Really Florida!

This is part 4 of Florida vacation ideas.   To see the other ideas (past, present and future), you can look here to see the posts of ideas.

Florida is known for it’s beaches, for sure.  But not everyone lives by the beach.  For those more inland, cruising or paddling the rivers and lakes of the Sunshine State makes more sense.

For today’s Florida vacation idea, let’s take a look at boats and boat rides!

Go for a Boat Ride

Florida is not only surrounded by water on three sides, but we also have lots of lakes and rivers. From canoes and kayaks to cruise ships, there are boating opportunities galore!

For example, many of the Florida parks run concessions that rent canoes/kayaks.  One Florida state park that has great canoe trips is Wekiwa Springs near Orlando.  Myakka River in SW Florida has excellent canoeing as well. 

And if you’re into kayaks, check out the waterways at MacArthur Beach State Park.  And if you’re curious, the photo to the right was taken on the Loxahatchee River, which flows near Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

And one more:  the Florida Panhandle has some of the most beautiful rivers you’d ever want to paddle in a canoe (or kayak).  You can also motor along some of the larger rivers.

Take a Boat Tour!

Sunset cruises are big in the Florida Keys. And if you’re in SW Florida and hankering to visit Key West — there’s a ferry that departs daily.

The Florida Keys are especially great for boating and boar tours.  The waters there are usually pretty calm on the Atlantic side, due to the protecting effect of the coral reefs offshore.  The Florida Bay side is even calmer!  (I do have the tendency towards seasickness in rougher waters, but I never have been afflicted in Florida Bay, or on the Keys side of the reef.)

Watery eco-tours abound, especially around the Spacecoast on the Atlantic, and the Ft. Meyers area on the Gulf.  Usually canoe or kayak led for a true natural experience, there are also motorized boat tours for those so inclined (usually early and late in the day, so as to see the most wildlife).

So those are today’s Florida vacation ideas.  Check back in again later for part 5 in this series!

South Florida kayaking is usually though of in terms of the ocean. The intercoastal, while an option, can get plagued by jet skis and pleasure boats. A lot of the lakes are too small to do much. But we do have the Loxahatchee River here in South Florida and it’s great for canoing and kayaking.

(A friend of mine went out to Riverbend Park not too long ago and provided these pictures of the trip.)

I love this first picture. The Loxahatchee is one of Florida’s designated “national wild and scenic” rivers, and it can be breathtaking at times. The cypress lean towards the waters; epiphytes cling to the trees; the water carries you quietly back it time.

Float past alligators and turtles. See herons stalking their lunches in the shallows. Listen to the music of the birds in the trees, calling to each other.

The photo is a kayak-eye view of the river and some paddlers ahead. The sunlight streams between the trees, giving it a mysterious quality. To me, this photo almost seems to be a watercolor painting.

If you paddle the river, stop by Trapper Nelson’s.  Here’s the story; a man called (what else?) Trapper Nelson lived on the banks of the river back in the 1930’s or thereabout. He made his living trapping and fishing, and his homestead is preserved as a view of what it was like to live here before air conditioning, without electricity or plumbing…you get the idea. I find it amazing that he did it.

The Loxahatchee has small (okay, teeny-weeny) waterfalls in spots, but nothing in the way of white water. No, this is a slow, quiet river — great for experienced and beginning kayakers alike.

Now the full paddle, from Riverbend Park through to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, is a total of eight miles. It’s not as hard as it may seem, since you need do little more than drift with the river and avoid crashing into other kayakers or canoeists.

If you do paddle the distance (it’s 5 or 6 hours), you’ll likely want to take advantage of the pickup for your kayak/canoe for return to Riverbend. The price is included in your rental, and speaking of the rental, it’s from $30 (a single kayak) to $55 (three-person canoe).

Note: I just saw a notice on the canoe rental website and it says they are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, effective February 27, 2008.

If you’d like to do some South Florida kayaking, go on over to Riverbend Park; it’s located at 9060 Indiantown Road in Jupiter, about a mile west of the Turnpike.

The park is open seven days a week, from sunrise to one hour before sunset.