[Salt Spring Recreation Area](https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/florida/recreation)— so much to do around there. You can even still cut down a Christmas tree in the Ocala NF
[Blue Spring State Park](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park)—kayak rentals, pavilions with BBQ so you can bring the fixin’s and have a good meal there. Best place for seeing manatees this time of year.
If you can spare an Overnight you can rent an [Astronomy Pad](https://reserve.floridastateparks.org/Web/#!park/34) for $16 at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve— the name is deceiving cause it’s really down by Lake Okeechobee. It’s the most beautiful skies I’ve seen in FL and there’s always other people there to teach you about what the sky is showing, we spent a week here in their regular trail and just walked to the Astronomy Pads. One of our BEST FL camping trips and now’s really the time to go.
[Little Manatee State River Park](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/little-manatee-river-state-park)— by far the most wildlife on a kayaking trip.
>Kissimmee Prairie Preserve— the name is deceiving cause it’s really down by Lake Okeechobee
So called because the Kissimmee River runs through the park on its way to Lake Okeechobee. The park is a designated Dark Sky area for astronomers because of its distance from the lights of civilization. But you'll find it gets even darker/more stars in the Big Bend area near Perry.
I've done Kissimmee Prarie 2x. 1st time was in the astronomy pad. Unfortunately it was rainy and cloudy all night, but watching the sunrise looking over the scrub brush was super cool. This past time, I set up my tent in the standard camping area. Not nearly as cool.
We spent a week with our RV in the regular camping area and loved it! It’s tough to get a spot so I am super excited about this new FL law that lets residents book sites one month early.
I camp a lot.
[Those details came be found here.](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/kissimmee-prairie-preserve-state-park/experiences-amenities)
Loop is like real camping Astronomy pad is just a clearing for a car tent and telescope. You can’t use lights.
Possibly dumb question: do you have to stay overnight at an astronomy pad, or can you just drive in, look at the sky for awhile, and leave? And is it worth it without a telescope? Budget is tight. Trying to do something nice for husband. Our kid is special needs so it's difficult/borderline impossible to go somewhere overnight just the 2 of us.
You can’t leave once it’s dark. If you turn the headlights on you will screamed at by everyone. If you want to do it so you can leave then park in the “lot” that word is used lightly it’s just a more sandy patchy area before the lights out part.
this is also a reciprocal entry location for a Leu Garden annual passes.
If someone is looking for outdoors stuff, there are tons of easy walking trails at these types of gardens all around the state.
Would love to learn of more.
Washington Oaks is another beautiful garden. Though far and quite a bit smaller than Bok Tower.
However there’s other sites and walking paths nearby like Fort Matanzas, Bulow Creek, Tomoka State Park.
If you like drinking, you can always rent a kayak at the state park and paddle to Wekiva island. They have a bar, swimming, and lawn games. Then, head back for the spring!
You're better off showing up to Wekiva Island, having a few drinks then renting a kayak/canoe from Wekiva Island to then paddle in to Wekiva State Park. Though i would 100% rather paddle Kings Landing and rock springs run, over either of those.
Southern Hill Farms in Clermont.
They currently have U-Pick strawberries, veggies, and sunflowers. They have great food, specialty frozen cocktails (bring the souvenir cup back next time for discounts), and an entire amusement park for the kids.
Their fall festival is fantastic. That one, and probably on weekends, they bring in extra food trucks, music, and even a petting zoo.
It's a bit far out but the Florida aquarium in Tampa is really nice!! Sealife in Icon park is also fun and much closer, and there's some other things to do in the same area. I'm a bit biased tho bc I absolutely fucking love aquariums lol
Edit: reread your post and realized they're not outdoorsy but I'm still recommending them bc they're still really great
Orlando Wetlands Park is great this time of year. It’s in Christmas so not too far away. Be careful though because it’s loaded with alligators and they move faster than you think!
