Green Springs Park and Gemini Springs (Enterprise, FL)

Green Spring

What a cool place this is!  The park is small with various short hiking paths.  The paths are various degrees of difficulty, but anyone should be able to get to the spring viewing area. 

Green Spring Hiking

This blog is going to be mostly pictures, because what can I saw except green, green, and more green!

What makes this spring special is its milky green color.  Apparently this color is caused by green Sulphur and there aren't other publically accessible springs like it around any longer.  It is very beautiful and peaceful. 







Coral Snake

Do beware of snakes while you are there (or anywhere in Florida).  We saw this beautiful, but dangerous Coral Snake underneath the viewing platform.

There is no swimming in this spring.  There is a play ground and a couple of nice pavilions.  It would be a really unique place to have a wedding, but I don't know if you can actually do that there.



Gemini Spring

If you would like a longer outing there is a Spring to Spring trail that goes from Green Springs to Gemini Springs.  Gemini Springs is a larger recreational area with fishing and kayaking/boating as well as a dog park and playground.  The two springs at Gemini are pretty, but traditional clear water.

Tips:   The terrain isn't rugged, so sturdy sandals are fine for walking...except, well, snakes. 

Website Green Spring:  http://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/green-spring-park.stml







Website Gemini Spring:  http://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/gemini-springs-park.stml

Ginnie Springs (High Springs, FL)

Florida Springs are something everyone in Florida knows about and nobody who doesn't live here seems to understand, if they even know they exist.  Tourists want to see Disney and all of the theme parks, but they miss what Florida really is.  They go home with a great memory, but not the one I would want them to have.

There are a lot of springs on private land and in state parks that offer a bunch of different amenities.  This blog is only about Ginnie Springs.  I'll talk about some of my other favorites later.

Ginnie Springs is best known for its camping and tubing down the river.  The springs are a constant chilly 70ish degrees, but that is a great temperature for Florida summers.  The Santa Fe river is slightly warmer.

Aside from tubing in the water, you can dive, snorkel, swim, and fish.  It is about a 15 minute walk from the top of the tube run to the bottom and takes about an hour in the tube. 

This is a private spring and as such has its own fee schedule.  You can check out the costs for admission, camping, and equipment rentals on their web page. 

You should note that if you are looking for quiet out of the way interaction with nature, Ginnie Springs is probably not the right park for you.  This park is very popular with the college crowd from both University of Florida and Florida State University, so expect a bit of a party atmosphere.  Alcohol is ubiquitous.  Quiet hours don't start until midnight, so don't expect to get a lot of sleep.

Also note it is very busy on holiday weekends and spring weekends.  Make reservations early and arrive early to get a good spot.

Tips:  No pets allowed.

Everything at the camp store is a bit expensive, so plan ahead.

You can save some money by bringing your own floating devices.

Website:  http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com/

Bok Tower (Lake Wales)

 

 

Bok Tower and Gardens is an interesting day trip from the Space Coast.  The tower itself is built on one of Florida's few high points called Iron Mountain.  The tower houses a 60 bell carillon and is known as the singing tower.  There is a reflecting pond near the tower with swans and beautiful flowers. 




The rest of the gardens is a constantly changing, blooming flower garden and bird sanctuary.  It is worth a nice walk around on any sunny day. 

Events are being held at the gardens year round.  Many involve musical concerts.  Some are for children to learn and explore.  Others involve learning gardening techniques.  Whatever your interest, you are likely to find an event at Bok Tower and Gardens.

It is also a beautiful venue for a wedding or other event.  The information for renting their facilities is available on their website.  There is also a café that caters and a gift shop on the property.

Along with hiking trails, gardens, and bird watching, there are several opportunities to geocache on the property.  Geocaching is a popular outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices (you can get an app for your smart phone to participate). Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.
The rules are very simple:

1. Take something from the cache.
2. Leave something in the cache.
3. Write about your find in the log book.
4. Log your experience at www.geocaching.com

I enjoy geocaching as it provides an opportunity to see a place I might have overlooked in just walking around an area, including in these gardens.

Tips:  Check the website events calendar before you go.  The gardens are open every day, but you might be able to see something extra special with a little planning.

Bring water to drink and pack a picnic lunch!  There are specified picnic areas on the grounds.

Pets are not allowed in the gardens; however, they do have a place for pets to stay during your visit.

Most areas of the park are accessible and a shuttle is available during specific times of year.

Website:  https://boktowergardens.org/

Kayaking

a double kayak

There are a lot of fantastic places to kayak on the Space Coast!  Any google search will show you all of the boat ramps in Brevard County.  The best kayaking will normally be at any ramp that is for non-motorized craft only, but there are exceptions to that rule. 



A manatee in the canal in Thousand Islands

One of my favorite places to kayak is in the thousand islands area in Cocoa Beach.  The boat ramp at the end of the aptly named Boat Ramp Road is a great place to drop your kayak in the water.  The area there is full off shallow lagoons and mangroves along with a deepwater canal for the bigger boats to use. 



I don't recommend getting this close, but sometimes it is
hard to get out of the way.

Wildlife viewing is great in this area as well.  Manatees are often present in the canals near the houses.  Dolphins skim by in the canals and even in the lagoons where the water is deep enough for fishing.  Birds are everywhere.  Some people even fish from kayaks out here.

Other nice areas to explore:  The Grand Canal south of Pineda Causeway.  Drop in at the causeway

I recommend a SUP if you want
to stand up

and cruise through the nice houses.

