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Explore Florida’s green side by horseback
Eco-Safaris
It may take a while to get to Forever Florida’s parking lot, since
a horseback rider or peacock may be blocking the road. But once inside you’re in a complex that’s at once a working ranch, an eco- park with guided tours and an adventure facility with ziplining.
Created by the Broussard family in memory of their naturalist son, Allen, who died young, Forever Florida aims to preserve Florida’s fragile eco-systems and educate the public about conservation.
Guided eco-safaris run through parts of the 4,700-acre property in covered coaches. These vehicles, commonly known in Florida as swamp buggies because of their oversized wheels, easily traverse the terrain. Your journey may reveal baby alligators or 11.5-footers, white-tailed deer or wild hogs, turtles or spiders the size of your palm. Each tour is different, but the banter is always educational. The guides are knowledgeable about the trees, the duckweed over the water and all the creatures that live among them.
And if you’re interested in the ziplining but don’t want to miss the nature tour? No worries—you can get a mini eco-tour en route to the zipline area. foreverflorida.com; tour packages from $32
Canoeing on the Wekiva
Head north to Wekiwa Springs State Park for sublime canoeing and kayaking along the Wekiva River (both the park and the river, spelled differently, are pronounced wuh-KIVE-uh). That locals gather here en masse on weekends is testimony to its appeal as a respite from Orlando’s bustling scene.
If the term Old Florida is appropriate anywhere, this is the
spot. One can picture Timucuans or Creeks lounging by the water beneath the oak trees in what is now a wonderland of 7,800 acres, or traversing the 15-mile water trail by canoe.
After paying the six-dollar state-park entrance fee, drive to the very last parking lot. Past the playground and the shaded picnic tables with barbecue grills is a short trail that leads straight to the river. There you can rent a boat and lose sight of civilization for a couple of hours. 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka; canoewekiva.com; 407-884-4311; rentals from $18
Ubiquious Spanish Moss at home in Florida’s green spaces
Into the Wild at the Disney
Wilderness Preserve
Disney generously donated land to the Nature Conservancy to create the Disney Wilderness Preserve and paid for the site’s restoration. Far off a side road south of its namesake theme park, this 11,500-acre site is essentially a wilderness trail through former ranchland that has been returned to its natural state. It has two hiking options, of one and 2.15 miles, respectively. Both trails are wide, flat and well marked.
Birds abound here. You may hear them calling Woo hoo! Woo hoo hoo hoo! from high in the trees while you stroll past pines and saw palmetto. Experienced birders may spot red-cockaded woodpeckers, wood storks and sandhill cranes. On land, animals such as Sherman’s fox squirrels and gopher tortoises make their homes amid the swampy confines.
Be sure to spend a few minutes at the picnic tables overlooking Lake Russell, where cypress trees (and their “knees”) form an otherworldly landscape. 2700 Scrub Jay Trail, Kissimmee; 407-935- 0002; nature.org; free
Visit an Egg Farm
As you close in on the chicken and duck farm known as Lake Meadow Naturals, on busy Highway 429, you may doubt there could be an eco-spot within even 10 miles. Yet mere minutes from the exit you’ll enter a serene complex containing a working farm, a country store, gardens and, on Fridays and Saturdays, a spot where visitors can pick their own eggs from chickens’ nests.
Children delight in the enclosed area where during hatching season they can pet the chicks. Visitors can stroll around the shaded grounds while the chickens and ducks meander through their pens and barn, clucking (or quacking) happily. All are heritage breeds—including hens that lay eggs with a greenish hue. 10000 Mark Adam Rd., Ocoee; 407-399-7670; lakemeadownaturals.com
ENDLESS VACATION 17