Floating in Florida – Florida Hikes

Few photographs evoke boat excursions in Florida in addition to the swirl of a glass-bottomed boat throughout the broad basin.

Captured in fog on a cool morning, that very reminiscence — for me, as deep as childhood — graces the quilt of Floating in Florida, Lucy Tobias’ newest guide.

Inside, uncover a surprisingly numerous array of water-based excursions the place you sit again, calm down, and let the captain and information do the work.

It’s a tremendous technique to see wildlife. On one journey at Wakulla Springs 25 years in the past, it was a shock to us all when an alligator instantly dragged a deer into the water

Like Silver Springs, a few of her locations are previous mates, conjuring nice recollections of the previous.

Virtually twenty years in the past, I joined a crew of nature lovers on the St. Johns River Nature Cruise out of Blue Springs with its unique proprietor and captain, marveling on the array of waterfowl seen when quietly drifting downriver.

Peering throughout the St. Johns River from the tour boat

Gliding alongside a river edged by floodplain forest, totally inaccessible by foot, introduced a brand new perspective that inspired me to affix a gaggle of mates kayaking out of Blue Springs just a few years later.

It’s not unusual for journeys on Florida’s waters to cruise by way of wild locations a hiker can by no means in any other case attain.

The Dora Canal can solely be seen by boat, making for a captivating journey

A visit John and I took out of Everglades Metropolis from the Everglades Nationwide Park boat dock paired the delight of immersing within the Ten Thousand Islands maze of mangroves with watching dolphins as we neared Florida Bay.

Our educated information additionally turned out to be one of many extra well-known of many characters who’ve added spice to that tiny metropolis’s repute.

Youngsters of all ages loved the dolphins following us by way of the Ten Thousand Islands

Regardless of the numerous journey guides I’ve written, Lucy illuminates a shocking variety of journeys I used to be unaware of till I learn her guide.

I’ve been on the famed structure cruise amongst the skyscrapers of Chicago, however didn’t know downtown Tampa has an analogous providing centered on its historical past. It departs from the Tampa Bay Historical past Middle, after all.

Viewing Molasses Reef from the Spirit of Pennekamp

Two journeys on a glass-bottomed boat out of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park let this non-diver see the coral reef off Key Largo and its inhabitants.

Lucy’s guide contains two lesser recognized alternate options, the Key Largo Princess and the Transparensea, which departs from Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada.

John scanning for wildlife alongside Spring Backyard Run on a visit out of De Leon Springs State Park

Every expedition is described in private phrases, as in the event you’re sitting alongside Lucy because it unfolds. Historical past, memoir, and the pure great thing about the journey’s environment soak in, tempting you to strive it your self.

It’s no marvel that Lucy earned a Gold within the Royal Palm Literary Awards from the Florida Writers Affiliation for this excellent effort.

Decide up a duplicate from Sea Aster Press.

Creator of over 40 books, Sandra Pal established FloridaHikes.com in 2006 to develop on the sphere analysis she’d accomplished for her first six mountaineering guides. She has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Florida Path Affiliation and the Florida Outside Writers Affiliation.

Newest posts by Sandra Pal (see all)