NORTH FLORIDA
Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT)
Each winter as snowbirds flock to Florida, following in their wake are hundreds of species of migrating birds including raptors, songbirds, and wading birds which likewise prefer the warm winter sun of Pensacola Bay and its adjacent rivers, estuaries, and marshlands. Locally, this renowned migration route offers nearly a dozen birdwatching locations where, on foot or while exploring via a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard, you’ll find yourself surrounded by nature as you savor the beauty and the timeless tranquility of birdwatching.
Gulf Islands National Seashore.
When a Southerner tells you they’re wintering in LA, don’t assume they mean California. Hundreds of miles of Gulf of America shoreline affectionately coined ‘LA’ (for ‘Lower Alabama’) are part of America’s longest stretch of protected shoreline; its powder-soft white sands creating a subtropical twist on the snow-covered slopes of the north. Just gas up the car (a convertible will do), roll down the windows, and spend a few days coasting through the towns and villages that line the turquoise waters.
Fishing.
Pensacola’s backyard is the Gulf of America and this plus three sprawling bays and the Blackwater River provide it with challenging offshore sport fishing teamed with a diverse population of freshwater fish. Anglers are on the waters all year ‘round, while in the winter months northern visitors are especially eager to exchange freezing ice fishing for pleasingly nice fishing from bridges, docks, piers, and aboard deep-sea charters.
Kiteboarding
A notable moment in outdoor recreation came when someone with a surfboard and a parachute thought they belonged together. The result led to the invigorating sport of kiteboarding, whose popularity reaches a peak along this stretch of coastline thanks to warm winter waters and a steady, snapping breeze that propels these sleek watercraft across the Gulf. Just getting started? Check out vendors such as Kitty Hawk Kites and Emerald Coast Kitesurfing Lessons for rental equipment and instruction.
Snorkeling
Contrasting dreary gray winter months up north with the sight of the Gulf’s clean blue waters can fill nature lovers with a sense of discovery and a bit of aquatic anticipation. Just 300 yards off the coast, the Navarre Beach Gulf Snorkel Reef is your portal into the undersea world. Easily accessible to swimmers (and easier still via raft or paddleboard), this artificial reef introduces you to marine life including schools of tropical fish along with sea turtles, dolphins, and octopuses that frequent this sea life sanctuary.
Birding and Butterflies
Each year, Florida’s capital city finds itself in the right place (along two migratory pathways) at the right time (winter) for birdwatchers. That’s when more than 300 species of birds as well as thousands of butterflies flutter about state parks, wildlife preserves, and coastal sanctuaries. From Tallahassee south to the coast, mark your maps and explore the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, the Apalachicola National Forest, Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, Lake Elberta Park, and the L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife and Environmental Area.
Canopy Roads
Branching out from the heart of Tallahassee are nearly 80 miles of picture-perfect country roads where the overhanging limbs of huge moss-draped live oaks, sweet gums, hickory trees and pines create the purely Southern scene of an arboreal canopy. On a winter’s day, this can be a sensational sensation-filled road trip as you turn off the air conditioner, roll down the windows, and soak in the crisp cool breeze on a personal voyage of discovery.
Trails
The city’s gently rolling hills, flowing rivers, and wooded forests provide a natural setting for hundreds of miles of winter weather biking, hiking, equestrian, paddling, mountain bike, and running trails – a distinction that sparked the nickname (and the website) Trailahassee.com where you’ll find interactive mapping, GPS technology, personalized features, and details on outfitters and trail associations.
Wakulla Springs
With waters surging to the surface at a constant 70 degrees, a swim in Florida’s largest and deepest freshwater spring may seem pleasingly warm; especially when the ambient temperature dips below a balmy 70 and the spring waters feel like a tepid bath. The spring is the source of the crystal-clear Wakulla River, a natural treasure for kayaking and canoeing where paddlers/nature photographers are focused on fish, manatees, turtles, native wildlife, migratory birds as well as alligators lazing on the banks in the warm winter sun.
Timucuan Preserve
Complementing the city’s 400 winter-perfect parks with a 1500s French fort, an 1800s plantation, and a recreation of a Timacua village is the National Park Service’s Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve. As one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands along the Atlantic, this is an excellent environment for heading outdoors and exploring the marshes, coastal dunes, and the hardwood hammocks which served as home for indigenous peoples across 6,000 years of human history.
7 Creeks Recreation Area
In 2020, seven national, state, and city parks were merged into an expansive 5,000-acre recreational area of saltwater marshes, cypress swamps, and coastal forests with more than 30 miles of open and wooded trails creating a natural destination for hiking, biking, birdwatching, and horseback riding. Woven into this diverse landscape are seven creeks that provide travelers the option to explore backwaters via canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards.
George Crady Fishing Pier State Park
North of Jacksonville, the span that once linked Amelia Island and Big Talbot Island may be the only American bridge-turned fishing pier-turned state park. Load up your fishing gear and join dozens of anglers rolling carts packed with fishing poles, tackle, food, radios, chairs, and umbrellas along the mile-long pedestrian bridge. After you’ve found a spot, drop a line and wait to hook up with whiting, jack, drum, and tarpon swimming in the waters where the Amelia River merges into Nassau Sound.
Historic District
With its compact historic district and bayfront setting, America’s oldest city is also one of its most walkable. The circa 1672 Castillo de San Marcos makes a good starting point before following the waterfront promenade along the broad waters of Matanzas Bay. Consider crossing the bay via the historic Bridge of Lions before returning to the heart of town through the Plaza de la Constitucion and on to the Lightner Museum and Flagler College (once the grand Ponce de Leon Hotel) before weaving your way through narrow streets and alleys to complete your round trip with a walk down the popular St. George Street pedestrian mall.
St. Augustine Lighthouse
Not a recreational sport, per se, climbing the 219 steps to the top of this iconic beacon is a challenge. At the peak, you’ll catch your breath before views of the coastline take your breath away. Easily visible in the distance is the historic district and, tucked between Salt Run and the Atlantic Ocean is 1,600-acre Anastasia State Park, a barrier island and coastal preserve of unspoiled beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks, and ancient sand dunes that create a destination for swimming, camping, boating, fishing, shelling, bird watching, surfing, and hiking.
