“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive Revisited
Year: 2018
Hike #7: Hidden Waters Preserve, Eustis
Hike #7, 52 Hike Challenge: Hidden Waters Preserve, Eustis. Nestled off Country Club Drive in Eustis (take East Crooked Lake Road off 441), Hidden Waters Preserve is a hidden gem encompassing 90 acres and featuring a sinkhole lake called Lake Alfred at its center. Visitors can experience six distinctive hiking trails: Lake Alfred Trail (0.6 mile), Hammock Trail (0.2 mile), Ravine Trail (0.4 mile), Prickly Pear Trail (0.3 mile), Longleaf Pine Trail (1.5 miles) and Gopher Tortoise Trail (0.2 mile). By the way, the Preserve was formerly known as the Eichelberger Sink. The elevation change from the edges of the Preserve to the bottom of the sink is 90 feet. Keep an eye out for gopher tortoises (didn’t see any this time out). Hidden Waters Preserve is open daily from 8 AM until sunset. Wildlife sightings: Cooper’s hawk, rabbit. Distance: 3.4 miles.
Green Mountain Overlook
The Green Mountain Overlook and Trailhead in Minneola is located 132 feet above sea level and provides spectacular views of the surrounding area (you may get a glimpse of Lake Apopka in the distance as well). It features a three-story observation tower, picnic tables, restrooms and a water fountain. Hikers can access the Lake Apopka Loop Trail from the Green Mountain Overlook and take an 18-mile trek to Magnolia Park, which lies on the east side of Lake Apopka. Very peaceful! By the way, Green Mountain lies near Sugarloaf Mountain, which, at 312 feet above sea level, is the highest point on the Florida peninsula.
Green Mountain Pizza
On our way to visit the Green Mountain Overlook, we stopped off at Green Mountain Pizza in historic Montverde for a nice lunch. Ideally located on the Green Mountain Scenic Byway, Green Mountain Pizza is billed as “An Italian/American Kitchen in Central Florida’s Countryside!” We had some delicious homemade cheese bread with marinara sauce, as well as a couple slices of tasty pizza. In addition to hand-tossed brick oven pizzas, Green Mountain Pizza offers pasta dishes, calzones, stromboli, hot and cold subs, burgers, wings, breakfast sandwiches and more. Save room for some Bindi desserts (imported directly from Italy) and enjoy an authentic European-style cup of coffee. We’ll definitely be back!
Heartworn Highways
“I don’t envision a long life for myself. Like, I think my life will run out before my work does, y’know? I’ve designed it that way.” – Townes Van Zandt
If you are a fan of legendary singer-songwriters Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Steve Earle, I strongly recommend both of these documentaries: Heartworn Highways (1976) and Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004)!
Key West Aquarium
Postcard Collection
One of the oldest aquariums in the United States, the Key West Aquarium first opened its doors at 1 Whitehead Street on February 18, 1935, as the first tourist attraction in Key West (admission was 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children!). Constructed as part of the Works Progress Administration Program during the Great Depression, the aquarium was the brainchild of Dr. Robert Van Deusen, a director of the Fairmont Park Aquarium in Philadelphia, and originally featured an “open-air concept.” During World War II, the U.S. Government leased the aquarium briefly to the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for use as an indoor rifle range. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Merrill referenced the aquarium in his poem, “Key West Aquarium: The Sawfish.” Current Key West Aquarium exhibits include Alligator Exhibit, Atlantic Shores Exhibit, Jellyfish Exhibit, Feed a Shark, Touch Tank and Sea Turtles Conservation Tour. The Key West Aquarium is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. Admission is $17.19 for adults, $10.74 for children (ages 4-12) and $15.04 for seniors.
Hike #6: Green Springs Park, Enterprise
Hike #6, 52 Hike Challenge: Green Springs Park, Enterprise. Encompassing 36 acres near the north shore of Lake Monroe, Green Springs Park boasts one of Florida’s few green sulfur springs (note: swimming and fishing are not allowed!). We enjoyed strolling on both the paved and natural trails that wind through the park, which also features scenic overlooks, a playground and picnic pavilions. Green Springs Park also serves as a trailhead for both the East Central Regional Rail Trail and Spring-to-Spring Trail. A “hotel for invalids” was built at this site by Cornelius Taylor in 1841 as one of the first health spas in the Sunshine State. Tourists were attracted to the springs in the belief that they could cure various ailments. In the late 1800s, Green Springs was part of a huge estate built by wine importer and steamboat magnate Frederick deBary. Distance: 1.2 miles.
Golden Lion Cafe, Flagler Beach
Billed as “Flagler Beach’s Favorite Beachside Restaurant & Bar,” the Golden Lion Café lies near the heart of this East Coast beach community at 501 North Ocean Shore Boulevard. Bustling, unpretentious and full of eclectic charm, the Golden Lion Café, which is known as “The King of the Beach,” has been voted the #1 Beach Bar on the East Coast of Florida in 2017 by floridabeachbar.com. It features a tiki bar, roof deck, live music (of the Jimmy Buffett, Neil Young and James Taylor variety, at least during our Saturday afternoon visit), gift store and a menu full of delicious seafood, appetizers, wings, sandwiches and more. Recommended menu items include Peel ‘N’ Eat Shrimp and the Chargrilled Jerk Caribbean Wings (next time I want to try the Lobster Guacamole Tostados!). Check it out!
Traveler
Don’t miss the fascinating “Traveler” sculpture by Duane Hanson (1925-96) at the Orlando International Airport. According to a recent OIA twitter post, “‘The Traveler’ is one of our most talked-about art pieces at MCO, the figure is made primarily of bronze and has been in the airport since the 80’s.”
Hike #5: Trimble Park, Tangerine
Hike #5, 52 Hike Challenge: Trimble Park, Tangerine. A very peaceful park to hike on a Sunday morning, Trimble Park on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Tangerine (population: 2,865) offers several lakeside trails and a boardwalk shaded by ancient oak trees. I saw numerous alligator and snake warnings along the trail, but did not view either on this particular hike. By the way, author Pat Frank (1908-64) wrote his classic 1959 post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon (1959) while living in Tangerine. Distance: 1.8 miles.
Wandering Florida 