Undiscovered Florida 2016 - (Page 8)
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Credit: Visit Tallahassee
Above: Now operating as a museum and gardens, Tallahassee's Goodwood Plantation was built in the 1830s.
North Florida Jewel of the South
W
ith its canopy roads, magnolia
trees and local specialties
involving grits and hush puppies,
North Florida looks like a slice of the South.
But looks can be deceiving.
Because North Florida is also the gateway
to adventures through history and culture. A
lush land where hawks skim forest treetops
and fish swim the unknown depths of natural
springs. Not to mention a shoreline where
stunning beaches aren't even half the story
when it comes to natural wonders.
There's a time and a place for everything.
And it's called North Florida.
Coast to Coast
Bracketed by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of
Mexico, hundreds of miles of beaches make
North Florida a sun seeker's delight. But you
can enhance the experience by planning
time at one of the state's marine life and
oceanographic centers, which take you past
sea level to new levels of understanding
about Florida's fragile aquatic habitats and
the creatures living there.
Located on Ponte Vedra Beach, north
of St. Augustine, the GTM Research Reserve
8
encompasses more than 73,000 acres of
conservation lands and waters with habitats
including ocean, beaches, coastal scrub, salt
marsh, mangrove estuary, freshwater marsh,
maritime hammock and pine flatwoods.
An Environmental Education Center is the
starting point for guided hikes across trails,
beaches and waterways as well as lectures
and presentations on the plant and animal
life found in estuarine environments, which
are formed when freshwater meets the sea.
On the Gulf side, the Apalachicola
National Estuarine Research Reserve
(ANERR) in Eastpoint, across the bay from
Apalachicola, includes live exhibits of
estuarine life as well as a wall-length mural
depicting the river and coastal habitats of
the biological "hot spot" that is the Florida
Panhandle. Small wonder that more than
87 percent of Franklin County-of which
Apalachicola is the county seat-is either
state or federally protected land, which
bodes well for those exploring its many state
parks and forests, national wildlife preserves,
national forests and wildlife management
areas. Meanwhile, more than a dozen local
outfitters offer ecotours of Apalachicola Bay
and its tributaries, a habitat for birds, river
otters and manatees and a vital fish nursery
for the entire Gulf of Mexico.
For Shore
East of Apalachicola Bay, visitors take an
even deeper detour off the beaten path at
the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area-
with access points south of Perry in Taylor
County-encompassing a large natural tract
of lands that include coastal salt marshes,
wetland hardwood hammocks, flatwoods
and cypress swamps. At Hagen's Cove on
Tide Swamp, visitors go scalloping, fishing
and birdwatching, while the 105-mile Big
Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail-which spans
Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties-takes
them past flocks of pelicans, great egrets
and ospreys.
West of Apalachicola Bay, protection
and preservation are concepts taken very
seriously in South Walton, where 40 percent
of the land is owned by the state and
protected from future development. This
pristine strand of 16 beach neighborhoods
is home to such environmental gems as
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, whose 1,600
Undiscovered Florida
http://visitflorida.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Undiscovered Florida 2016
State of Excitement
North Florida
Central Florida
South Florida
Undiscovered Florida 2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/undiscoveredflorida2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/undiscoveredflorida/2011
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