As anyone who's visited Florida can tell you, the temperatures stay pretty hot in the Sunshine State, especially in the spring and summer months. So Walt Disney World Resort's (WDW) team of horticulture specialists have quite a task during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival — an event celebrating all things that bloom and blossom, which runs from early March through early July.

Gumbo is the state cuisine of Louisiana, so on a recent trip to New Orleans, trying as many gumbo recipes as possible was at the top of my must-do list. The flavorful soup, made from meat or shellfish (sometimes both), a thickener and the "holy trinity" — celery, bell peppers and onions — is typically served with a scoop of rice. A steaming bowl of gumbo is a delightful way to start a meal in NOLA, but the most spectacular version I tried was chef Eric Cook's recipe, served up at his restaurant, Gris-Gris.