WINTER IN THE SOUTH

SINCE IT'S COLD, IT MUST BE TIME TO MIGRATE SOUTH!

When you have decided where to visit and make reservations 11 months in advance for popular Florida locations, you sometimes find fantastic hidden gems...and sometimes not.

Our blog locations are gold starred.

ST. JOSEPH PENINSULA STATE PARK, the little gold star south of Panama City

Our first stop was a beautiful park, 50 feet from the Gulf, secluded at the end of a peninsula with plenty of wild life.  Biking and wilderness kayaking are available when the beaches are too cold to enjoy.

  Early January can be chilly in northern Florida.

Our campsite backed up to the wetlands where hundreds of birds nested.

APALACHICOLA, FL  the name is as cute as the town

We arrived around 8:00 AM as people were getting ready for the Oyster festival.

Nothing like fresh fish from Apalachicola.

 This is very much Old Florida and it is nice to see these little communities  able to support themselves with businesses, schools and churches.

HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK, just east of Tampa near Zephyrhills, FL

Four days on the coast was too short, but 7 days at this state park, one of the oldest in the system, was a bit too long.  We selected it because there is historical significance, but it was limited.

Fort Foster is a reconstructed fort that was active during the Seminole wars, 20 years prior to the Civil war.  The park does host reenactments and traditional "Dinner Under the Stars" at the fort with costumed characters which made for a nice evening.

There is kayaking for those brave people who don't mind alligator companions.  Even though the temperature climbed into the 80s, the beautiful pool on the property was closed for the winter.

Fort Foster

Dinner at the fort.

Fort defenders in costume.

Tampa RV Show

           A unexpected highlight of the week was the Tampa RV Show which is one of the largest in North America.  We actually spent the entire day at the State Fair grounds watching the entertainment, listening to seminars, checking out the newest Airstreams,  visiting a 2 million dollar Newell motor coach and inspecting every RV on the market.

This is silly..

but camping in this 2 million dollar motorhome is sillier! (but beautiful)

Hundreds of stollers, but everyone was for dogs!

SEBRING, FLORIDA  and HIGHLAND HAMMOCK STATE PARK 60 miles south of Orlando, one of our favorite stops in Florida.

We again saw our good friend, Dr. Ken, at his Florida home in Sebring, FL.  Sebring is a cute little town surrounded by orange groves, golf courses and beautiful lakes (that you can't swim in!) Delicious restaurants and a cute shops complete this beautiful and inexpensive community 1 hour south of Orlando. 

Hammack Highland State Park has so much to offer to the biker and hiker and wilderness explorer.                                                                                                                                                                 

 We only allowed about 4 days here, but next time we will plan a longer stay. The park is biking distance from town along a designated path, but is still remote and peaceful.

The ranger gave a 90 minute narrated tram tour of restricted public access areas for $5.00 each. A treat not to be passed up.

This mom alligator builds a mound to deposit her eggs.  The temperature of the eggs as they develop determines the sex of the babies.  The little ones will stay with the mom for a few years.

Armadillos are at home in the park, but are considered invasive.

TRAVELERS REST RV PARK, Dade City

In the middle of rural Florida cattle country, this RV park appears like an oasis.  Travelers Rest previously was an Airstream only park, but now is a mixture of homes, park models and RV sites offering activities much like Florida's famous Villages.  A 9- hole golf course, a pool, tennis courts, and large activity center for entertainment welcomes you.  We spent a month here.  After one visit, many visitors decide to put roots here because the residents are exceptionally warm and the facilities and activities are so attractive.  The park and activities are run by volunteers.

We don't play golf, but I had fun learning to play the dulcimer!  One of the golf pros walked up to Denny, who was on the driving range, and gave him a lesson .  Those small kind acts makes this park!

This is a place where simple pleasures are very delightful.  White pelicans are not rare, but the fact that they migrate as far north as Illinois was interesting to me.  On a lake on the property, one solo pelican arrived for 2 days.  Then suddenly, hundreds arrived. Residents remark that this happens every couple of years. What a sight and every resident came to see the spectacle and watch the birds feed.  It is almost like a ballet.  Then suddenly, after 3 days, they were all gone!

We joined a kayaking group from Travelers Rest at Weeke Wachee Springs where  the gators aren't a problem.  We are joining a couple from the park at Brown County State Park in Indiana on our way north.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

ATLANTIS, retired space shuttle

The Space Center was a fascinating trip. Not only was it informative, but exhibits are updated regularly.  Offerings include a narrated bus tour of the launching pads, 2 IMAX movies (Mars, and the Space Station), and a building which housed the Atlantis Space Shuttle exhibit.  We were there a full day.

All the private space companies connected with NASA are right on the property.  All the launches take place at Kennedy but mission control is in Houston, Texas. At the start of the program, President Johnson was in the White House and he wanted his state to have a part of the space industry.

Just a side note:  Astronauts were driven to the launching pads in a specially fitted Airstream which is on display!

Disney, Orlando

You can't go to Florida without seeing the Disney parks, especially since we are now Florida residents.  We get half off tickets!  Three full days of open to close was fun, but did require recuperation.  It was nice to see a few new offerings this year at Disney.

RAINBOW SPRINGS STATE PARK, near Dunnellon, FL in Central Florida

I only include this place because the springs in Florida are unique compared to the rest of the state.
The headwaters for the Rainbow River is a crystal clear spring.  Alligators can't survive in such clear water, so people are allowed to swim in the river.  The best part is the temperature is a constant 72 degrees year round!

We heard that one spring in Florida actually did attract an alligator, but he was removed.

The longer we stayed here, the more we enjoyed this peaceful camping park and the Rainbow River.  This is a must for our next Florida adventure.

The river runs toward the Gulf and is rather deep.

We rented a kayak and enjoyed the company of river otters and numerous species of birds.

The remainder of our winter in Florida includes our favorite places such as Cedar Key and a second visit to Sebring.  Calloway Gardens in Georgia and the northern Georgia mountains are on the itinerary on our return trip to Michigan.

Since half of the Michigan population migrates for the winter or visits Florida, we thought it best to only show some of our favorite places and not all of our travels.  When we discover fun and interesting locations, we will be sure to write about it.

Heading north at the end of March!!