Central Florida

Saturday Morning at Gemini Springs

reweidman50 Florida Hiking Trails, Florida Parks, Florida Springs, Uncategorized , , , , ,

One of my favorite places to wander in Central Florida, 212-acre Gemini Springs Park is located in the charming town of DeBary. It’s peaceful (no swimming in the springs allowed), there are some scenic hiking trails and you will almost always get a glimpse of wildlife here.

Orlando Wetlands Park Revisited

reweidman50 Florida Softshell Turtle, Florida Wildlife, Uncategorized , , ,

As I mentioned before, few natural places (if any) in Central Florida can surpass Orlando Wetlands Park in Christmas when it comes to viewing Florida wildlife, including alligators and a myriad of bird species. Last time out, I spotted this softshell turtle chilling out under a bench. Very cool!

Black Bear Wilderness Area

reweidman50 Florida Black Bear, Florida Wildlife, Uncategorized , , , ,


With urban sprawl threatening preservation efforts everywhere throughout Central Florida, 1,600-acre Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford provides a welcome glimpse of wilderness amid a nightmarish sea of cul-de-sacs, strip malls and office parks. When I arrived around 10 AM last Sunday morning, the parking lot was already full, so I had to park along the street outside. The trail itself is an often rugged 7.1-mile loop (part of which runs near the St. Johns River) and features 14 numbered boardwalks, but I only had time to do a brief sampler. So I first ventured out counterclockwise for about a mile and then hiked about a mile the other way. The trail is simply amazing and I saw two alligators sunning. Florida Black Bear sighting are apparently common here, but I had no such luck. I will be back soon to hike the entire loop at Black Bear Wilderness Area!