EMBARK ON YOUR FLORIDA JOURNEY
The Sunshine State has attracted visitors to its sandy shores for the past 500 years. But go back earlier. Records indicate people first reached Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The coastline was very different then because the sea level was much lower than it is today. As a result, the Florida peninsula was more than twice its current size. Florida has exerted a magnetic pull on a number of visitors for centuries—beginning with the Spanish explorer and adventurer, Juan Ponce de León who landed on this sunny shoreline in 1513.
Although many Native American peoples already lived here, Ponce de León named what he saw “La Florida,” or “place of flowers,” because of the lush landscape. Indeed, Florida has 300 native plants, ranging from the thorny sweet acacia to the wild azalea.
The state also hosts an additional 1,300plus introduced exotics, including some that were naturally brought into the environment and are considered harmless and others that are invasive. Botanical gardens, such as the renowned Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens, are excellent places to learn about the state’s oft-bizarre vegetative life.
A BOUNTIFUL LAND
The state flower is the orange blossom, which is considered an exotic, albeit one that became extremely important to the region’s economy. Native to Southeast Asia, the orange tree is an evergreen shrub brought to the colony of St. Augustine in 1565. The orange and its aromatic blossom, which represents fertility and good fortune, quickly became representative of the area.
Many towns such as Davie have Orange Blossom Festivals. Florida is among the largest producer of oranges in the U.S. Honey production, and ranks as the fourth largest producer in the country. In 1763 English settlers introduced the first hives in Pensacola, and it's been sweet ever since.
In fact, Florida depends on export crops as diverse as sugar cane and tomatoes while still leaving plenty of sweet corn and green beans available for passersby to purchase. Visitors are often amazed to find farm stands and Upick farms offering everything from boiled peanuts and fresh blueberries in Gainesville to mangoes and lychees in the southern areas of Redland and Homestead. Throughout the year, festivals—such as Plant City’s Florida Strawberry Festival in March and the July Mango Days of Summer festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables—are hugely enjoyable, multi-day attractions.
If you prefer bottled fruit, wineries are popping up everywhere, with many offering both grape varietals as well as tropical fruit vintages.
INTO THE WILD
Florida is home to several hundred commonly found bird species, which amateur ornithologists can track along The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail. The 2,000-mile trail comprises four sections— the Panhandle, East, West and South—and lists what species can be found where.
Florida also has more than 170 native butterflies. In addition to finding them in the parks and in the wild, visitors can observe them in conservatories such as Butterfly World in Coconut Creek and the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum in Gainesville.
The 142 native species of amphibians and reptiles, including around 50 kinds of snakes—of which only six are poisonous— are equally fascinating. You can view these and the 50 plus additional non-native species at many zoos and safaris, ranging from Zoo Miami to Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee and ZooTampa at Lowry Park.
Visitors who prefer to check out natural habitats where wild things reside can hit any section of the sprawling Everglades. A range