitzel (veal wiener听schnitzel) is worth the drive.

Of course, you鈥檒l want to walk off that food, so head to the Gallery on First to meet Sanford-area artists. This venue hosts established and emerging artists, offering both gallery space and studio space where anyone can learn more about their work or watch them create. And it鈥檚 just close enough to Walt Disney World that every now and then, you might meet a听Disney artist creating decidedly non-Disney art.

BELLEAIR: TAKE IN THE SPLENDOR

The Belleview Biltmore, a grand wooden structure with Tiffany glass and every luxury available during Plant鈥檚 time, suffered demolition by neglect for years, and today most of the original structure is gone. But in its prime, this lavish Belleair hotel had a private spur running off the main railroad, a moat and a riding stable. Plant鈥檚 son, Morton, favored this hotel, and a visit to what remains today shows you why: With stunning vistas of the saltwater and sunsets, it鈥檚 a natural place to slow down and appreciate the splendor of Florida.

Today, the Belleview Inn surrounds a sliver of the remaining building, but anyone can go inside and take an audio tour. Locals favor Le Belleair Cafe, a French bakery (the crepe proven莽al, with tomatoes, eggplant, asiago, arugula and egg is a must-do). To work off all those calories, bike through the streets surrounding the Belleview Inn to take in the different architectural styles and historic homes. Plan ahead and order a sandwich from Wildflower Cafe (the grilled pastrami and Swiss is salty and cheesy and practically perfect in every way); after your bike ride, you can enjoy a picnic on the Intracoastal Waterway at the dog-friendly Hallett Park. It鈥檚 not exactly as Plant envisioned, but it鈥檚 definitely an afternoon to remember.

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OCALA: TAKE THE WATERS

If Sanford鈥檚 waterways invited efficient commerce, Ocala鈥檚 entreat you to听explore the springs. When Plant bought the Ocala House, a 200-room hotel, he capitalized on the area鈥檚 reputation as having 鈥渉ealing waters鈥� and marketed the Ocala House as a health retreat. People once came here to 鈥渢ake the waters鈥� (literally, get in the springs for health reasons), and while visitors today aren鈥檛 always so health-minded, there鈥檚 no question there鈥檚 something magical about a Florida spring.

Today, the Ocala House is a Hilton at the corner of Broadway and First听Avenue, but it鈥檚 part of the historic walking tour that brings you back in time听to the Ocala that Plant knew. And, while Ocala鈥檚 nearby Silver Springs gets all the attention, there are other springs with smaller crowds and water that feels every bit as magical. Go ahead and rent a kayak at Silver Springs (or put in your own there for a nominal fee), but paddle instead the Silver River 鈥� it has plenty of springs secreted along its shores, and they won鈥檛 be nearly as busy as Silver Springs.

When it鈥檚 time to recharge with food, Amrit Palace looks like an unlikely choice 鈥� it鈥檚 right off the interstate in a congested area, and it doesn鈥檛 look听like much from the outside, but inside this hidden-in-plain-sight gem, you鈥檒l听want to take your time and indulge your taste buds with the finest Indian food in Ocala. Pair their Indian red wine with the navratan korma, a vegetable-forward dish with flavors that explode on your tongue.