Some people say that timing is everything. This couldn’t be more true regarding visiting the tide pools. The lower the tide the more time you have to explore. The highlight today, besides all of the amazing colors, was the octopus. I wish we could find them every time, since you know they are there, watching …
Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park is an 8,000 acre preserve in Orange County. They offer pristine hiking trails, perfectly maintained campsites, a nicely designed nature center, a playground with metal slides, and organized star parties. It costs just three dollars per car to enter the park. Since this is our first visit we started at …
Florida has a lot to offer, so it is no surprise that two weeks in Florida is definitely not enough (even being that this was not our first trip). I would have liked to have spent more time in the Keys and in the state and national parks (and forests). And it would have been …
The 20,000 acre area of Lake Apopka North Shore isn’t a lake at all. It is instead a very effective restoration project. This area used to be part of Lake Apopka became separated by a levee in 1941. (Lake Apopka is still the fourth largest lake in Florida.) In 1996, a Florida legislature passed that …
Ponce Lighthouse was built in 1887 for $200,000. While it still operates to this day as a private navigation aid it is also a National Historical Landmark. At 175 feet tall Ponce Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and the third tallest in the United States. If you climb up to the top (which …
When Disney’s Hollywood Studios first opened it was a fully functional film and TV studio. Although it has since transformed into solely a theme park there are still aspects of “Hollywood” like at the Indiana Jones stunt show. My favorite parts about Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
We have transitioned out of the magic of nature and into the magic of Disney. We could not go to Florida without going to Disney World. Some people say that Disneyland is better while some say it is Disney World, but I can’t claim either. Disneyland will always have nostalgia which is a kind of …
Florida Power and Light Company’s Manatee Lagoon is a manatee discovery center that offers free admission to learn more about manatees. The discovery center is a beautiful waterfront 16,000 square foot building filled with everything and anything you need to know about manatees. These threatened mammals may be big but they are very sensitive, to …
Biscayne National Park protects the only living coral barrier reef in the United States (and the third largest in the world). The park protects mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, fish, and coral. Diving and snorkeling offer a better glimpse of the underwater world inside Biscayne National Park but they were out of the question due to …
Everglades National Park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the third largest national park in the contiguous United States. It was also the first national park ever created to protect an ecosystem (versus being established to protect geographic features like other national parks). After talking to park rangers at Ernest F. …
Everglades City couldn’t be missed. It is the stone crab capitol of the world, almost 400,000 pounds of stone crab claws come from these waters every year (approximately 1,000 times more pounds of stone crab that the city population). It is also the western Gateway to Everglades National Park. Everglades are defined as natural region …
Traveling with kids is not like traveling without kids. There is a balance between seeing what adults want to see and having a willing participant. Knowing that Zoo Miami participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (zoos and aquariums that we get free or reduced entry to being members of an associated zoo) we …
The Overseas Highway is a 120 mile stretch of roads and bridges (some old and some new) that take you from Florida mainland, island to island, to the southwestern most tip of Florida, on the island of Key West. With the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic on the other drivers are …
Houses of Refuge were designed to offer sailors and travelers a place of refuge after becoming shipwrecked, not having to succumb to the elements of nature after finding land but no food or water. Houses of Refuge were ran by the United States Lifesaving Service during a time when the world was dependent on sailing …
Gatorland has been the alligator capitol of the world since 1949. The theme park and wildlife preserve houses alligators (some albinos), crocodiles among other animals, offering extra experiences like alligator wrestling shows, zip lining, observation decks (a perfect place to watch your six year old zip line over alligators), railroad rides on a narrow-gauge railroad, …