Florida: Discover the heritage

Southern Living, Feb 2001

Canaveral National Seashore protects 24 miles of unspoiled beach on Florida's Atlantic coast. Between May and August, park rangers lead trips to look for nesting loggerhead turtles.

Caspersen Beach, located just south of Venice, is known for the numbers of fossilized sharks' teeth that wash up onto the shell-laced sand. Finds range from 1/8-inch baby teeth to the occasional 7-inch behemoths.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Naples, protects the largest originalgrowth forest left in America. A towering combination of pond and bald cypress, it shelters 200 species of birds and nourishes everything from Florida panthers to 13 species of orchids and a rainbow of wildflowers.

Sea World Orlando and the adjacent Discovery Cove park bring you face-toface, and sometimes hand-to-nose, with creatures normally seen only from a distance off the coast of Florida. At Sea World you can merely observe, or be a trainer for a day, stuffing vitamins into slimy salmon and feeding them to the killer whales. At Discovery Cove, which opened last summer, you can actually swim among the stingrays, cradle a dolphin in your arms, and snorkel with a rainbow of tropical fish.

Crane Point Hammock, at Marathon in the Florida Keys, harbors an impressive tropical hardwood and thatch palm hammock (the American Indian word means "island of trees"). There are also nature trails, a saltwater lagoon, several small museums, and a small aquarium with touch tanks.

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island has canoe and walking trails, plus a 5-mile scenic drive for viewing wildlife.

The Everglades National Park covers most of Florida's southern tip. To appreciate the beauty of this fragile land, you need to get out on the walking trails, boardwalks, and canoe trails. One of the best ways to see it during winter months is to sign up for a watery walk escorted by a park ranger.

Florida Caverns State Park near Marianna features a series of caves created by thousands of years of water dripping through the limestone rock.

Gatorland, in Orlando, was a working farm for almost 50 years. Now look beyond the sideshows and you'll find an impressive array of alligators, crocodiles, and aquatic birds. Best views are from the three-story observation tower, an elevated boardwalk, and along the meandering trails.

Gulf Islands National Seashore, which stretches eastward from Gulfport, Mississippi, protects more than 50 miles of Florida coastline. It offers miles of beaches devoid of anything taller than the dunes anchored by scrub oaks and topped with sea oats.

Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, a manatee rehab center, boasts an underwater floating observatory. Area dive shops take excursions to the Crystal and Homosassa Rivers where you can swim with the friendly herbivores.

Lakes Kissimmee, Okeechobee, Tohopekaliga, Wales, and Weohyakapka are noted for black crappie fishing.

Loxahatchee River, Florida's only National Wild and Scenic River, winds through Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Hobe Sound. Paddle a canoe (rentals are available at the park's concession stand), or take a river cruise aboard the Loxahatchee Queen II.