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 | Florida Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 159 |  |
 Part of the Scenery in
the Keys by deecat
Since careful zoning was not considered when the Keys were 1st developed, it seems disorganized & WAY "LAID-BACK, ALMOST "SEA-SHACK" IN ATMOSPHERE. Regardless, the waters surrounding the land are sparkling blue-green & aqua in color & filled with marine life. The keys has America's largest coral reef system. Here, you'll find hundreds of tropical fish & more than 40 species of coral.
The Key deer is only found in the Florida Keys. This particular deer is small (about 2 feet tall), & it is on the endangered species list.
Key West is the last stop on the Overseas Highway, and its downtown is quite amusing & pretty much the same as when Ernest Hemingway's days more than half a century ago! conch houses still line narrow streets, & there is a leisurely atmosphere at all times. Key west is also famous for it's sunsets, Ernest Hemingway's home& 6-toed cats on his property. The home of John James Audubon is here too.
Key West has a large gay community, an artist community, & a community of professional "hippies". It was great fun walking up & down the "main drag" with its unique shops, galleries, and casual restaurants.
Since piracy was once a steady occupation in the Keys, today treasure hunting is a serious adventure
About 70 miles west of Key West, there are the Dry Tortugas, which are tiny coral keys accessible only by boat or seaplane. The name comes from all the tortoises that live there. Fort Jefferson lies on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. It's the largest brick fort in the Western Hemesphere.
Key Biscayne National Park, Key Largo, & Big Pine Key are worth a "look-see". Leave a Comment
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 Old washed out bridge by tpangelinan
Started in 1905, complete in 1912, often refered to as Flagler's Folly. Leave a Comment
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 Splendid China by deecat
It is clean, well organized, quite accurate, and educational. Since we knew that we would probably never be able to go to the "real" China, we decided to experience it via reproductions.
We loved The Great Wall, which took 6.5 million bricks to build the half-mile-long reproduction.The photo is in front of the Grand Buddha Statue. Some of my other favorites were the Forbidden City bminiaturized.
Most impressive, however, were the reproductions of the many warriors...terrific.
Of course, the Chongquing Acrobats were exciting and popular.
The Chinese woman modeling the authentic Chinese fashions were excellent, and the models were so elegant, quite beautiful, and much taller than I had expected.
I think that Splendid China is culturally significant and really worth a v
isit. Leave a Comment Phone: (407)396-7111Other Contact: 3000 Sjplendid China Blvd
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 Rental House in Sebring by deecat
Sebring is known for all the affordable golf courses in the area. We certainly took advantage of that fact and golfed about 2-3 times a week! The area is also known for the fishing lakes, and I spent many hours that winter fishing.
Sebring is located in Central Florida about 170 miles from Miami and 90 miles from either Orlando or Tampa; it's in the "heart" of Florida's lake country.
George Sebring, pottery manufacturer of Sebring, Ohio, chartered Sebring in 1912.
This sometimes sleepy town is known as "The City on the Circle" because it was conceived as a circular plan so the circle would be a focal point, and all roads would lead to and from the center of town.
Harder Hall, financed by the Biltmores, was a major resort complex complete with its own golf course. It fell into hard times, but has undergone a comple renovation.
During the time that we were there, Allan's sister and brother-in-law came to visit for a week as did my parents. By that time, we really knew the area and served as tour guides.
One of our favorite golf courses was The Country Club of Sebring. We liked it so much that a few years later, we rented a villa on the golf course and stayed for one month.
We also visited Winter Haven, home of Cypress Gardens, Lakeland,
Lake Placid, Avon Park, and Highlands Hammock State Park.
Every March, Sebring is the host of the 12-hour Sebring International Race.
But, it's not a high energy area; rather, it's "laid back", casual, and relaxing. Leave a Comment
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 Dead trees by kyoub
The currents of the Aoalachicola River created a sand bar that blocked the flow of the Chipola River. The water backed up and killed thousands of trees and that is where the park gets its name.
The area has been a state park for several years now. It has good fishing and some strange scenery. Leave a Comment
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 by traveldave
The Ocala National Forest was established to protect the Florida scrub habitat that is rapidly disappearing in most other parts of the state. The 607-square-mile (1,572-square-kilometer) national forest mainly consists of the sand pine ecosystem, and in fact contains the largest concentration of sand pines in the world. There are also large stands of longleaf pines, as well as other types of trees and shrubs.
The forests provide good habitat for many species of mammals, including Florida's largest concentration of black bears, white-tailed deer, wild boar, bobcats, foxes of two different species, raccoons, river otters, skunks, opossums, and armadillos. Reptiles are common, and include American alligators and several species of snakes, tortoises, and lizards. And the area is great for birdwatching, with noteworthy species being limpkin, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the endemic Florida scrub jay, and Bachman's sparrow, among many others.
The Ocala National Forest provides ample opportunities for outdoor activities. Visitors can take canoe trips or fish on the forest's 600 lakes and ponds, swamps, rivers, streams, and springs. Campers will enjoy the forest's 12 major campsites. And adventurous types can get out into the deep forest on miles of hiking, biking, horse, and off-road vehicle trails. Leave a Comment
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St. George Island State Park is one of the best examples of Florida’s Gulf Coast barrier islands, with nine miles of undeveloped white sandy beach, small ponds, protected sand dunes, and grassy flats. This park is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay. Enjoy the beach, fly a kite, fish, hike, camp, boat, enjoy bird watching, and watch for bottlenose dolphins swimming off shore. The park has two boat ramps and if you enjoy canoeing and kayaking, these may be rented on the island. There are six picnic areas with grills, tables, and bathrooms. There is also a campground with 60 electric and water sites, as well as primitive campsites. The main campground has showers available for campers. If you enjoy hiking, take the Gap Point Trail that starts at the campground and leads into the pine flat wood forest and takes you to the bay. We saw a bald eagle’s nest with an adult eagle sitting in a near-by tree. When we reached the bay, we found the tide was out, and we saw thousands of small crab holes and mounds, as well as various sizes of raccoon footprints in the sand. I bet this is a favorite night time feeding area for raccoons. In the evening we could hear frogs from the campground, and when we walked down the road to a small pond, it sounded like hundreds of frogs, it was so LOUD. I shown my flashlight across the pond but could not see one frog, and the light itself didn’t even interrupt their calls. It was a clear, moonless night, exposing the millions of bright stars that crowd the night sky. They seem even closer together here than in the northern states where I live. See photo 2 for a close-up view of the vegetation along the dunes.
Directions: The park is located on St. George Island, ten miles southeast of Eastpoint, off of U.S. 98. The address is 1900 E. Gulf Beach Dr., St. George Island, Florida 32328. To access the island you will drive across a long bridge, drive past sand dunes and ocean side residences to the park gate, and then it will be another four miles to reach the campground. Leave a Comment
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 by PawtuxetLeave a Comment
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 An angry mama gator by Faiza-Ifrah
Lake Tohopekaliga can be reached by going south on Poinciana Boulevard on US 192 for 40 miles till the dead end to the lake. This mama gator got angry when we approached her nest of about 40 hatchlings. Leave a Comment
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 Ifrah & Rayyan on the
boardwalk by Faiza-Ifrah
Address:
2501 Old Lake Wilson Road
Kissimmee, Florida 34747 Leave a Comment
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