THE ‘OTHER’ FLORIDA
From manatees to rocket ships, there’s plenty to find off the Sunshine State’s beaten path
You have Mickey Mouse ears from Disney World and a tiger stuffie from Busch Gardens. You’ve sipped mojitos in Miami and roamed Ernest Hemingway’s ’hood in Key West. But if you think you’ve seen all that Florida has to offer, then you’ve never ventured into the lush, expansive heart of the “other” Florida.
Swim with manatees; stare down a Florida panther; dine with an astronaut; surf with a pro; hand-feed lemurs; sway to the toll of a hilltop carillon; spot gators from an airboat; sleep in a teepee — welcome to a Florida that is off the beaten path.
CRYSTAL RIVER
If you head north, an hour or so from Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast, you’ll arrive at the oasis that is Crystal River. It’s dotted by small towns where diners serve hush puppies and grits, where Spanish moss envelops the ancient gnarled trees, and where once-endangered, but now protected, West Indian manatees seek refuge in the warm, clear inland springs on their annual migration.
On the late February day that our group visited Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, one of 70 springs feeding into Kings Bay, more than one hundred manatees had come into the fresh water to escape the cold-salty Gulf of Mexico. It was just after dawn when we donned wetsuits and eased off a boat into the shallow river, where the manatees had begun to gather.
So docile are these behemoths that they tolerate humans in their midst, although dive leader John Spann of the Plantation Adventure Center warned us not to initiate contact. But they do: A couple of manatees gently nuzzled snorkellers out of curiosity (and because their eyesight is poor).
Floating motionless on the water’s surface, I watched in wonder as a mother fed a calf, as an algae-covered male, weighing a tonne or more, glided like a mini-submarine beneath me.
Back on land, there is a wildlife experience of a different kind to be found at the nearby Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, which has built its reputation on the sheltering and rehabilitation of local fauna. A meandering boardwalk leads to Florida panthers, red wolves, alligators and an endless parade of birds, from fluorescent flamingos and gluttonous pelicans to brooding vultures and magnificent bald eagles.
The richness of the Crystal River region is reflected in its wildlife and its waters, in the cruising watercraft, in the divers and fishermen who catch redfish and grouper and scallops, in the birders and hikers and bikers, all of whom are drawn to the natural charms of Florida’s citrus country.
SPACE COAST
The singular beauty of being able to drive from the state’s Gulf Coast to the Atlantic coast in under three hours is found in the fertile farmland and endless waterways, where the herons and gators and other swamp creatures still own the wetlands.
But it’s the lure of outer space that drew us to Titusville on Florida’s east coast, a revitalized town that space exploration built on the edge of Merritt Island, where NASA astronauts and rocket ships have blasted into the cosmos for more than six decades.
Nowhere is the pride and a passion of “Space Coast” more on display than at the venerable downtown American Space Museum and at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), a shiny complex of history and lore, of tactile exhibits and awe-inspiring technology.
Want to experience the G-force of a space shuttle launch? How about a virtual-reality mission picking up moon rocks? Ever met a real astronaut? At KSC, you’re in the right place.
The centre’s showpiece is the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a jaw-dropping sight not only for its size and complexity, but for its storied history of delivering payloads to the International Space Station, the last shuttle to do so.
Retired NASA astronaut John-david Bartoe, an astrophysicist and payload specialist aboard the Challenger Shuttle in 1985, tells us over lunch that nothing prepared him for seeing Earth from space. “It was surprising, startling, awesome. You have this urge to just hug it,” Bartoe said. “Just seeing how beautiful and fragile it is, and how we just need to take care of it.”
On the bus tour of NASA’S working launch pads, scattered along the edge of Merritt Island, the 70-metre Elon Musk Space X Falcon rocket rolled past our bus, on a flatbed, having been repatriated after re-entry and looking a little worse for wear.
Musk and other independent space explorers are now engaged in the race to Mars, and the region’s collective excitement is palpable as NASA’S revitalized space program also readies to launch another U.S. astronaut toward the stars for the first time since the shuttle program ended in 2011.
If you can tear yourself away from all things galactic, head to charming Cocoa Beach and its bustling Westgate pier, just south of Cape Canaveral.
Here it’s all about the family-friendly surf vibe and where the renowned Ron Jon Surf Shop pros will have you up and riding the waves. Gator bites and coconut shrimp as the sun sets? Hard to beat.
CENTRAL FLORIDA
Time to leave the beach and head inland to Polk County where cattle graze in wide-open spaces and orange groves go on forever. There is a quiet wildness to this part of Florida, and when I hop on the converted school bus that takes to the bumpy dirt roads of the 105-hectare Safari Wilderness Ranch in Lakeland, I feel like I’m in another country.
Ostrich, African watusi, zebras, llamas and lumbering water buffalo amble over to check us out, hoping for a daily treat, their big-sloppy tongues knowing no etiquette.
I won’t soon forget hand-feeding Madagascar ring-tailed lemurs, and their sweet manners as they reached out with their kitten-soft paws and daintily devoured the cut-up grapes from my palm.
Even more calming is the nearby Lake Wales sanctuary at the top of Iron Mountain, a 90-metre sandhill that is one of the highest points in all of Florida.
It was on this rise that Edward Bok, author and longtime editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal, vacationed with his family and became so enamoured of the area that he bought land and built the glorious
Bok Tower Gardens in 1929 as a gift to the region.
The serene 20-hectare site is presided over by the stately 62-metre Singing Tower with its 60-bell carillon overlooking a reflecting pond. Armadillos, gopher tortoises and prolific bird life rule this roost, but it’s the horticultural legacy of famed landscape architect Frederick Olmsted Jr. that has brought dense verdant botanical life to this once arid hilltop.
Rest, reflect and when it’s time to shake off the sleepy quietude, there’s plenty of action southeast in River Ranch, at the 700-hectare Westgate River Ranch Resort, where you can get your cowboy on while holing up in a rustic cottage or campsite, or even tuck the family into a luxe teepee or glamping tent.
There’s no Wi-fi and little reception at this dude ranch, but you can ride horses or a mechanical bull, take in the rodeo, skeet shoot or line dance at the saloon. And, of course, golf.
And while it’s unlikely that you’ll spot a wild gator on your travels along Florida’s roads less travelled, the resort’s breezy airboat tours through the swampy channels of the Kissimmee River will not disappoint. They will be watching you.
Can’t bear to visit Florida without checking out a theme park? For something a little different, drop by Legoland in Winter Haven, designed for younger children who will love the water park, colourful Lego characters and “pink knuckle” coasters while parents marvel at Miniland USA and ponder just what can be built out of those little engineering blocks.