Further south off A1A is Honest John's Fish Camp.  http://honestjohnsfishcamp.com/  You can rent a kayak here and I think there is a small fee to use their ramp for your own boat.  There is a nice canal around some mangrove islands and a great opportunity to see dolphins and manatees.



sunset from paddling paradise

Want to try paddle boarding or kayaking for the first time?  Visit http://www.paddlingparadise.com/. They will rent you the equipment and show you how to use it.  They have scheduled tours and gatherings as well including sunset paddles that end with a nice fire by the river.  They are at off US1 at the Eau Gallie River.

You can also drop in a Ballard Park in the same area of the Eau Gallie River.  http://www.melbourneflorida.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/12/1539

I have heard that Turkey Creek in Palm Bay is a nice place to kayak, but I have not been there yet. http://www.brevardcounty.us/EELProgram/Areas/TurkeyCreek/Home There is also nice hiking in this park.

Sunset on Lake Washington

Lake Washington is a beautiful place to do a sunset paddle as well.  You won't see manatees or dolphins, but keep your eye out for alligator and perhaps don't get too near the shallow shorelines.

Further north there are several nice places on Merritt Island including the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary.  This is another area that has nice hiking as well as kayaking. 

Set up for Bioluminescent Tour

Merritt Island Wildlife Sanctuary has several canoe drops worth exploring.  The one near Haulover Canal is likely to have some manatees in the area.  There is also bioluminescent kayaking in this area at night in the summer.  Go when there is no moon!

Water sports are abundant on the space coast, but few ways let you get closer to the wildlife than kayaking or paddleboarding. 

Tips:  Assume you will get wet.  Plan accordingly.

Waterproof camera and/or Go Pro.

Dry bag for anything that can't get wet, but be careful they aren't fool proof. 

If you are able to paddle yourself, I recommend it.  Two person kayaks are fun, but a little hard to coordinate if you don't know what you are doing.

Mckee Gardens (Vero Beach)

McKee Gardens is a short drive from Brevard County, but worth the trip.  Take Highway A1A and enjoy the scenery.  Maybe stop by Sebastian Inlet. 

McKee Gardens is a flower lover/photographer's paradise.  Beautiful paths run between reflecting ponds with stone bridges.  Butterflies flit between the flowers.  Giant ancient looking species of ferns  huddle together in shady spots.  Clumps of bamboo reach over the walking path, many with messages carved into the stalks by visitors over the years. 

There is a hall and a Spanish kitchen with beautiful antiques.  There is also a hidden pavilion in the bamboo garden. These areas can be rented for events.  The place would make a beautiful wedding venue.

From time to time there are special events, so it would be a good idea to check the website prior to planning a visit.  There are varying costs for admission.

Here is the link:  http://www.mckeegarden.org/index.php

Tips:  Bring a camera, but remember that professional photo shoots must be prearranged.

There is a very nice gift shop.

Bring water to drink.

No pets are allowed.

Schedule about an hour to tour the gardens.  Longer if you want to take pictures or just sit and enjoy the peacefulness.

Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge

Winter is a great time to visit the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge!  Migrating birds stop at the refuge throughout the winter. The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife festival takes place in late January, so I take that as a clue as to when the best time to see the most birds is!  http://www.nbbd.com/fly/

There are a lot of trails that are open for walking or bicycling within the preserve (see map).  But since it was quite cold this year, we opted to drive through Black Point Wildlife Drive instead.  This is a gravel, one way, 5 mile loop through wetlands.  There are plenty of places to stop and take pictures or just watch.

There is no parking area at the beginning of the trail from either end, so if you plan to bike or walk you will need to park outside the immediate area.  Perhaps from the visitor center or off on a road shoulder nearby.

Spoonbills

About half way around is a parking area with an entrance to Cruikshank Trail.  It is a nice place to rest and there is a viewing platform just at the beginning of the trail.  There are also restrooms here.  It is a nice walk, but a bit of a challenging bicycle trail.  Off road bikes only.
 

Awkward take off

There is a fee to use this part of the facility.  It is an honor system, pay by envelope stop at the beginning of the trail.  It is $5 per car or $1 per bicycle/walker.  Please don't stiff the park.  This is a well kept road with facilities.  Bring cash and pay your way. 

These birds hovered over the water then dove straight down for snacks.

They also provide informational brochures about the areas at the pay stop.  You can use them while you visit and if you think you will just throw it away when you are done, there is a drop box at the end of the road for returning them for reuse. 

I am not a birder, but I do enjoy beautiful wildlife in all of its forms.  I know enough about birds to tell you that the beautiful pink birds above is a Spoonbill (not a flamingo).  And that awkward looking heron (I think) actually looked quite beautiful in flight once he leveled himself out.  If you want to know more about the birds, I suggest visiting the park and grabbing one of those brochures. 

Baby Gater

Of course, this is Florida, so birds are not the only creatures out there.  This little guy was only about 2ft long and enjoying the warmest part of the sunny day. 

Armadillo

I was worried that this guy wouldn't make it through the day with all of the extra traffic.  He just wanted to be on the road.

Even though the festival was going on and there was a lot more traffic than normal...this is what the road looked like most of the time. 

Its a good place to visit on a bad hair day!

At the end of the one way loop there is a sign pointing towards Haulover Canal.  If you came this far, be sure to go the extra 4 miles over to the full access manatee viewing platform.  On this day in January, it was too cold for the manatees even in this shallow water, but most of the time there are at least a few hanging about.  I'll write another blog soon about the best ways to see the Space Coast's favorite water creature...those majestic(?) manatees.

Tips:  Winter and morning are the times you are most likely to see the greatest diversity.  Smooth morning water makes for nice reflective pictures (unlike these that were taken in the early afternoon on a cold windy day).

Website:  http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Merritt_Island/