Florida - What not to miss?

[nvitalephotography]

I live down in homestead, so I can provide recommendations for that area. If visiting everglades national park make sure to stop at Anhinga trail..its great to see a lot of birds and gators up close. There is the everglades alligator farm just outside the entrance to the national park and they give good airboat rides plus have a number of cool animals (yes including hundreds of gators) to see in captivity.

about an 1.5 hours north of homestead, in the Boca Raton area (between the Homestead and Orlando depending on your route) there is Green Cay and Wakodahatchee which are both small wetland areas with boardwalks that offer some of the best wildlife photography opportunities possible. There are tons of birds that nest and forage feet from the boardwalk.


when in the Orlando and Tampa areas you should not miss the chance to go to a spring or two. Crystal clear water with lots of animals to see, otters, manatees (especially in winter months) turtles, etc. North of Tampa there is Crystal river, which has a couple of springs and is a really popular spot to swim with manatees during the during the winter months.

Im always happy to act as a guide for people visiting the area as well

[NFLD Stephen]

Some great recommendations on here. I'll have to refer back to this thread next time I'm headed to Florida.

Not strictly photo related, but while in the Homestead area you should check out "Robert is Here". It is a fruit stand/store and they have great smoothies. Someone on here recommended it when I went there a few years ago. Not a destination in itself, but worth a stop in to get a smoothie on the way to the everglades.

Stephen

[DavidEccleston]

Thanks for the extra recommendations, Nick.

Stephen, great, my wife and daughter will be all over a good smoothie.

[DavidEccleston]

As a tip to anyone reading this thread, remember to pack your CF reader. Luckily I've got several large cards along with me.

A bit past the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, there is a manatee viewing area (just over a canal, heading north up Merritt island). While there wasn't any manatees there (locals were expecting them, so the *do* appear), there were a half dozen pelicans hanging around, flying back and forth over the canal.

[DavidEccleston]

I've posted images of our trip into a second thread, reserved for those who don't have issues with bandwidth (ie: lack of, of paying for). Contains 68 images.