Even the local parks have alligators in Florida: Largo Central Park Nature Preserve
Boardwalk trails through a tropical landscape and pond. With alligators.
Florida
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
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
Exploring the beautiful Upper Tampa Bay Park in Florida
This low-key park flies under the radar but is a gem of a place! Upper Tampa Bay Park offers easy, short hikes among a diverse range of Florida trees and plants.