Welcome to FLORIDA!
Capital City: Tallahassee
Moonshot
by Brian Floca (ages 6-11) Read about the Apollo 11 mission and first landing on the moon from command station , Cape Canaveral aka Kennedy Space Center, FL
World Classroom: Florida
Florida has an amazing variety of ecosystems to experience. There are many locations managed by the National Parks Service with links below. What is your favorite place to visit in Florida? Have you been to ALL the National Parks in this state yet? Check them out below!
National Parks & Historical Preserve
Big Cypress National Preserve – Ochopee, FL
There are five habitat areas in the amazing Big Cypress National Preserve: hardwood hammock, pinelands, prairie, cypress swamp and estuaries. Learn about each one and their unique ecosystem. There are guided ranger tours including Jr Ranger activities, hikes, birdwatching, kayaking, hunting and so many other activities. You’ll be amazed at all the things you’ll discover in this piece of creation. Be sure to click the link above for all the latest information direct from the preserve!
Biscayne National Park – Homestead, FL
Aquamarine waters, islands and coral reefs off the coast of Miami make up this protected national treasure. Once again, Florida has a park to please almost anyone. If you’re a history buff, you’ll love the evidence of over 10,000 years of human history as you learn about prehistoric tribes and shipwrecks.
This area also has all the other tropical island experience you’d expect such as diving, boating and fishing or if you prefer to just relax and soak up the warm sun and salty sea air that’s an option too.
Click the link above for the latest information and updates to plan the experience that best suits your family!
Drive the Florida Keys and Visit Key West
Not far from Miami, you can connect onto the highway that takes you through the Florida Keys. This unique island chain is a string of over 1,500 tropical islands that stretch for over 120 miles from the southern tip of Florida’s peninsula to the most southern point in Key West. While you can drive straight through in a couple hours, you may want to consider making a day of this adventure as there are many islands along the way each with unique foods, beaches and sights. You can easily spend a few days in Key West as well. We recommend the guided bike tour around the island. You’ll learn a lot of the cool history behind this unique place and there are many buildings and museums that can be toured as well. For sure get some Key Lime Pie too!
There are many places on the quaint island city where you can learn about the history right on the street. Taking a bike tour and stopping at specific locations is a great way to experience these. Here you can read about the desperate plight of the Cubans and the extreme measures they take at a chance to reach US soil.
There are also several historical buildings and museums you can tour – some for an entrance fee. If you like looking at and learning about recovered sunken pirate treasure, a visit here would make your day!
Dry Tortugas National Park – Homestead, FL
Who needs the Bahamas and Caribbean when there’s Dry Torugas National Park? If you like snorkeling and doing all the tropical island things, this is the National Park for you! Your family will love you for the water, wildlife and uniquely cool history experience this park has to offer.
Be sure to click on the link above for the latest information about transportation and services available. There are ferry and seaplane options for accessing this island park. If you have your own boat or other water equipment along with permits, you can enjoy being your own navigator; otherwise there are several options for permitted tour guides for a variety of adventures such as snorkeling, diving, fishing, eco tours, motorized tours, birdwatching, etc. You’ll definitely want to plan ahead for a family trip to this National Park.
Everglades National Park – Homestead, FL
A visit to the Everglades National Park . . .
The Everglades cover 1.5 million acres of wetlands and terrain, so there are a lot of opportunities for a huge variety of activities on land or in the waters for every age and interest. Florida has a surprising amount of sink holes and some of them have produced some pretty incredible terrain such as lakes or caves that can now be explored on horseback, walking, kayaking, ziplining. . . so many possibilities. Think about what’s a way your family can appreciate the nature in this unique environment, and then make plans to carry it out. There are so many habitats here that are not available in many of the other states.
Additional Favorite Things to Do Near Everglades National Park
Visit Gatorland – See lots of alligators and Zipline over Gators, if you like!
If you want to see gators, but not necessarily encounter them in the dangerous wild, this is a great way to see a LOT of alligators! And you can add to the thrill with a little ziplining as well. Hang in there, this park is well designed to keep gators and visitors at bay. We always like to experience the wildlife and terrain that is unique to each place.
Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve – Jacksonville, FL
Visit Timucuan Eco & Hist Preserve NPS.gov
Just the photos of the birds at this Ecological Preserve website are worth a visit. You’re gonna wanna check them out! We’ve included just a few samples below. This place has it all – history, nature, science . . .
Cardinal
Brown Pelican
owlet
Peacock
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Kingsley Heritage Celebration
Ariel view of the Saltmarsh
Fort Caroline National Memorial – Jacksonville, FL
Visit Fort Caroline Memorial NPS.gov
National Seashores
Canaveral National Seashore – Titusville, FL
Visit Canaveral Seashore NPS.gov
Enjoy beach combing in this tropical location. What new creatures can you discover? Stop and build a sand castle or dig in the sang, play with a beach ball or fly a kite if the wind is just right, sun bathe or eat a picnic on the sand.
Additional things to do near Canaveral National Seashores
Visit the Kennedy Space Center
Take a Cruise to the Bahamas, Caribbean or Florida Keys from Port Canaveral
If you love blue seas and white sand beaches, this is great place to spend some time. Snorkel or kayak in the beautiful waters or just relax on a chair in the sun while reading a good book.
There are almost 700 islands in this archipelago and each one has different adventures to be had. Book a cruise to visit a few or rent a house or hotel room on one of the islands and enjoy the tropical nature!
Disney World including the Epcot Center
Disney’s Epcot Center features eleven countries plus an African themed outpost. This is a great way to get a snippet of history from several countries in a fun way as well as experience some cultural foods. Which counties are represented here? America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco and Japan.
Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL & MS) – Gulf Breeze, FL
Visit Gulf Islands Seashore NPS.gov
If you can’t make this park in person anytime soon, get a virtual visit cancellation for your National Parks Passport book!
Visiting in person is always better and there is so much to do in this park: birdwatching, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, night sky viewing, snorkeling, diving, swimming, waterfowl hunting and visiting historical site!
Fort Barrancas
National Memorials and Monuments
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument – St Augustine, FL
Visit Castillo de San Marcos Monument NPS.gov
sunrise over Matanzas
Fort Matanzas National Monument – St Augustine, FL
Visit Fort Matanzas Monument NPS.gov
Take one of the ferries to Fort Matanzas!
De Soto National Memorial – Bradenton, FL
Visit De Soto Memorial NPS.gov
Who was de Soto and why is there a national memorial here? Find out by following the link provided. Knowing the historical stories from where we are is always a treasure trove of fascination.
This National Memorial has some great Junior Ranger opportunities to learn archeology, fishing and more! Bring the family and enjoy some kayaking or beach time too.
