Family, Travel & Outdoor Lifestyle
What the heck? I stopped mid-step on the footpath and my daughter crashed into me from behind with an annoyed “Mom!”
In front of us a bleached skeleton stretch out over a moss covered log. “What animal is it?” I asked. ” Instinctively I looked to the stand of palmettoes on the hillside that ran alongside the trail, as if expecting a bear to come crashing out of the greenery. Our river hike at Florida’s O’Leno State Park had just taken an interesting new turn…
We left the sunny wetlands behind, as the current on the Ichetucknee river pushed us forward into a dark tunnel of cypress trees. They stretched upwards, so tall they seemed to join each other at their tips, blotting out the winter sky. Bright orange foliage poked between the bleached white trunks. Gnarled stumps jutted from the rich soil. Nature’s art, worn smooth from years of river flooding. Turtles perched on half-submerged logs, stretching their legs out in a ‘plank’ pose. And schools of fish dashed beneath our kayaks, their bodies silvery flashes over the pools of turquoise on the limestone riverbed. It was us and the river. The only sounds were the swish of our paddles stirring the water and the birds in the trees.
A huge black winged bird swooped across our path and landed neatly on the picnic table in front of us. The ebony reptilian rolls around the bird’s neck jiggled as the creature leaned forward and peered into the blue and white striped canvas sack standing on the table top. I watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the animal I recognized to be a turkey vulture, stuck his glossy beak into the bag and pulled out a piece of bread.
“Mom, do something,” my son urged.
Where are you, Little Blue? Little Blue Springs, often over-shadowed by it’s bigger, more beautiful sister, Gilchrist Blue, was in a world-apart. Here’s a look at Florida’s lost swimming hole.
Step back through the garden gate and enter the 1930’s Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic Homestead near Gainesville, Florida. Pulitzer-prize winning author Majorie Kinnan Rawlings is best known for capturing the characters of depression-era rural Florida in her novels and short stories.
Looking for a place to visit Santa? By-pass the shopping crowds and head out to a Florida state park! These parks have transformed their gardens into fantasy wonderlands, just for you, so grab your kids and head outdoors to one of these state park Christmas events!
From waterfalls to underwater caverns, turn of the century farms to modern overlooks, beaches to prairies. Florida has a vast variety of State Parks for the whole family to enjoy. So grab your kids and get outside! Here are 11 Florida State Parks that you will love.
Florida just opened it’s 175th State Park- a slice of natural Florida located on the Santa Fe River. But Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park has been a favorite local swimming hole for a long time…
Scramble up rocks, explore tidal pools, and dodge the giant driftwood forest at Big Talbot Island State Park, one of the last undeveloped barrier islands in Florida
The Florida weather was cool, but the sun was bright during our expedition at Rainbow Springs State Park near the small town of Dunnellon, but that did not stop the brave hearted from swimming in the 72F springhead. Brrr. Okay, so they were from Quebec, so they probably thought it was downright hot…
