We are Florida Lives, your lifestyle & travel guide.
Our goal is to help you love Florida as much as we do. Whether you’re a Florida native looking to explore where you live or a traveler eager to get your toes in the sugar-white sand, we want to help you discover everything Florida has to offer.
You may know about our pristine world-renowned beaches and famous theme parks, but Florida boasts so many other unique experiences. Like kayaking through crystal-clear natural springs, walking the streets of the nation’s oldest city, or climbing down inside a sinkhole. There are so many opportunities to discover natural wonders, wildlife and history.
At Florida Lives we have a passion for exploring the Sunshine State and sharing information and tips on the best places to visit, bites to eat, things to do and more.
The Face Behind Florida Lives
Hi there! I’m Lauren. I am the face and creator behind the Florida Lives website, social media pages, and shop.
A little bit about me:
☀️ I’m a twenty-something, 3rd-generation Floridian. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life!
☀️ Currently I’m based in Gainesville, FL.
☀️ I am obsessed with Florida, obviously!
☀️ My favorite animal is a manatee.
☀️ I love to be outdoors — relaxing at the beach, hiking a forest trail or out kayaking on the river.
☀️ My favorite Florida city is probably sunny St. Petersburg… I lived there for two years and loved it.
☀️ On the weekends you can probably find me at the springs, trying new breweries and restaurants, or checking another Florida State Park off my list!
The Florida Lives Journey
Florida Lives was originally a name chosen by my parents. My mom was a real estate agent in the early 2000s, and she planned to create her own website for her listings. My parents picked the name “Florida Lives” for her site and bought the domain. She never ended up making the website but they still held onto the domain. So it had just been sitting there collecting dust for 15 years.
Fast-forward to 2018, I was a recent-ish college grad with a magazine journalism degree, a personal blog that was starting to get a couple thousand views a month, and a stroke of Florida wanderlust.
My family has always been one for adventures and outdoorsy activities. I’ve been going to state parks basically my entire life. So when my dad had the idea in 2018 to visit all the Florida State Parks and document it on the “Florida Lives” website they had, Florida Lives was born.
With my blogging and social media experience + my degree, it was natural for me to take this idea to the next level. This wouldn’t be just a personal journal of our adventures, but a resource to help others explore too. We would focus not just on state parks, but the whole Florida lifestyle. We’d share photos and tips on social media and talk about our favorite places. We talked about how to turn this idea into a business we all would be excited to work on every day.
We officially launched the website in June 2019 and we have posted about a variety of Florida topics. There’s lots of state park posts, but also vacation guides and other activities.
We’ve come a long way since 2018. It’s been a long slow process, and a pandemic certainly threw a wrench in the plans. But I am so happy to say we are still plugging away at this business and our state park goal (~40/175 state parks currently.)
Follow Florida Lives
Instagram | Pinterest| Facebook | Twitter
Contact Us
Have a question, comment, suggestion, or just wanna say hi? Send us a message using the form below or email us directly at hello@floridalives.com.