Our Sunday late afternoon ritual is to head out to Oakland Nature Preserve and take a stroll along the scenic boardwalk to Lake Apopka (about 1.5 miles roundtrip). It’s a great way to get some fresh air and relieve stress before another daunting workweek!
Lake Apopka
Lake Apopka Sunset
After we enjoyed a nice dinner at Winter Garden Pizza Company in downtown Winter Garden last night, we headed over to Newton Park and were fortunate to catch a scenic sunset over Lake Apopka.
Birds of Lake Apopka
Along with plenty of alligators (see previous post), we viewed a variety of bird species at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive over the weekend. Especially great blue herons, anhingas and great egrets!
Gators of Lake Apopka
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the most effortless ways to view alligators in their natural habitat in Central Florida is to take the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. What are you waiting for?
Lake Apopka
One of our favorite walks involves taking the scenic boardwalk at Oakland Nature Preserve to Lake Apopka. Up and back is just about 1 5 miles with some great views along the way. Enjoy your hike!
Fall Colors in Florida?
That’s right! If you’re nostalgic for fall foliage, one of the best places to get an admittedly small glimpse of fall colors is a stroll along the scenic boardwalk at Oakland Nature Preserve. The boardwalk winds its way to Lake Apopka. Check it out!
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.
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
If you have guests visiting Central Florida, the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is the ideal spot to take them to get a taste of Florida wildlife, including Florida alligators, Florida softshell turtles and an incredible diversity of bird species. In fact, more than 360 bird species have been spotted here. Operated by the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is a 11-mile, one-way drive with a speed limit of 10 miles per hour (so budget about 2 hours of your time and get there early to avoid the crowds). By the way, Lake Apopka is the fourth-largest lake in Florida. The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is open 7 AM to 3 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don’t miss it!
Gopher Tortoise, Oakland Nature Preserve
One of our favorite hikes is taking a stroll along the boardwalk to Lake Apopka at Oakland Nature Preserve. This time out we saw a rat snake slithering down a tree, a baby alligator unsuccessfully attempting to eat a baby turtle and this friendly gopher tortoise trying to get some sun. Nice outing!
Wandering Florida 