“Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.” – Steven Wright
Year: 2020
A Christmas Carol (1971)
My favorite animated version of A Christmas Carol, this hidden gem actually features the voices of Alastair Sim as Scrooge and Michael Hordern as Marley’s Ghost – both reprising their roles from the definitive filmed version of A Christmas Carol in 1951. Directed by Richard Williams and first broadcast on ABC on December 21, 1971, A Christmas Carol deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The innovative animation is simply outstanding (reportedly due to “Master Animator” Ken Harris) and a pleasure to watch! A Christmas Carol also features narration by Michael Redgrave and veteran animator Chuck Jones served as executive producer. This amazing version of A Christmas Carol makes the most of its abbreviated, 25-minute running time, although I wish it had been given the full feature-length treatment! For the definitive guide on A Christmas Carol film and TV adaptations, visit my article Celebrating Dickens: The 25 Days of A Christmas Carol Challenge.
Lake Hiawatha Preserve
Looking for a place to enjoy the great outdoors in Clermont just minutes from downtown? Look no farther than Lake Hiawatha Preserve! Ideally located adjacent to Lake Hiawatha and Lake Minneola, 220-acre Lake Hiawatha Preserve features hiking and biking trails, picnic pavilion, two dog parks, a playground and plenty of shady trees to relax under and enjoy a good book. In addition, the Lake Minneola-Clermont Scenic Trail runs right through Lake Hiawatha Preserve. Check it out!
Dream Lake Park
“Dream Lake Park is a beautiful, 1.9 acre park located on the shore of Dream Lake [in Apopka]. It is the perfect destination to unwind with a good book or enjoy a relaxing picnic lunch on the lakefront.”
Sabal Point Sanctuary
After planning to hike Sabal Point Sanctuary for more than a year or so now, we finally got the opportunity to sample this scenic Florida wilderness area last week and were not disappointed! Encompassing more than 600 acres, Sabal Point Sanctuary features a linear 3.5-mile hiking and biking trail that starts at a small parking area within a Longwood neighborhood. Wildlife that call Sabal Point Sanctuary home include deer, otters, wild turkeys, limpkins and even black bears. Due to time constraints, we only did about a 3-mile hike. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife on this outing, but we will be back soon!
Newton Park Wildlife
Just minutes from downtown Winter Garden lies Newton Park, a scenic lakefront park overlooking Lake Apopka that offers the perfect locale for Florida wildlife viewing such as alligators, turtles and a wide variety of bird species. In fact, we visit Newton Park a couple of times a week and have never been disappointed when it comes to viewing Florida wildlife in its natural habitat. Newton Park features a fishing pier, boat launch, playground and covered pavilion. Check it out!
Back to Lake Apopka
If you want to view Florida wildlife and social distance with little effort at the same time, the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is the perfect choice! More than 360 bird species have been observed here and you are almost guaranteed to see at least a couple of alligators along the way as well. Note that the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 7 AM and 3 PM. In addition, the Wildlife Drive gets crowded during this time of year, so budget at least 1 to 3 hours for your outdoor adventure.
Enchanted Forest Revisited
It’s been some time since we spent a morning wandering the scenic trails of Enchanted Forest Sanctuary, so we headed out there last Saturday. A couple of the trails were a little soggy, but we had a great outing just the same. One of the gopher tortoises at the entrance even stuck his head out to greet us! All in all, a really nice hike and highly recommended if you’re ever visiting the Titusville area along the fabled Space Coast.
Lazy Day at the SandBar
We spent a recent Saturday at Capt. Hiram’s SandBar in Sebastian and had a blast as usual! There’s nothing like an afternoon at the SandBar where you can enjoy some great food (the Asian Tuna Nachos are highly recommended!), drink some amazing cocktails, listen to live music and simply soak in the laid-back atmosphere. Check it out!
Turkey Creek Sanctuary
As soon as we left the parking lot and made our way through the entrance of 130-acre Turkey Creek Sanctuary and walked as far as the boardwalk, a light drizzle turned into a significant downpour and unfortunately we had to abort our hike. However, this well-maintained sanctuary looks like an amazing spot in Palm Bay to enjoy the great Florida outdoors and we will return soon! By the way, Turkey Creek Sanctuary was established in 1981 and features not only the 1.85-mile boardwalk, but 1.5 miles of jogging trails, a one-mile mountain bike trail, the Margaret Hines Nature Center and more. It is part of the East Florida section of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Wildlife that call Turkey Creek Sanctuary home include Florida cooters, manatees, alligators, otters, ospreys and owls.
Wandering Florida 