The rare and endangered Florida panther makes its home in the wilds of the western Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp, much of the area preserved in protected state and federal lands accessible to hikers.
Recent Articles
Jonathan Dickinson State Park: A Florida treasure
Jonathan Dickinson State park can keep a lover of the outdoors busy for days with hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, wildlife watching and soaking up the natural beauty. The park has been the site of ongoing protests of a state proposal to build a hotel and golf courses there.
A Florida delicacy: Invasive lionfish, fresh from the Keys
Lionfish are gobbling up native species on Florida Keys reefs. Now you can gobble them up instead.
Tent camping in the Florida Keys: Slim pickin’s but doable
Late summer may not the best time of year for tent camping in the Florida Keys, but it is the right time to plan for fall, winter and spring camping.
Celebrate a migration miracle at the fall Monarch Butterfly Festival, Oct. 25
On their 2,000-mile fall migration, thousands of monarchs stop in Florida’s Big Bend and Panhandle in October and November. A top viewing site is St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, a half hour south of Tallahassee. There is a monarch festival at the refuge Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Kelly Park at Rock Springs: Cool swimming, shady campground, paddle Rock Springs Run
Kelly Park is a popular summer destination for swimming in cool springs and paddling scenic Rock Springs Run, including the stunning Emerald Cut.
Lake Placid charms with clowns & caladiums, good eatin’ & great yarns
Lake Placid has quite a few stories to tell, and they are told in murals. On the walls of 50 buildings. All over town.
Tigertail Beach, a Marco Island adventure, where you wade to wild beach
Tigertail Beach is for adventurers who love unspoiled beaches where you can walk for miles. You reach this beach by wading across a shallow lagoon. The New York Times recently suggested it as a shelling alternative to Sanibel.
Withlacoochee River Park, Green Swamp & dark skies
Withlacoochee River Park is a base camp for hiking and bicycling in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve with one special characteristic — it’s also a “dark sky” park favored by amateur astronomers.
Naples: Rare ghost orchid blooms in summer at Corkscrew
Florida’s celebrity in the orchid world — the ghost orchid — is blooming at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, attracting orchid fans who want to spot this rare variety.