Southern Roads

Naturally Florida

Article by Kathleen Walls
Photos by Martin and Kathleen Walls

A couple basks in the Florida sun at Dog Island (Yes, Florida has sun even in winter)

Geography has dealt Florida a lavish hand when it comes to natural gifts. The Sunshine State is filled with unusual flora and fauna.

There's nothing like a canoe ride through the swamp in the Everglades

South Florida brims over with natural attractions. It's state parks showcase Florida's natural beauty . One of the best for camping is Bahia Honda State Park. Its three sandy beaches are perfect for swimming, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking or canoeing.

National parks and preserves are designed around special wildlife or plants. National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key is the only place you will find the tiny Key Deer. One spot in particular where you will see them is near Blue Hole in the north central section of Big Pine Key. Big Pine Key has another treat, Great White Heron Wildlife Refuge .

A purple gallatin hunting food in Big Cypress

Nature continues to rule on the mainland. Everglades National Park is a vision of South Florida before civilization encroached. Paurotis Pond is a rookery area for waterbirds. Another "Don't Miss" park spot is Shark Valley .

Big Cypress National Preserve stretches to Lake Okeechobee, birthplace of this River of Grass. Y ou'll find endangered Florida panthers and America crocodiles and other wildlife. Loop Road is a haven for wildlife. At night point your flashlight over the water. The eerie red glow of cruising eyes tells you the daydreaming alligators recharged their solar batteries to morph into deadly killing machines. A 17-mile trip down washboard-style Turner River Road brings you to Bear Island . According to Ranger Jeff Stead, "This is the area you are most likely to find Florida Panthers."

Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail runs through Lee County. Paddling it you reach Cayo Costa State Park, a barrier island reachable only by boat and another barrier island, Cabbage Key , a 1930s inn built by Mary Roberts Rinehart. The inn is decorated with over 30,000 one-dollar bills.

Sanibel Lighthouse

Farther along the Trail are Sanibel and Captiva islands where you find two genuine piece of Americana; Boca Raton Lighthouse and Sanibel Lighthouse, and two of Florida's best birding spots, J. N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Preserve and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

A little north of the Trail's end is Babcock Wilderness Adventures, a 90,000-acre alligator ranch offering swamp buggy tours. Lawrence Fishburne and Sean Connery filmed "Just Cause" here. In the scene where they retrieve a gun from a culvert, a large alligator burst forth from it. It took ranch hands a few minutes to remove the reptile but quite a bit longer for the director to coax the two movie heroes back on set.

Observation Tower at Jonathan Dickerson.jpg

Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Stuart, offers off-road bike trails, campgrounds, cabins, picnicking, swimming, canoe/kayaking and boating. You may glimpse some Florida scrub jays, only found in Central Florida. Climb the weathered observations deck to gaze across Hobe Sound to the Atlantic or board the Loxahatchee Queen II and cruise the Loxahatchee River to the pioneer homesite of Trapper Nelson. This self-styled "Wild Man of the Loxahatchee" built a zoo and entertained celebrities until his mysterious death in 1968.

You find equally beautiful beaches on the Gulf, too. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, AKA Dr. Beach named Caladesi Island State Park number one beach in 2008. This park can only be accessed by a ferry from nearby Honeymoon Island State Park or your own boat.

Winter "smiles" at us

Anna Marie Island in Tampa Bay offers a great place to enjoy beaches and water fun. Anna Marie Island Turtle Watch or dolphin and manatee viewing are just a start. There's a free trolley service.

Florida Aquarium is rated in the t op 5 "Kid-Friendly" aquariums by Parents Magazine. Their Wild Dolphin Eco-tour is a 90-minute journey through Tampa Bay aboard The Bay Spirit .

Clearwater Marine Aquarium 's most famous inhabitant is Winter, a dolphin who had became entangled in monofilament line and lost her tail and two spinal vertebra. She was nursed back to health and fitted with a prosthetic tail. Amputees visit Winter and leave with a new sense of self-respect and love for the cheerful dolphin with whom they share a handicap.

A young scrub jay at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ( MINWR) encompasses Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral National Seashore . Being on the Atlantic flyway doesn't hurt the birding. Look for Florida scrub jay (best chance of a sighting is Scrub Ridge Trail) and West Indian manatee (observation deck on Haulover Canal). Two of the best wildlife drives are Black Point Wildlife Drive and Bio Lab Road .

Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach is popular for camping and river fun. While Florida panthers usually don't venture north of Caloosahatchee River there have been rumored panther sightings in the Tomoka area. The latest sightings, confirmed by a state biologist, are irrefutable. Stacy Johnson, a park employee, said, "We're all pretty excited about the panther."

Travel north to Ponce Inlet's Marine Science Center at Lighthouse Point Park and see endangered sea turtles and rescued wading birds. The 1887 red brick lighthouse guards one of Florida's most beautiful beaches. (Ponce Inlet Beach was voted number nine in 2007 by Dr. Beach.).

A mermaid and stature at Weeki Wachee Springs S.P.

All the natural fun isn't confined to the east coast. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park's underwater mermaids are unique. The Riverboat Cruise explores Weeki Wachee River. Boat captains "explain" why Spanish moss hangs from trees. "Early explorers climbed the trees to get their bearings, and spotted lovely mermaids frolicking in the spring, then fell out of the trees, leaving their gray beards tangled in the branches."