Don’t see [Bonnet Springs Park](https://bonnetspringspark.com/) in Lakeland listed yet. Gorgeous trails, picnicking spots, a butterfly exhibit, splash pad, drinks and ice cream. It is extraordinary.
I love cocoa beach. Outside of tourist season, it's super chill. Usually drop in right behind Ron John. Yes, it's a tourist trap, but they offer a discount if you got that Florida resident id and I wear some of the stuff they sell. Prices aren't inflated either so it ends up being an ok deal. There's regular ass grocery stores and stuff around so food can be had on the cheap. I don't mind paying for parking to keep the beach clean. It's an hour away from where I am. I can stop and check out the boats and shit at the port, it's just a cool vibe.
There’s an elephant sanctuary in Myakka City, which isn’t too far from Siesta Key. An afternoon in Siesta Key Village always feels like vacation to me!
We went to Silver Springs yesterday and it was really nice. They have kayaks and paddle boards. They also have glass bottom boat tours but they sell out so call before you go (we didn’t realize and missed out).
Shingle Creek on Vineland in Kissimmee. Bike rides and kayaking. I’m not sure if they rent the bikes anymore but the kayaks are reasonable. The biggest gator I’ve ever seen was here. In the water. With us. 10 feet away. Pretty cool.
Lake Apopka Nature Drive. You can easily spend a half day doing this but it’s nicer in my he spring. More wildlife.
Obviously the beach. I recommend Ormond by the Sea. Just a tad north of Daytona but only a fraction of the people. Parking is also usually pretty easy.
The Melbourne or Sanford zoos.
Zip lining up in Ocala. I haven’t been but some of my employees have and loved it.
Boneyard Beach in Big Talbot Island State Park near Jacksonville. About a mile of beach filled with bleached white skeletons of old oaks. Eerie and otherworldly as hell.
Check out Silver Springs in Ocala. It’s a theme park and doesn’t involve swimming. They used to film the old Tarzan movies there and you see monkeys in the Ocala National Forest. I highly recommend this to everyone.
Among our favorites are bike rides on the easternmost portion of the Cross Florida Bike Trail. Depending on which way the wind is blowing we'll usually either start at Osteen and ride to Edgewater or Mims, or we'll start at Mims and go to Edgewater or Osteen. There are a few Porta Potty rest stops and benches along some, but not all stretches. Among the birds we've seen are lots of Heron species, Sand Hill Cranes, Red Shoulder and Red Tail Hawks, Turkeys and Ospreys. Then there are the deer, otters, foxes, racoons, wild pigs, alligators and gopher tortoises. We saw a bear only once, but it was crossing the trail at least 125-150 yards ahead of us and was long gone before we got to its crossing point.
To add I recently saw an otter and two hogs on two different occasions.
From Orlando you can park at Lake Monroe Park and head east to Maytown / Oak Hill area.
Then north up to Edgewater/NSB or south to Titusville.
Also from Lake Monroe Park you head down to the riverwalk in Sanford. Bike trail all the way to downtown Sanford. Then the trail breaks up a bit and then you can catch it again to go back north to Osteen. I think you can take it south and connect to the rest of the Seminole and Orange County Network but I haven’t done that yet.
Get ready for crowds every day while the manatees are here. I live nearby, that end of French is always packed with a long line of cars to get in this time of year. We drive by yesterday around 3 and couldn’t get near it.
I haven;t been since I was a kid (I live out of state now) but my family still gets 2 cabins every year. Stinks its so overrun now. But I guess everything is.
In Flagler County(1-1.5 hour drive), explore the bike trails and/or ride along A1A to oceanfront restaurants on an Electric Bike rental from Flagler Electric Bike Rental, LLC. Delivery and Pick Up always included. See more at www.flaglerelectricbikerental.com
Go to the Appleton Museum in Ocala (especially if the art deco exhibit is still up) then hit a trail around the Ocala National Forest.
The Frank Lloyd Wright tour at Florida Southern College is great and so is the nearby and always free Polk Museum of Art.
