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NORTH

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CAPE HOUSE

Amelia Island

While on vacation in Cape Town, South Africa, Tiffany and Wes Hinton and Lance and Lauren Jones wanted to open a lifestyle shop. Enamored by the coastal-chic style prevalent in the area, the group sought to recapture that feeling at home. Handwoven seagrass nesting baskets, herringbone throw towels, and sculpted porcelain dishware line the shelves. Tiffany, an interior designer, makes sure each piece carried at Cape House works well with every other. This cohesion of style is where the shop excels. It encourages the idea that a few well-placed throw pillows and a tasseled, handknotted rug can turn a house into the ideal beachside cottage. shopcapehouse.com

TOWNSHIP

Tallahassee

Since first rolling up its iconic garage doors, Madison Social has helped to transform the Gaines Street area into College Town, a thriving social district for Florida State students and alumni alike. Four years later, the Madison Social team is putting the finishing touches on College Town with the opening of Township across the street from the original bar. Township mixes an open, communal vibe with the look and feel of a traditional German beer hall. Partnered with Proof, a local brewery, the 8,000-square-foot hall is lined with long wooden tables, and the bar offers more than 90 beers on tap, ranging from dark lagers like Shiner Bock to Proof’s famous pale ale, the EightFive-O. townshiptlh.com

WILFRID’S BARBER AND FINE GOODS

Pensacola

Hurst Butts has been the owner of the upscale Volume One salon for years. After watching his male clientele grow, Hurst, enlisting his brother Evan as a partner, decided to open a barber shop. Wilfrid’s, located in the newly renovated One Palafox Place in downtown Pensacola, feels like a big-city barber shop grounded with Southern charm. The shop’s services, such as hot shaves and beard trims, combine old-school techniques with modern sensibilities. The selection of products includes Taconic Beard Oil and Dr. Squatch’s peppermint-scented shaving soap. The brothers aim to cater to men who don’t cut corners with their grooming. Refined but not stuffy, Wilfrid’s casual atmosphere and friendly barbers make the shop a great place for those who are just looking for a quick trim. wilfridspensacola.com

BLUE JAY LISTENING ROOM

Jacksonville Beach

Inside the cozy Blue Jay Listening Room, a Nashville-style singer-songwriter music venue, folk singers like Jacksonville’s Mere Woodard and The Snacks Blues Band trio perform original songs and tell the stories behind their music to a small attentive audience. The intimate space, with about 20 tables and a rustic wooden bar, is open to all types of artists. The only prerequisite? Have a tale to tell. Cara Burky, the owner of the Blue Jay, says any genre that can be broken down into an acoustic set is welcome. She references MTV Unplugged, which was produced to allow listeners not just to hear live music but also to listen and connect with the person playing it, as an inspiration for the venue. bluejayjax.com

OCEAN COURSE AT HAMMOCK BEACH RESORT

Palm Coast

On October 6, 2016, the seaside golf course, which features six holes directly overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, closed ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The damage the course sustained took a massive toll on the lauded links and kept the course out of commission for more than a year. This fall, two months after Hurricane Irma hit the resort, the Jack Nicklaus Signature course emerged more pristine than ever, with salt-tolerant Platinum Paspalum grass on the greens, the fairways and the rough and spruced-up tee boxes and bunkers. The restoration also included The Lodge, a boutique hotel within the resort that’s right next to the course, overlooking the sea. hammockbeach.com

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CENTRAL

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THE HALL ON FRANKLIN

Tampa

As new food halls continue to pop up in urban centers across the country, The Hall on Franklin feels distinct. The Hall, with five vendors, takes a simplistic approach by uniting its menu—everything the food emporium offers can be ordered from anywhere in the space. Order a Chicago-style roast beef melt with house-made giardiniera from Melt Shoppe, a Belgian chocolate torte from Bake’n Babes and a butterscotch latte from Kofe to finish it off, all from the same seat. Getting food, dessert and coffee in one place allows for time to sit back, eat, drink and enjoy the Hall’s warm atmosphere on one of its many cozy sofas. thehallonfranklin.com

