FEATURED LINKS
close in this collection of springs in the middle
of a broad river. A special rehabilitation center
for injured manatees is nearby at Homosassa
Springs Wildlife State Park, where manatees and
other native Florida wildlife can be seen daily.
AMONG THE ANCIENTS
Ancient cypress trees attract rare species of
birds that require them for roosting and nesting,
leading to delightful discoveries in Florida's
oldest forests. At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
in Naples, a virgin stand of bald cypress provides shelter for a rookery of the endangered
wood stork. Florida's most beautiful boardwalk
trail meanders for more than two miles through
this wonderland of ancient swamp forest, home
to the rare and delicate ghost orchid, glimpsed
some summers in the high canopy.
In the midst of busy Central Florida, a cruise
with Premier Boat Tours down the Dora Canal
sweeps you back in time to a slice of a primordial river canopied by massive cypresses. Otters
slip across logs while osprey wheel overhead
with their latest catch.
The swallow-tailed kite, symbol of the Great
Florida Birding Trail, is most commonly seen
along the Suwannee River and its tributaries,
where these showy raptors roost in the tallest
of cypresses. A paddle down the river on the
Suwannee River Wilderness Trail is an expedition into the heart of wild North Central
Florida, 170 miles of hidden springs, forgotten
beaches, and limestone bluffs tapering off to
swamp forests along the Gulf of Mexico. Five
river camps provide screened tent platforms
and restroom facilities.
American alligator on the banks of the Suwannee River
The search for the ivory-billed woodpecker
focuses on the ghostly cypress swamps of the
Choctawhatchee River basin in Northwest
Florida. Canoeing along Holmes Creek surrounds you in the ancient grandeur of this
untouched forest, with watercraft available at
the Holmes Creek Canoe Livery.
ISLANDS OF DIVERSITY
An island chain stood above ancient seas before
Florida emerged from its oceanic cradle. Today,
these high, sandy ridges in the Florida
Peninsula host endangered plants and animals
found nowhere else in the world.
In Central Florida's Ocala National Forest,
crystalline springs teeming with aquatic life
punctuate the largest sand pine scrub forest in
the world, a high, dry, desert-like habitat. Near
Orlando, Lyonia Preserve protects the Florida
scrub-jay, a colorful and friendly bird that only
inhabits diminutive scrub forests. It is one of the
few places to observe them up close. The Nature
Conservancy's Tiger Creek Preserve protects a
swath of the Lake Wales Ridge, nearly 5,000
acres devoted to rare plants such as cutthroat
grass and rare animals, such as the Florida sand
skink, which "swims" beneath the sand.
GATOR GROWL
For a close-up look at Florida's most feared creature—the alligator—in its native habitat, a hike
on the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve
State Park in North Central Florida features
gators en masse at the home of the Florida
Gators—Gainesville. Wetlands parks provide excellent alligator-spotting opportunities.
STATEWIDE
Florida National Scenic Trail
www.floridatrail.org
Great Florida Birding Trail
floridabirdingtrail.com
Hawkwatch International
hawkwatch.org
SOUTHEAST
Big O Airboat Tours
bigofishing.com/airboat.html
Billie Swamp Safari
billieswamp.com
Crane Point Museum and Native Center
cranepoint.net
Curry Hammock State Park
floridastateparks.org/curryhammock
Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands
pbcgov.com/parks/locations/greencay.htm
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
gumbolimbo.org
Indian Key Historic State Park
floridastateparks.org/indiankey
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
floridastateparks.org/pennekamp
Loggerhead Marinelife Center
marinelife.org
National Key Deer Refuge
fws.gov/nationalkeydeer
Shark Valley Tram Tours
sharkvalleytramtours.com
The Turtle Hospital
turtlehospital.org
The Wakodahatchee Wetlands
pbcgov.com/waterutilities/wakodahatchee/
SOUTHWEST
Babcock Wilderness Adventures
babcockwilderness.com
Big Cypress National Preserve
nps.gov/bicy
Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress Gallery
clydebutchersbigcypressgallery.com
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
corkscrew.audubon.org
Everglades National Park
nps.gov/everg
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Reserve
fws.gov/dingdarling
Mote Marine Laboratory
mote.org
The Dolphin Explorer
dolphin-study.com
2013 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA
75
