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Things to do Beaches Eating out Shopping Days out For children Wildlife History & the arts Sport & the outdoors |
The wildlife in Florida is fantastic, and it's everywhere, not just in the major wildlife reserves. From the house, you will see herons, osprey, wood storks and egrets (and perhaps the odd frog, snake & maybe even a small alligator in the lake!). And just 5 minutes away is Lakes Park, a lovely wild place with good walking and biking trails. Here's a selection of the wildlife seen recently by us and our guests (you know who you are - thanks to you for your photos!):
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is only about 15 minutes from the house, and is a great wild place with alligators & birdlife. It's one of our favourite places, and has a new visitor centre. There are places further afield that are well worth a visit too. Choose from the Everglades, Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel, Corkscrew Swamp Preserve down by Naples, or maybe Lake Trafford near Imokalee. The Everglades and Lake Trafford have airboats, as well as more alligators than you can imagine. Ding Darling has a tramcar (well worth it for first time visitors) or you can drive or bike, and Corkscrew is a boardwalk. Shark Valley in the Everglades has a tram tour which we enjoy. Dolphins sometimes play in the surf on the beaches. It can happen anywhere, but Sanibel's Lighthouse beach is particularly good - spend an hour there at the tip of the island, and you're almost guaranteed to see them. And if you go on a boat trip, they will often play in the wake. If you're there in the winter, manatees come into the warm waters of the Caloosahatchee River (near the FPL power plant). Manatee Park is a good viewing place, just across the road from the power station. In the warmer months, they are in the Gulf, and you may be lucky enough to see them from a boat trip. Here's what happened to some lucky guests last November: "... one of the highlights was being bumped by a manatee in our canoe at Lovers Key , I think we'll always remember that" |