West Indian Manatees winter in Citrus County for the same reasons humans do; mild winters and warm waters. Forty-six percent of the county is manatee sanctuaries and preserves in the rivers and other waterways. The best kept secret in Citrus County is Chassahowitzka River Campground at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. There are three whooping crane colonies in the United States. Citrus County is host to the  ultra-light-led migratory flock that winters in Chassohowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. Norman Busche, who owns Nature Coast Outpost there, states "This is my personal portion of Paradise."

Manatee at Homossasa Springs S.P.

Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, a combination zoo and park offer Manatees as the main attraction. Another huge mammal, Lucifer, the hippopotamus, moved to the then-privately-owned park for a movie filming. When the state took over, they wanted native wildlife. Lucifer had to go. Local residents protested. The governor granted Lucifer honorary citizenship making him a "Floridian." Lucifer is still there.

Forever Florida Wildlife Conservation Area boasts nearly 200 species of birds, mammals and reptiles including the Florida panther. You can try one of the Florida Eco-Safaris ; Zipline Safari that zooms 55 feet high among treetops for a 2 1/2 hour adventure, Cypress SkyCycle a one-hour trip through treetops in a specially designed SkyCycle, a two-hour Cracker Coach Safari, or a horseback ride into the wilderness.

The Jaws of Death

Picture stepping into the jaws of death. Gatorland, founded in 1949, comes close. This Kissimmee attraction entrance is shaped like an alligator's open mouth. Note the interaction between residents and visitors. No, not Floridians and snowbirds! Alligators and the free-flying birds that visit. Zip among the birds on their Screamin' Gator Zipline.

Wekiwa Springs State Park in northeastern Orange County, is 45 minutes from Disney attractions. Y ou find bears, eagles, fox squirrels, Florida scrub jays, and more. Play in crystal clear 72 degree Wekiwa Springs or canoe or kayak the Rock Springs Run .

Twilight on a houseboat at West Gate River Ranch

Experience ranching luxury style at Westgate River Ranch, the world's largest dude ranch, and returns to the thrilling days of the Cracker cowboys including Saturday night rodeos. Try their Kissimmee River airboat ride, rent a canoe, pontoon or Jon boat, take the swamp buggy tour, visit the petting zoo, watch buffalos roam and more.

An hour's drive north of Disney's Magic Kingdom lies Mother Nature's Magic Kingdom, Ocala National Forest . Alexander Springs and Juniper Springs are just two of the Forest's campgrounds.

Silver Springs, one of Florida's oldest attractions, bills itself "Nature's Theme Park." The biggest draw is the underwater beauty revealed on glass-bottomed boats. Watch for wild monkeys, imported for movies and TV show filmed here, which escaped to form wild bands.

Amelia Island State Park is the only Florida state park offering horseback riding on the beach.

Guest interacts with a dolphin at Marineland

In Marineland the dolphins outnumber the people: humans 10 dolphin 14. It is officially in Flagler County with a small part in Saint Johns County.

Saint Johns County has Favor-Dykes and Anastasia state parks . Favor Dykes, on Pellicer Creek, a designated state canoe trail, is more a nature lover's paradise, great for canoers or kayakers. Anastasia, on the beach, offers the 5 S's and proximity to Saint Augustine attractions such as Saint Augustine Alligator Farm with its trademark white alligators. Visiting wild  bird flocks there create a photographer's dream.

Buffalo do roam. Wild horses gallop, and eagles soar at Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park near Micanopy. The abundance of wildlife made it Florida's first state preserve in 1971 and a designated National Natural Landmark.

Nothing like kayaking down the Suwannee

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground on the riverbank is like a small city. It's a hub to explore Suwannee and neighboring counties with their multitude of springs. The river continues past Fanning Springs State Park and Manatee Springs State Park and flows through Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge into the gulf near picturesque Suwannee. Here you can rent a houseboat from Suwannee Houseboats and explore the river or you could head into the gulf to the barrier island of Cedar Key . Thirteen islands compose Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge , home to a cornucopia of wildlife. Shell Mound , at the south end of the refuge, has a Timucuan Indian mound. Shell Mound Trail crosses the midden at its 28-foot peak. The park boasts an inexpensive campground with hookups.

A rare Coastal Dune Lake near Fort Walton Beach

The Gulf Coast, especially Walton County. boast an even rarer ecosystem, coastal dune lakes, found only five places in the world. Lake Powell at Camp Helen State Park is one of Florida's largest coastal dune lakes and Western Lake at Grayton Beach State Park is another.

Blackwater River S.P. canoe launch area.

In the panhandle, Gulf World Marine Park– their California Sea Lion Show is something special– and Florida's Gulfarium with its varied animal shows, Zoo World Zoological and Botanical Park and The ZOO - Northwest Florida are two small zoos with interesting animals.

Santa Rosa County boast Florida's largest state park, Blackwater River State Park , one of the purest black water rivers and designated Florida Canoe Trail. Gulf Islands National Seashore is America's largest national seashore.

With so much to see, Natural Florida is a Paradise on earth.