Flamingo Magazine

11/05/2025

This twice-roasted brisket from Chef Rick Mace of Tropical Smokehouse is good on a bun or all by itself.

This twice-roasted brisket from chef Rick Mace of Tropical Smokehouse is good on a bun or all by itself.

11/04/2025

This 27,000-acre tract of pastures and native prairies was almost turned into one of the biggest cities in Florida. Developers wanted to build a new city named "Destiny," but conservationists had other ideas for the area.

The tract's most recent owner gave the land to the University of Florida, preventing it from turning into a town about the size of Orlando. Now, the land falls under a conservation easement. The lack of development will protect one of the state's last Dark Sky areas—where the land is far enough from city lights to clearly see stars at night.

"Creating the city of Destiny would have been like a can opener prying open the heart of the Everglades Headwaters," writes photographer and Flamingo contributor Carlton Ward Jr.

Read about how Ward captured the starry night of the longleaf pine-filled prairie here: https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/15/dark-sky-destiny-florida-wild/

10/29/2025

South Florida's Chase Stadium is forgoing hotdogs and chicken tenders for omakase experiences and Argentinian asado.⁠
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James Beard-recognized chefs Michelle Bernstein () and Bradley Kilgore () were tapped to present a rotating menu of nuanced dishes inside two of the stadium’s coveted sections, and they delivered.⁠
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From a 12-course omakase experience to handcrafted arepas, when eyes aren't on the field, they're on the food in .⁠
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And Miami—and Messi—fans are digging in. Read more about how Miami is winning on the field and on plates: https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/24/inter-miami-cf-chase-stadium-messi/

10/28/2025

Orlando-based artist Ericka Sobrack () doesn’t just focus on the uncanny around Halloween—for her, it’s a muse. ⁠
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Capturing off-putting scenes of Central Florida suburbia is her forte year-round. Shots of glowing pools, backlit palms and ominous oaks are hallmarks in her work, often complemented by midcentury homes in shadow, and leave plenty of room for the viewer’s imagination to run wild.⁠
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Read our interview with Sobrack and discover her spooky side of the Sunshine State: https://flamingomag.com/2025/10/28/ericka-sobrack-orlando-artist/

10/27/2025

There are only two more days to enter our Floridogs & Friends photo competition! Enter your pet for a chance to be featured in our next issue and win a prize package from .

All pets are welcome! Enter and vote for your favorites before the contest closes at noon Eastern on 10/29.

https://flamingomag.com/pet-photo-contest-florida

10/24/2025

When Cara Murphy opened Blue Jay Listening Room in a nondescript building off Jacksonville Beach’s Third Street, she knew she was creating a community.

Now, with names like JJ Grey and Sierra Ferrell as past headliners, Blue Jay has become a venue where, “once you go, it’s the only place you’ll ever want to see live music again,” writes Flamingo Editor in Chief Jamie Rich.

Go behind the scenes with Murphy in one of Flamingo’s latest stories: https://flamingomag.com/2025/09/24/the-blue-jay-listening-room/

10/21/2025

Starting in 1927, Ringling Circus' cast and crew began wintering in Sarasota. They brought their human performers along with a cast of animals, most famously elephants.⁠
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But by 2016, after criticism from animal rights groups, the group retired the goliath creatures. Ticket sales quickly plummeted, and the circus closed.⁠
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Now, troupes are reviving Ringling—without the elephants—and once again using Florida as their training grounds. It's a massive, multimillion dollar project, and as contributing editor Eric Barton writes, "It’s a monumental task in an era in which all of us are inundated, all day long, by internet videos of people doing extraordinary things."⁠
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As the circus prepares to start its season with a string of shows in the Sunshine State, we're looking back on the initial return of Ringling from our 2023 archives. Learn about the revival: flamingomag.com/2023/10/17/ringling-bros/

10/15/2025

Searching for the perfect gift for a Floridian in your life? There's just one week left to subscribe to get Flamingo's Winter 2025 Adventure Issue in time for the holidays.⁠
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Each print edition is filled with the best of the Sunshine State, from conservationists and culinary concepts to musicians and hidden gems that even the lifelong Floridians among us have yet to discover.⁠
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From the Panhandle to the Keys and everywhere in between, this is your guide to Florida. Subscribe to get yours before the holidays here: https://flamingomag.com/subscribe/

10/14/2025

With one of the nation’s largest populations of honeybees, Florida has much resting on its fight to keep bees flying.⁠
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Across the United States, there are about half as many managed honey bee colonies as there were 75 years ago, and agriculture across Florida is feeling the effects. ⁠
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As beekeepers plot to move their hives to the Sunshine State for the winter, we’re taking a look back at this story from our archives by contributing editor Eric Barton
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Meet the people working to make life for the Sunshine State’s honey bees a little sweeter: https://flamingomag.com/2020/03/02/fight-for-bees/
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Photography by Mary Beth Koeth

10/13/2025

Northeast of Orlando lies a community of mediums and healers. Cassadaga, home to the oldest Spiritualist camp in the Southeast, has been there since 1894, after a trance medium from New York left in search of a new refuge.

He found that place in Cassadaga, which in the century since, has grown to include 55 homes of spiritualists—many of whom claim to communicate with the dead.

It’s been a place of solace and skepticism for many. Writer Moni Basu experiences the camp first-hand in a story from the archives.

Read about her journey to the “psychic capital of the world” here: https://flamingomag.com/2020/10/30/in-search-of-spirits-in-cassadaga/
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Photography by Mark Wallheiser

10/10/2025

Two sisters are bringing timeless stories to life with Bond & Grace's Art Novels, blending their love for literature and skills in contemporary craft. Their newest release provides a roaring 2020s take on The Great Gatsby.

Two sisters are bringing timeless stories to life with the Art Novel, blending their love for literature and skills in contemporary craft. Their newest release provides a roaring 2020s take on The Great Gatsby.