Even the local parks have alligators in Florida: Largo Central Park Nature Preserve
Boardwalk trails through a tropical landscape and pond. With alligators.
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Perfect Reflections: North Jersey’s Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
“And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed, but the Lord had mercy. And my machine, she’s a dud, I’m stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey”
–Rosalita
An all-time favorite food spot: The Crab Shack on Tybee Island, GA
One of my all-time favorite food spots is the Crab Shack — and it doesn’t even have anything to do with the food.
Small town, eclectic personality: Sanford, Florida
After landing in Orlando on a Friday night (with the ultimate destination of St. Augustine), I wanted to get out of the hustle and bustle and find an interesting town to spend the night. I liked the looks of Sanford, Florida. While I would only have a couple waking hours, this small town situated on … Read more
1 Night in Florida’s Oldest City: St. Augustine
Alternate title: If these walls could talk. By the time I made it to St. Augustine after exploring Lake Apopka Wildlife Refuge and Blue Spring State Park, I’d only have time for dinner and a night exploring the historic downtown area. As it would turn out, this was not nearly enough time, but I did … Read more
An Island of a State Park: Jekyll Island in Georgia
Jekyll Island is an interesting and secluded spot off the southeast coast of Georgia. The entire island is a state park with an entrance fee. Once on the island, there are more than 7 miles of beaches. Unlike some state parks, about a third of the island is actually developed with hotels, golf courses, houses … Read more
Winter Home to the Manatee: Blue Spring State Park in Florida
Cutting across central Florida from Sanford to Saint Augustine, I made a pit stop at Blue Spring State Park to check out the “Winter Home to the Manatee”. While there can be up to several hundred manatees in the waters at a time, there were still supposedly more than 100 manatees during my visit. What … Read more
13 Miles of Alligators: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive in Florida
Lake Apopka Wildlife Refuge, just outside Orlando, Florida, features a free 13 mile wildlife drive — a dirt path for cars to view alligators, fish, birds and turtles in nature. Thinking this would be a calm and peaceful excursion into nature like the very similar Savannah Wildlife Refuge Drive, which I adore, was a mistake … Read more
Soaking in Sedona
After a few days of world-class, jaw-dropping nature in Tucson and a whirlwind of experiences at the Grand Canyon, our next stop was in Sedona! But first, food… Just outside of Sedona in Oak Creek is the beautiful scent of BBQ emerging from the Colt Grill. Google Maps photos initially made me weary — this … Read more