Getaways to the Authentic Florida
The Deering Estate is a serene spot in South Dade offering a sweeping view of Biscayne Bay and a fascinating tour of a castle-like home and a historic inn. There’s a good reason to make this a July getaway. Deering is offering $1 admission every weekend in July 2019 in honor of Park and Recreation Month. Admission is normally $15.
The annual Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim is July 4, but while folks cross the 1.5-mile wide Peace River, this isn’t a race. It’s a “bobblefest.”
One of the best places to enjoy nature is in a cabin in a Florida state park. But the cabins book up fast, so now is the time to make reservations for the winter. Our guide explains which parks have cabins, what they offer and what they cost. Of the 21 parks in Florida with cabins, we’ve stayed in 12 of them.
Snorkeling in South Florida doesn’t require a boat. Here are some great places where you can snorkel and see fish and other sea creatures right from the beach.
Folks have been fascinated with Stiltsville since the first shack went up in Biscayne Bay a mile from land in the 1930s. The iconic houses have been hard to visit if you didn’t own a boat. Now Biscayne National Park and a non-profit partner offer regular boat tours that tell the Stiltsville story and take you close to the houses.
This out-of-the-way rural area on the St. Johns River offers good hiking, kayaking and springs. With Welaka as a base, we explored a place little changed by the years.
Whoever named this kayak trail Hell’s Bay was giving you a hint: It won’t be easy. During National Parks Week at the end of April, I paddled this forbiddingly named trail. It’s mile after mile of mangroves with tight twists and turns that make going slow. If you’re heading for a backcountry camping site — a chickee on a platform in the middle of the Everglades wilderness — then this trail is worth the trouble. If not, well, I have some suggestions for you.
Sea-turtle walks are like seeing a National Geographic film in person. But you need reservations to join these night-time beach walks to watch giant sea turtles nesting.
