Ecotours: A Tour of a Working Florida Cattle Ranch

Once you've grown weary of the cement walkways and crowds of tourists who journey to the Sunshine State to gaze at the manmade wonderland of engineering genius we call Disney World, head east on I-4 to the Florida Turnpike. Travel south on the Turnpike for about and hour and a half, and treat yourself to a tour of The Adams Ranch - a little 60,000-acre parcel of Florida, courtesy of God.

One of the first impressions you have upon entering The Adams Ranch is how very quiet it is.

Nestled 12 miles west of I-95 on Route 68, this is a land of dust-covered pickup trucks with big tires - work trucks that are meant for going off-road, driven by people who spend their day tending cattle and planting crops. They wear tall boots as protection against snakebites, hats to protect their eyes from the Florida sun and blue jeans because of the long hours in the saddle.

Horses graze contentedly in a small pasture that meets the entry.

It is increasingly evident as you make your way onto the ranch that this is indeed a working cattle farm. And you can't help but feel a little excited over the privilege of being allowed entry into this private community.

If you arrive for a tour during the early morning hours, you just might be fortunate enough to see one of the cowboys at work. But don't count on them sticking around. By the time the sun is very high in the sky, most of these fellows have already put in a full day in the saddle. Instead, you'll travel by open-air bus (think African safari) and have the opportunity to gaze on a variety of wildlife - from the crested caracara, wild turkey, sandhill crane or roseate spoonbill to alligators and white-tailed deer and much, much more.

Along the way, you'll learn about the Braford breed of cattle, a cross between the Hereford and the Brahman, that was developed on the ranch by owner, Alto (Bud) Adams. You'll also learn that Florida is the ninth largest cattle-producing state in the nation.

But the real story at The Adams Ranch is the wildlife, and there are few places in Florida where you'll have access to more of nature's bounty.

Dressed in jeans, boots and a long-sleeved work shirt, our tour guide introduced herself as Chica. Although she hinted of a previous life as a stockbroker, our intelligent, knowledgeable and witty Chica is the official photographer for The Adams Ranch.

Before we embarked on our tour bus, she spent more than 30 minutes teasing us with a fascinating slide presentation of the many birds, snakes and wildflowers that we should be on the lookout for during our upcoming tour. Although our chances for seeing them were unlikely, she also presented photographic peeks at many of the nocturnal inhabitants such as bobcats, otters and the Southern Florida grey fox. The skin of a very large diamondback rattlesnake, taken from one of the ranch pastures, hung in the corner as a reminder of how un-Disney-like our tour was going to be. And as it turned out, Chica's preview was the ideal introduction to the real thing.

Traveling at a snail's pace in our open-air busses, Chica talked us through the tour, pausing frequently to point out an eastern meadowlark, a sprig of mistletoe or a family of deer cleaning up around a salt lick. Her eye was trained for these hidden displays of nature, and she worked nonstop to make certain we didn't miss a thing. Without warning, she would pull the bus to an abrupt stop and take time to draw our attention to a delicate white spider lily - the favorite flower of the sandhill crane. She pointed to the many tree hammocks that dotted the pastures and explained that "hammock" is a Seminole Indian word that means "garden."

Little more than five minutes into our tour, Chica stopped by a shallow creek to guide our attention to an alligator sunning itself by the side of the bank. She then drew our attention to the creature's nest, a large brown mass of grass located further up the bank. It quickly became obvious that Chica was more than our guide; she was our interpreter to a carefully disguised side of nature from which most of us were too far removed to even recognize unaided.

Throughout the presentation, the concept of stewardship was introduced. Recently named "Ranch of the Century" by the southeastern chapter of the National Cattlemen's Association, The Adams Ranch is a working example of nature's balance at its best.

Comprised of natural grasslands, the ranch uses a rotation grazing process to maintain healthy pasture. More than 50,000 citrus trees are planted on approximately 1,500 acres and are protected by a reservoir system for natural irrigation.

Like clockwork at dawn and again at dusk, one can see anhingas, egrets, hawks, herons, roseate spoonbills, sandhill cranes and wood storks in their natural setting. It is a balance of life that nature intended, and one that anyone fortunate enough to be included in the tour won't soon forget.

As the bus makes its way back, chances are you'll catch a whiff of the chow wagon as it prepares an authentic Florida ranch meal of swamp cabbage (a vegetable dish made from the heart of a sabal palm), barbecue beef, pork and chicken served under thatched-roof Seminole chickee huts.

Most tours average three and a half hours with catered lunch included (two and a half without). And even though the majority of your tour is spent from the seat of the bus, with all of the fresh air, activity and excitement, it's easy to work up a healthy appetite.

As it turns out, the meal is the perfect compliment to a full day. At the conclusion of The Adams Ranch tour, as you take your leave and head back along the concrete roadways, you'll likely feel re-nourished in both body and spirit from your privileged visit to God's country.

Chances are this is a visit you'll find yourself returning to again and again because (unlike Disney World and other manmade theme parks), with Mother Nature as the activity director, the new and exciting attractions at The Adams Ranch are subject to change at a moment's notice.

The Adams Ranch is located 12 miles west of I-95 on Route 68 (Orange Avenue), and is one of the few in Florida that offer tours to the public. For further information, please contact Florida Ranch Tours at 561-467-2001 (fax: 561-461-5334). Tours, private parties and special events are arranged by reservation only.

Written by

Denise Wolf is a freelance writer recently migrated to Stuart from Illinois. She spends most of her free time enjoying Florida's natural wonders with her two teenagers via scuba diving, kayaking, biking or hiking.