[Flickr/rwoan]
Outside of theme park mayhem, suburban sprawl, and superimposed, hyper-stacked tourist shops, Orlando boasts a number of amazing encounters with nature that will easily wow you, perhaps even more so than Orlando’s most famous attractions. Two are described below.
Boggy Creek Airboat Rides (2001 E. Southport Road, Kissimmee): Who knew that Florida’s best airboat experience was found in Central Florida? Contrary to the limited mobility of the shallow southern Everglades, the barrier regions of the Central Florida Everglades include large lakes, allowing airboats to easily reach speeds of 45 m.p.h. The rides at Boggy Creek allow you to get up close and personal with your Everglades favorites, such as the American alligator, while possibly seeing more elusive species such as the protected Sandhill Crane. Most importantly, Boggy Creek encompasses an area that houses the second largest population of bald eagles in U.S. (Alaska is number one). Forty-five nesting pairs have been documented on Lake Tohopekaliga, where your airboat experience takes place! Your launching point is a thirty-minute drive from the Ginn Reunion Resort.
[Flickr/Kissimmee – The Heart of Florida]
Florida Eco-Safari (4755 N. Kenansville Road, St. Cloud): Spread over 4700 acres of private wilderness and over three different ecosystems, Florida Eco-Safari takes visitors on a journey through some of Orlando’s greatest patches of remaining forest. Most recently, they have introduced the first and only flat-line zip-line course in the US. Gliding 55 feet above the forest via seven zip lines, nine observation platforms, and two sky bridges, the Florida Eco-Safari provides an exhilarating birds-eye view of the Orlando forest canopy. Getting to the eco-safari is a bit of trek, slightly less than an hour from the J.W. Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes and most Disney properties.
– Paul Rubio
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