What’s not to love about a county where the commercial district of its sole city looks like circa 1940 Florida? A destination where stargazers will find the only certified “Dark Sky’” site in Florida? A region encompassing the waters of Florida’s largest freshwater lake as well as the vanishing traces of a frontier outpost?

It’s all in Okeechobee County, where pure old-fashioned Florida waits for you around every bend.

Okeechobee Is Okee-Dokey 

Okeechobee County itself sits contentedly in the center of the state, easily accessible to either coast yet nestled in a small home town hub.  It’s been like this since the county was formed in 1917. And when you arrive in the town of Okeechobee, at the “Crossroads of South Florida” (U.S. 441 & S.R. 70), there’s a distinct feeling of nostalgia. 

Here in the main commercial district, locals shop at the boutiques, appliance shops, furniture stores, and restaurants lined up alongside a series of beautiful green spaces called Flagler Parks. The scene is one of good old-fashioned Americana as teens hang out beneath Seminole chickee huts and tourists stop to take pictures of the tank, and helicopterm and take time to remember special veterans whose names are displayed in the park.

As they have since the 1950s, locals still gather at Gladys’ Restaurant for home-cooked meals, while a few minutes south on 78W at Ferrell’s Produce Market, shoppers pick up fresh-squeezed orange juice as well as fruits and vegetables fresh from the abundant farms that fill the region.  At the Okeechobee Cattleman’s Association Rodeo Arena, there’s the Cowtown Spring Rodeo in March and the Pete Clemons Memorial Ranch Rodeo in September, held after the Labor Day Festival hosted by Main Street in the downtown parks.

From the junction, it’s only a few miles south to the lake via 441, but on the way take a short detour. At 610 SW 2nd Ave., artist John Gutcher created a larger-than-life mural celebrating the heritage of Seminoles and local settlers. The history of Okeechobee can be found on murals throughout town, but at roughly half a football field long it’s this 1996 painting that is most impressive.

Where Highway 441 T’s at the lake’s north shore, you’ll spy an access road that scales the levee. If you’ve never seen The Big O before (or even if you have) the view can take your breath away. At 730 square miles, this is Florida’s largest freshwater lake. While photos are best taken from the top of the levee, a pier located at Clif Betts Jr Lakeside Recreation Area is at the water’s edge and a wonderful place to get a little closer to the lake known by members of the Hitchiti tribe as ‘oki’ (water) and ‘chubi’ (big). These waters are big -- roughly half the size of Rhode Island!

Chances are you’ll see fishermen casting lines and nets and boaters enjoying a day on the water. If you’d like to join them, call Garrard’s Bait and Tackle, Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters, or Fast Break Bait and Tackle to set you up for your own fishing excursion or you can take an airboat tour with Eaglebay Airboats.

If you follow the shoreline east via 441, you’ll see signs pointing the way to the Okeechobee Battlefield Historic State Park. It’s hard to understand why, but for well over a century the U.S. government was determined to take land from Native Americans. On Christmas Day 1837, Okeechobee was the front line in that ongoing fight. On that day, roughly 800 soldiers and volunteers under the command of Colonel (later President) Zachary Taylor fought 500 Seminole and Miccosukee warriors in a full-scale battle. After this, neither side engaged in major confrontations. The Seminoles would eventually find sanctuary in the Everglades, outlasting the army to remain the only unconquered tribe in America. To commemorate this event, each year the Okeechobee Battlefield Friends stage an event that includes arts, folk music, pow-wow dancing, and a reenactment of the battle.

The 15 or so miles before you cross into neighboring Martin County are among the most casual you’ll find in Florida, especially when you’re taken back in time by the sight of log cabins and Cracker cottages, and when you see signs pointing to ‘L.OS.T’ (the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail) where you can drive atop the levee and take in The Big O from a new vantage point. Keep in mind these sights are on 441 East. At the T in Okeechobee, Highway 78 leads west and takes you past mobile home parks, fishing camps, county parks, and sprawling pastures that are popular with grazing cattle. At the Kissimmee River, Glades County begins – but not before showing you several more reasons to appreciate the simple beauty of Okeechobee County.

And there’s more to come. 

Frontier Florida

In Okeechobee County, unincorporated areas outnumber towns by about 26-to-1. With most development concentrated near the lake, emptiness fills the northernmost reaches of the county, emptiness interrupted by places like Ancient Oaks, Hilolo, Dixie Ranch Acres, and Okeechobee Little Farms. Since there’s no one way to map out a road trip that ties all of these places together, perhaps the best way to enjoy the county is to pull out a map, select a few two-lane roads, and then see what you’ll find.

Thank Your Lucky Stars

If you’ve explored Florida at all, you’ve likely noticed it doesn’t take too much time or too many miles to work your way out of a city and into the country. But there’s no country like the 54,000 acres you’ll find at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in the northwest section of the county.

Located about 20 miles west of U.S. 441, it takes some effort to reach this rural outpost. And even when you enter the gates, it’s still another five miles before you reach the park office. The honor system admission expects you to deposit $4 in an envelope into an “iron ranger.” While you might expect the five-mile stretch to be woefully dull, it’s actually wonderfully fascinating. This is the largest remaining stretch of Florida dry prairie, and there’s something enchanting about the sheer emptiness that surrounds you. It’s no problem to stop the car, set your camera on “panorama,” and capture a scene that would be familiar to Cracker cowboys from the 1880s and Seminole Indians from the 1830s.

The landscape appears so unchanged that the park has become a favorite destination for hikers, bicyclists and, especially, riders on horseback who travel here to follow nearly 100 miles of equestrian trails through prairies, wetlands and shady hammocks. If a day trip isn’t enough, a special equestrian campground includes paddocks for horses. Nearby, a full-facility campground loop is an option for regular campers.

Between November and mid-March, ranger-led prairie buggy tours will take you to the farthest regions of the park with the chance to see local residents including bobcats, deer, owls, and wild turkeys. Cooler months also attract birdwatchers. Migrating birds follow the Great Florida Birding Trail to their winter home to join the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, Crested Caracara, and Burrowing Owl who call this land home. 

One resident you won’t find is the Carolina Parakeet. To commemorate the bird whose last-known nest was found here, renowned artist Todd McGrain started the Lost Bird Project. Placed at the preserve is an impressive statue named Caroline, whose beak points toward the GPS coordinates of the last-known nest of a species hunted into extinction. You’ll see it just outside the park office.

After the sun disappears beyond the Kissimmee River, stars begin to shine overhead. And then there are more. And more. And more.

With virtually no light pollution leaching into the sky, millions of stars can be seen, especially in winter months. Since this is a state park that closes at dusk, after-hours visits are still being coordinated for guests who want to visit without staying overnight, but for amateur astronomers, curious stargazers, and anyone who's in awe of the universe love this chance to see the heavens as they were meant to be seen.

Then again, wherever you travel on Okeechobee County, things are looking up.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is a favorite birding spot-- and you can't beat it on a starry night.

 

When you go…

Okeechobee is known as the Bass Capital of the World.  Located on the northern shore of the second largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States.  This small hometown community is centrally located so a quick drive to just about anywhere but easy enough to come back and relax for the evening.  This community is a nature lover’s paradise that speaks to the outdoor enthusiast. 

Top Activities in Okeechobee County:

Fishing
Hunting
Birdwatching
Hiking
Biking

For More Information

Okeechobee County in 60 Seconds

Places to Remember

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