Snowbird Season Survival Guide — November Through April

Every November, Florida's population swells as snowbirds from the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada descend on the state. Traffic gets worse, restaurants get packed, and your favorite local spots suddenly have a 45-minute wait on a Tuesday. Julie and Jamie have learned to live with it and even appreciate it but here's how to survive: switch your grocery shopping to early morning or late evening, avoid the main beach roads between 10 AM and 2 PM, make restaurant reservations even for places that never needed them before, and embrace the energy instead of fighting it. The money snowbirds bring in supports the local businesses you love the other eight months of the year. Jamie's pro tip: befriend a snowbird and they'll tell you about every good restaurant in a 50-mile radius because they've been coming here for 20 winters and they've tried them all. Julie's tip: May is the best month in Florida. The snowbirds leave, the tourists haven't arrived yet, and the whole state feels like it's yours.