Florida's untamable nature is highlighted through encounters with large reptiles like alligators and pythons.
Key West embodies a spirit of freedom and individualism with its countercultural history and laissez-faire culture.
The Bushwhacker cocktail reflects Florida's eccentricities with its hurricane-ravaged beach bars, cocaine busts, and legal battles over trademarks and festivals.
Deep dives
Florida's Alligator and Python Encounters
Florida is known for its encounters with large reptiles, such as alligators and pythons. In one story, a journalist interviews a man in charge of the python hunting program as a response to the growing invasive python problem. These encounters highlight Florida's untamable nature and unique ecosystem that coexists with these reptiles.
The Strange and Countercultural History of Key West
Key West, Florida, has a rich and colorful history as a countercultural hub. From its beginnings as an uninhabitable island purchased for $2,000 to its role as a pirate haven and resistance against government control, Key West embodies a spirit of freedom and individualism. It continues to embrace a live-and-let-live attitude with its quirky traditions and laissez-faire culture.
The Bushwhacker: A Florida Cocktail with a Story
The Bushwhacker, a rum-based cocktail, became a signature drink in the Florida Panhandle. With a blend of rum, milk, coffee liqueur, and cream of coconut, this boozy concoction gained popularity in the 1980s. The story of the Bushwhacker reflects the eccentricities of Florida, with its hurricane-ravaged beach bars, cocaine busts, and legal battles over trademarks and festivals.
Encounters with Florida's Restaurant Alligators
Florida is home to many restaurants that incorporate live alligators into their attractions. From tourists feeding hungry reptiles to attempts at alligator wrangling by mischievous visitors, encountering alligators in unexpected places is a quintessential Florida experience. These encounters highlight Florida's unconventional and sometimes chaotic cultural landscape.
Uniquely Florida: Alligators Through a Drive-Through Window
Florida is no stranger to bizarre and outrageous incidents, such as an incident where a live crocodile was thrown through a drive-through window at a fast food restaurant. This peculiar event, along with countless others, exemplifies the zany, unconventional spirit of Florida, where unexpected encounters and surprising stories are a regular part of life.
In a special bonus Reason Roundtable podcast, Reason's very own Floridians Peter Suderman, Stephanie Slade, Zach Weissmueller, and C.J. Ciaramella discuss stories specific to the Sunshine State culled from the upcoming Florida-themed issue of the magazine. Topics include the origins of the infamous "Florida Man," monkeys with herpes, the colorful history of Key West, and alligator knowledge.
