I am a native Floridian and I love it here. Even with all the changes in traffic, population, congestion, and humidity, Florida is home. Tom and I have the privilege of traveling quite a bit. With him officially retired we are now “free to move about the country” as he likes to say. We especially love road trips together. But there is something that happens in my heart whenever we cross the state-line back into Florida. It’s as if the sun shines brighter for me here.

This brings me to this week’s Friday Favorites post – the five top things I love most about Florida, and a date idea to go along with it.

1. Sunrise and Sunset – We are able to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, and then drive across the state to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. We call this date our Sunrise Sunset Date and it is one of my favorites.

2. Afternoon Thunderstorms – In Orlando during the Summer I look forward to our afternoon thunderstorms. It provides relief from the heat and it demonstrates God’s faithfulness and power to all who notice. These storms form when the sea breezes from the east coast hit the gulf breezes from the west coast, and it’s usually around Orlando in the late afternoon. The powerful display is fun to watch. I love the big skies over Florida and the ability to watch storms roll in from a distance.

3. Familiarity – Having lived here all my life, I know where everything is. I love this aspect of living life in my hometown. History is a precious thing and living where most of mine has happened is comforting to me.

4. Outdoor life – Boating, camping, hiking, fishing, surfing, kayaking. These are all fun ways to enjoy Florida. But one of my favorites in the cooler months is to sit outside around an open fire pit. We have one in our backyard, and there are fire rings you can reserve on the beaches in Volusia County (New Smyrna Beach) to enjoy one surf side.

5. Restaurants and Entertainment – We are blessed to have the world literally in our backyard. We can eat any type cuisine we desire, and with my Yelp app we can find the best of the bunch. Orlando is growing leaps and bounds. It truly is The City Beautiful. Check out our Romantic Orlando Guide for when you are planning to visit.

What do you love most about your state? We invite you to brag about it in the comments.