Noted in passing, on our journey down SR 20: Freeport has a public park close to (and across from) the library, H.A. Laird Park, which sports a very inviting boardwalk nature trail into what appears to be a cypress swamp. We didn’t have time to visit this trip, but perhaps you will: see the city website for details.
“Dr. Beach,” Stephen Leatherman, just named one of my favorite getaways in the state, Caladesi Island State Park, the top beach in the United States for 2008. Here’s the great hike you can enjoy on Caladesi Island, which includes wandering through a virgin slash pine forest and along a mangrove-lined lagoon great for birding. And here’s a little video about the place, courtesy of VISIT FLORIDA.
While most writeups say you can’t walk to Caladesi Island, the reality is that Dunedin Pass filled in with sand during a hurricane years ago, so yes, it’s possible to walk here from Clearwater Beach … but it’s a long walk, and you do still have to pay the state park entrance fee, just like a boater. Still, a visit is well worth it, no matter how you get there.
I’m trying out a few new tricks using Wordpress plugins and specialized code from my image host, SmugMug.com. Let’s see how this works…
New! The University of Florida has opened up public access to its 60-acre Natural Area Teaching Laboratory (NATL) in the heart of Gainesville, right behind the Museum of Natural History and Performing Arts Center on Hull Drive. Open dawn to dusk, this set of interpretive trails totals about 1.5 miles in four trails, inclding a 500 foot boardwalk. I just picked up the info on it, and will head down there soon to check them out. Meanwhile, here’s a link to the map and details about the trails.
Me and the gals at work slipped into the new park in Micanopy to see what it’s all about. It’s a community park, and town hall says construction is complete and it will open soon. There are Native American burial mounds on site, a small museum, and what looks to be at least one loop trail through the forest, no indication of length. I’ll be watching and waiting with my GPS to be one of the first on it!
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