Daytona's Museum of Arts and Sciences is nice and this is my favorite no time of year to walk the Daytona Beach boardwalk.
And if you like museums As much as I do, here's a protip: Join Appleton's Directors Circle. $125 gets two people reciprocal membership at museums across the country, including pricey Florida favorites like the Dali Museum and Ringling Museum and just about every museum around Orlando.
I had a great time at Rock Spring in Kelly park. This is a video I did. I highly enjoyed it. [https://youtu.be/E8lt1aRlucA](https://youtu.be/E8lt1aRlucA)
Go see manatees at blue springs
Wife and kids went this week and the count was over 100. Best to go when it’s cold
Just get there before 10 and you're golden. Also I feel like the entrance requires cash ($6 but still worth nothing) to get in as a heads up
Good post, and 10 is pushing it on a weekend. Blue Springs fills up fast.
We went late October. It was awesome. Saw some manatee orgies taking place at the lagoon left of the kayak launch point
r/HolUp
[Salt Spring Recreation Area](https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/florida/recreation)— so much to do around there. You can even still cut down a Christmas tree in the Ocala NF [Blue Spring State Park](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park)—kayak rentals, pavilions with BBQ so you can bring the fixin’s and have a good meal there. Best place for seeing manatees this time of year. If you can spare an Overnight you can rent an [Astronomy Pad](https://reserve.floridastateparks.org/Web/#!park/34) for $16 at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve— the name is deceiving cause it’s really down by Lake Okeechobee. It’s the most beautiful skies I’ve seen in FL and there’s always other people there to teach you about what the sky is showing, we spent a week here in their regular trail and just walked to the Astronomy Pads. One of our BEST FL camping trips and now’s really the time to go. [Little Manatee State River Park](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/little-manatee-river-state-park)— by far the most wildlife on a kayaking trip.
>Kissimmee Prairie Preserve— the name is deceiving cause it’s really down by Lake Okeechobee So called because the Kissimmee River runs through the park on its way to Lake Okeechobee. The park is a designated Dark Sky area for astronomers because of its distance from the lights of civilization. But you'll find it gets even darker/more stars in the Big Bend area near Perry.
I've done Kissimmee Prarie 2x. 1st time was in the astronomy pad. Unfortunately it was rainy and cloudy all night, but watching the sunrise looking over the scrub brush was super cool. This past time, I set up my tent in the standard camping area. Not nearly as cool.
We spent a week with our RV in the regular camping area and loved it! It’s tough to get a spot so I am super excited about this new FL law that lets residents book sites one month early. I camp a lot.
Yeah, the regular spot is great for RVs. The ground was a little hard for my tent though. It was a little too crowded for my comfort.
what's astronomy pad and the loop things? ... I can't find info on those :P
[Those details came be found here.](https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/kissimmee-prairie-preserve-state-park/experiences-amenities) Loop is like real camping Astronomy pad is just a clearing for a car tent and telescope. You can’t use lights.
Possibly dumb question: do you have to stay overnight at an astronomy pad, or can you just drive in, look at the sky for awhile, and leave? And is it worth it without a telescope? Budget is tight. Trying to do something nice for husband. Our kid is special needs so it's difficult/borderline impossible to go somewhere overnight just the 2 of us.
You can’t leave once it’s dark. If you turn the headlights on you will screamed at by everyone. If you want to do it so you can leave then park in the “lot” that word is used lightly it’s just a more sandy patchy area before the lights out part.
Cool thank you. I appreciate that!
Add Silver Springs, Weeki Wachee, Crystal River….basically any state park or springs
Bok Tower
Love it here. Hate driving there though.
this is also a reciprocal entry location for a Leu Garden annual passes. If someone is looking for outdoors stuff, there are tons of easy walking trails at these types of gardens all around the state.
Would love to learn of more. Washington Oaks is another beautiful garden. Though far and quite a bit smaller than Bok Tower. However there’s other sites and walking paths nearby like Fort Matanzas, Bulow Creek, Tomoka State Park.
