Get Out: 8 Ways to Discover Central Florida
Do you really need a reason to visit Central Florida? Okay, if you decide to take a break from the parks, here are 8 things worth doing:
1. Still going strong for 55 years, Gatorland is a 110-acres alligator theme park, complete with nature walks and other animals. 
2. Sunken Gardens is St. Petersburg’s oldest living museum. Over one hundred years old, the gardens are home to waterfalls, tropical plants and more.
3. Experience the area’s natural beauty on Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour. This hour-long excursion through Winter Park’s chain of Lakes can prove to your family, why, yes there is more to Central Florida than interstates.
4. Want to see marine life up close, but not too close? The Florida Aquarium offers the perfect opportunity to learn about the state’s underwater world through exhibits. An additional cost to the aquarium admission, and if your family is daring with older children (ages 15 and up) and are SCUBA certified, the aquarium has an opportunity to Dive with Sharks, along with certified dive masters. For younger children and those still scarred by the movie, JAWS, you can opt to swim with the fishes at the Coral Reef exhibit.
5. Take a ride through Central Florida’s Everglades at Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, and see bald eagles and osprey, to name a few, in their natural habitat. Beware of gators! You just might see one – the animal, not the football fan that cheers for University of Florida.
6. Even the the u-pick grove is closed for the summer, you can still enjoy the Showcase of Citrus. Take a eco-tour onboard a monster truck, or arrange for a farm tour on a swamp buggy.
7. Canoe Escape only minutes from Tampa offers self-guided and guided canoeing or kayaking adventures along Hillsborough River. You can see all kinds of wildlife along the stretch.
8. Central Florida is filled with unique State Parks. One in particular is Blue Spring State Park, a designated manatee refuge – home to manatees during the winter. While you cannot swim with them, a riverboat tour is available, as well as hiking trails and camping sites. Other parks worth visiting includes Rock Springs Run State Reserve and Lake Kissimmee State Park. 
Photo credits: (top right) Gatorland 22, flickr, creative commons by ScottW75; (mid left) Orange Splash, flickr, creative commons by TIO; (bottom right) Blue Springs, flickr, creative commons by true2source
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POSTED IN: 8 Ways, Eco-Tourism, Get Out, Southern Byways, State-Parks, Things to See in Florida, Vacation, Weekend Trip, Wild Life, attractions, road trip
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