THE GLASS KNIFE

Winter Park

Local entrepreneur Steve Brown opened The Glass Knife with the desire to share his mother’s love of baking. The name is inspired by her collection of ornate Depression-era glass cake knives, which are on display in the dessert cafe. The Glass Knife plans to reimagine classic creations such as carrot, red velvet and chocolate cake with a contemporary twist. The Southern Red Velvet, for example, takes the cocoa-infused cake and layers it with cheesecake and cream cheese frosting, as well as a topping of housemade buttercream garnished with edible 23-karat gold flake. These decadent desserts can be quickly devoured or slowly savored in the cafe’s covered patio, which has the feel of a lush English garden. theglassknife.com

THIRD HOUSE BOOKS & COFFEE

Gainesville

Third House Books takes its name from the sociological concept of the third place, which is the idea that having a third social setting outside of the home and the workplace helps facilitate creativity. The bookstore feels like an inviting reading nook, complete with a coffee bar and living-room-style lounge with framed art on the walls and a brick fireplace. The inventory of books is carefully curated, offering no more than 300 titles at a time. Third House wants to encourage bookworms to browse the stacks without feeling overwhelmed by too many choices. Third House also hosts weekly discussions and movie screenings of novels adapted to the silver screen. thirdhousebooks.com

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SOUTH

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ETARU

Hallandale Beach

Modern Japanese robatayaki cuisine collides with fresh South Florida vibes at Etaru, situated just steps from the sand and with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. Floor-to-ceiling windows, ipe-wood tables and limestone floors create an earthy, Asian-inspired atmosphere. While classic dishes like raw sashimi and robata-grilled black cod elevate Etaru’s main menu, culinary counterweights such as the Etaru burger with shitake ketchup anchor the beach bar’s lineup. Etaru, which opened this fall, serves brunch and dinner in three distinct ecosystems: the main dining room, the ground-level beach club and the bar. etarurestaurant.us

THE BEVY

Naples

The Bevy welcomes a diverse crowd and lures clientele with signature cocktails and New American cuisine from executive chef Michael Voorhis. The centerpiece of the bistro is its bright modern bar, which features inventive drinks like the Cedar Fire Old Fashioned, made with smoke from freshly lit cedar planks. Flanking the bar are open-air courtyards for
al fresco wining and dining. Twice-cooked pork belly with kimchi roasted vegetables stands out on the appetizer menu, and lamb ragout served with whipped goat cheese headlines the entreés. The Bevy even welcomes four-legged friends: The Tailwagger menu offers a three-course meal made for dogs that do not like being left at home. naplesbevy.com

H2O SUITES

Key West

Designed with couples in mind, the adults-only resort offers just 22 one-bedroom suites but makes the most out of its additional space with a fitness center, a 24-hour concierge and  rooftop deck equipped with a bar and pool overlooking the island’s southernmost point. Each suite is outfitted with an Italian marble bathroom, glass rainfall shower and private balcony or patio. Premium accommodations include a suspended sofa swing overlooking the courtyard and a secret patio with a private plunge pool. The resort is situated only a short walk from Duval Street and the rest of the Old Town district of Key West, but far enough away from the action to feel like a secluded island sanctuary for those wanting to enjoy a quieter paradise in each other’s company. h2osuites.com

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Miami

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami is christening its new building with a fitting exhibition, “The Everywhere Studio,” which examines how the artist’s studio has evolved over the past eight decades. The exhibition showcases works from 50 artists, including an installation by Anna Oppermann and pop art by Roy Lichtenstein. This exploration is a perfect maiden voyage for the three-story, 37,500-square-foot building as the institute begins to discover the possibilities of its new space. A commissioned piece from Charles Gaines takes advantage of the museum’s cantilevered staircase. Bronx-born artist Abigail DeVille populates the sculpture garden with work reflective of Miami’s diverse social history. icamiami.org