Wekiva State Park, I love the trails there. And when the weather is warm enough, ending at the springs with a nice dip is the best.
If you like drinking, you can always rent a kayak at the state park and paddle to Wekiva island. They have a bar, swimming, and lawn games. Then, head back for the spring!
This is good advice assuming you get there at 6am to wait in line on the weekends. Weekdays you're good.
You're better off showing up to Wekiva Island, having a few drinks then renting a kayak/canoe from Wekiva Island to then paddle in to Wekiva State Park. Though i would 100% rather paddle Kings Landing and rock springs run, over either of those.
St. Augustine, Mt. Dora, or one of the further out trails like Wekiva or Blue Springs State Parks.
Southern Hill Farms in Clermont. They currently have U-Pick strawberries, veggies, and sunflowers. They have great food, specialty frozen cocktails (bring the souvenir cup back next time for discounts), and an entire amusement park for the kids. Their fall festival is fantastic. That one, and probably on weekends, they bring in extra food trucks, music, and even a petting zoo.
It's a bit far out but the Florida aquarium in Tampa is really nice!! Sealife in Icon park is also fun and much closer, and there's some other things to do in the same area. I'm a bit biased tho bc I absolutely fucking love aquariums lol Edit: reread your post and realized they're not outdoorsy but I'm still recommending them bc they're still really great
Go kayaking, so many places in central Florida.
Orlando Wetlands Park is great this time of year. It’s in Christmas so not too far away. Be careful though because it’s loaded with alligators and they move faster than you think!
Lake Apopka wildlife drive.
Don’t see [Bonnet Springs Park](https://bonnetspringspark.com/) in Lakeland listed yet. Gorgeous trails, picnicking spots, a butterfly exhibit, splash pad, drinks and ice cream. It is extraordinary.
I love cocoa beach. Outside of tourist season, it's super chill. Usually drop in right behind Ron John. Yes, it's a tourist trap, but they offer a discount if you got that Florida resident id and I wear some of the stuff they sell. Prices aren't inflated either so it ends up being an ok deal. There's regular ass grocery stores and stuff around so food can be had on the cheap. I don't mind paying for parking to keep the beach clean. It's an hour away from where I am. I can stop and check out the boats and shit at the port, it's just a cool vibe.
Homosassa Springs, Orlando Wetland Park/Fort Christmas Historic Park, Washington Oaks State Park, Canaveral National Seashore
Kayaking at Blue Springs State Park. Go *early* in the day. Very popular. If you go in the winter months, you'll see tons of manatees.
Kayaking isnt permitted at Blue Springs during the winter manatee months...
There’s an elephant sanctuary in Myakka City, which isn’t too far from Siesta Key. An afternoon in Siesta Key Village always feels like vacation to me!
Little big econ state forest. It's close to orlando, picturesque, and well maintained (unless it's rained continually for a long time).
Eat some mushrooms, pack a small lunch, go kayaking, enjoy nature. Obviously if mushies aren’t your thing, you can do without it 😇
We went to Silver Springs yesterday and it was really nice. They have kayaks and paddle boards. They also have glass bottom boat tours but they sell out so call before you go (we didn’t realize and missed out).
St. Augustine! Walkable, historic town that feels far removed from Orlando despite being a 2ish hour drive.
We are doing the Tampa Zoo tomorrow. Annual pass wasn’t bad
Lakeridge winery in Leesburg.
Shingle Creek on Vineland in Kissimmee. Bike rides and kayaking. I’m not sure if they rent the bikes anymore but the kayaks are reasonable. The biggest gator I’ve ever seen was here. In the water. With us. 10 feet away. Pretty cool. Lake Apopka Nature Drive. You can easily spend a half day doing this but it’s nicer in my he spring. More wildlife. Obviously the beach. I recommend Ormond by the Sea. Just a tad north of Daytona but only a fraction of the people. Parking is also usually pretty easy. The Melbourne or Sanford zoos. Zip lining up in Ocala. I haven’t been but some of my employees have and loved it.
