Lion Country Safari
I used to daydream about assisting Marlin Perkins on "Wild Kingdom," so as I drive south toward Miami, I can't resist the temptation to experience the wilds at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee.
America's first drive-thru cageless zoo, Lion Country Safari keeps humans in the cage of their cars as lions, giraffes, monkeys, rhinos and even wildebeest roam freely. I must admit that I'm a little nervous when the attendant at the entrance hands me a detailed pamphlet and tells me that the wild animals may come right up to my car. I become even more squeamish when he reminds me that the rhinos have the right-of-way (however, he assures me that I have nothing to worry about).
The drive-through park with more than 900 animals is divided into seven areas that mimic regions of Africa, India and South America. I enter Las Pampas, named for the grasslands of South America. No concern for my vehicle here. Tapirs, which to me look like pigs with long legs, look up at me as I pass.
As I pull into the Ruaha National Park section, I experience a moment of girly awe. Two female Impala antelopes, delicate creatures whose tan and white fur looks as soft as a teddy bear, are bathing one another with licks of the tongue. I want to herd them into my car and take them home, but there just isn't room.
It's not until I reach the Gorongosa Reserve that I see the park's namesake. A pride of lions are stretched out sleeping underneath a large tree. Only an occasional swish of a tail tells me they are alive. It's noon and hot. I find out later that they are most active in the morning and late afternoons.
In the Serengeti Plains, I find a pair of ostriches only too eager to greet me. The two towering birds stand on the side of the road looking toward my car as if they want to hitch a ride. So, I stop. One comes up to my passenger window and cocks his head to the side as he checks me out. I kick myself for not getting more batteries for my camera. But then again, it's not a sight
I can forget.
My hour-and-a-half-long self-guided tour ends where my trepidation began - the white rhinoceros. Much to my relief, they paid about as much attention to me as the lions did. But a smacking giraffe looked my way with mild interest. The striped zebras were too busy grazing to notice.
The Safari also has a walk-through park where you can take boat rides, feed a giraffe, cool off in the water park, see spider monkeys and pet a pygmy goat and other more docile wild animals. For an unforgettable sleep, pitch your tent in the park's KOA campgrounds next door.
Miami Seaquarium
Dolphins from St. Augustine to Key West were drawing laughs before Mickey and Goofy were born. Although the older marine parks can't compete with the newer SeaWorld Orlando in size, the Miami Seaquarium, Theater of the Sea, and Marineland make up for it with intimacy and character.
After all, it's pretty tough to compete with the playfulness and innocence of Flipper the dolphin and his lagoon at the Miami Seaquarium. The Flipper TV series was filmed here, and the park continues to be Flipper's home. More than 50 years later, Miami Seaquarium is the longest operating oceanarium in the U.S.
Because of this famous dolphin's nostalgic charm, my husband, James, and I make our first stop at Flipper Lagoon, where Atlantic bottlenose dolphins dance across the water to show tunes. Needless to say, part of the fun is the kitsch. But their leaps, spins, tail walks and flips are enough to draw our awe and get us a little wet. We sit in the splash zone.
It takes us three hours to see the park's four shows and watch 200-pound sharks eat lunch while an animal marine specialist tells us about different shark species. We lament that we didn't make reservations to follow the path of many celebrities and swim with the dolphins in the Dolphin Odyssey program. The one-half-hour program allows you to touch and hug the dolphins. Reservations are a must.
While you're in the area, check out other tropical wildlife at Jungle Island in Miami, famous for its bird shows.
Theater of the Sea
Farther south, another marine park offers a chance to swim not only with the dolphins, but also sea lions and stingrays. Theater of the Sea in Islamorada is about half the size of the Miami Seaquarium, but offers closer experiences with marine life without going for a dolphin swim.
I am able to sign up to swim with the dolphins only three hours before it starts, but during the season, reservations are taken weeks in advance. However, in the meantime, I watch the dolphin show and am one of six chosen from the small audience to meet a dolphin up close. Satisfied with my dolphin encounter, I change my reservation to instead frolic in the shallow waters with the sea lions.
I wade into the clear waters with a small group of children and join more than a dozen friendly and whiskery sea lions. One in particular pals up with me. I call him Slick (so original), shake his fin and let him sniff my cheek.
The sea lion swim lasts about one hour, including the educational pre-swim. Afterwards, I lounge on the beach and watch kids play in the waves.
Having no sea legs, I pass on the four-hour sightseeing cruise which includes time spent snorkeling but make plans to return for the stingray swim.
Key West Aquarium
The Key West Aquarium may be small, but it is far from insignificant. Within footsteps of famous Mallory Square, the aquarium is Key West's oldest attraction. Built during the Depression by the Works Progress Administration, it is the world's first open-air aquarium. However, now much of the building is enclosed to allow all-weather viewing.
As I stumble in from the rain, I am grateful for this. For once I find myself entering a marine park to get dry.
The first thing I notice is the tidiness of the old, well-preserved building. Within a few steps inside I see sharks and rays in the long marine tank that runs the length of the building.
I join in on a tour as a guide points out seahorses and a giant spiny lobster. The guide moves along to identify hundreds of other colorful fish and sealife living in the numerous tanks along the walls.
My favorite part of the tour is watching the indoor sharks dine. I get to see the predators eat up close, behind the safety of glass. Even though they are smaller than Jaws, you get a sense of their table manners.
Outside it has conveniently stopped raining. The group is led through the backdoor to an enclosed ocean cove where larger sharks circle in a Pavlovian way. It's feeding time. As a shark lifts from the water to grab a piece of meat, it's clear this no place to take a dip.
Double Back
That's a Tyrannosaurus rex peeking through the tree tops just off Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando, inviting you to stop and tour an ancient past. He's one of 150 life-size prehistoric creatures at Dinosaur World in Plant City.
Bone up on your prehistoric species as you stroll the park and read the identifying signs. You can also dig for fossils in a paleontological setting, and tour the hands-on dinosaur museum.
Wish Upon a Star
Peculiar things happen when you combine 11 million pounds of Florida coral and a man's abundance of free time. The Coral Castle in Homestead, built over 28 years by one, five-foot-tall, 100-pound man, still stands as a testament to determination.
Get inspiration for your home renovation by touring this mysterious house furnished with stone rocking chairs, a sun couch, a table in the shape of the state of Florida, a solar bath, a nine-ton gate, sundial and Polaris telescope.
Latvian immigrant stonemason Ed Leedskalnin moved stones as heavy as 28 tons in the cloak of night to create his castle. Leedskalnin moved the mammoth stones without mechanical equipment.
The castle is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Forty-five-minute tours are offered year 'round. Well worth the time, even you don't plan on building your own monument.