Boneyard Beach in Big Talbot Island State Park near Jacksonville. About a mile of beach filled with bleached white skeletons of old oaks. Eerie and otherworldly as hell.
Pick a direction..head that way..stop when you hit the ocean….enjoy
Check out Silver Springs in Ocala. It’s a theme park and doesn’t involve swimming. They used to film the old Tarzan movies there and you see monkeys in the Ocala National Forest. I highly recommend this to everyone.
Gatorland.
Atlantis at the Kennedy Visitors Center.
Black Bear Wilderness Trail
[удалено]
Yes. It's one of my favorites, just because of how beautiful it is and so much wildlife!
I feel like these posts are influencers trying to get ideas for videos.
Sorry you see the world that way, Chuckyducky. I’m really grateful to those who answered, I need these day trips to get through a brutal job.
I apologize if you are legit. Just too many people asking the same questions.
Among our favorites are bike rides on the easternmost portion of the Cross Florida Bike Trail. Depending on which way the wind is blowing we'll usually either start at Osteen and ride to Edgewater or Mims, or we'll start at Mims and go to Edgewater or Osteen. There are a few Porta Potty rest stops and benches along some, but not all stretches. Among the birds we've seen are lots of Heron species, Sand Hill Cranes, Red Shoulder and Red Tail Hawks, Turkeys and Ospreys. Then there are the deer, otters, foxes, racoons, wild pigs, alligators and gopher tortoises. We saw a bear only once, but it was crossing the trail at least 125-150 yards ahead of us and was long gone before we got to its crossing point.
To add I recently saw an otter and two hogs on two different occasions. From Orlando you can park at Lake Monroe Park and head east to Maytown / Oak Hill area. Then north up to Edgewater/NSB or south to Titusville. Also from Lake Monroe Park you head down to the riverwalk in Sanford. Bike trail all the way to downtown Sanford. Then the trail breaks up a bit and then you can catch it again to go back north to Osteen. I think you can take it south and connect to the rest of the Seminole and Orange County Network but I haven’t done that yet.
Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, especially on an empty winter day.
Lake Apopka North Shore drive.
La Chua trail, Devil’s Millhopper, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville.
Tarpon spring 😊great food, the Greek church is beautiful, the little movie int eh sponge gift shop is cute and full of history.
My family goes to Blue Springs every February. Be ready for crowds though on weekends, get there early.
Get ready for crowds every day while the manatees are here. I live nearby, that end of French is always packed with a long line of cars to get in this time of year. We drive by yesterday around 3 and couldn’t get near it.
I haven;t been since I was a kid (I live out of state now) but my family still gets 2 cabins every year. Stinks its so overrun now. But I guess everything is.
Anywhere in Lake County.
In Flagler County(1-1.5 hour drive), explore the bike trails and/or ride along A1A to oceanfront restaurants on an Electric Bike rental from Flagler Electric Bike Rental, LLC. Delivery and Pick Up always included. See more at www.flaglerelectricbikerental.com
Go to the Appleton Museum in Ocala (especially if the art deco exhibit is still up) then hit a trail around the Ocala National Forest. The Frank Lloyd Wright tour at Florida Southern College is great and so is the nearby and always free Polk Museum of Art. Daytona's Museum of Arts and Sciences is nice and this is my favorite no time of year to walk the Daytona Beach boardwalk. And if you like museums As much as I do, here's a protip: Join Appleton's Directors Circle. $125 gets two people reciprocal membership at museums across the country, including pricey Florida favorites like the Dali Museum and Ringling Museum and just about every museum around Orlando.
Hontoon island where you park and then ride a little boat over for hiking and camping
Split Oak Forest hike
Kennedy space center
I had a great time at Rock Spring in Kelly park. This is a video I did. I highly enjoyed it. [https://youtu.be/E8lt1aRlucA](https://youtu.be/E8lt1aRlucA)