Sample Itinerary

Here is a sample of an EcoFlorida Nature Travel Itinerary to give you an idea of what to expect when you request your own. Please keep in mind that this is just a sample and that your trip itinerary will be different because it will be tailored especially for you and your interests.

While we have tried to make sure the following information is correct and reflects reality, Web site visitors shouldn't use this sample for themselves without first checking phone numbers, prices, programs, etc.

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Travel dates: Feb. 1 through Feb. 4

Itinerary Central Location: Tampa

About the Area: Tampa is a metropolitan city in central-western Florida in Hillsborough County. Many rivers flow through the area into Tampa Bay, which separates St. Petersburg from the rest of the state. The Hillsborough River flows south from the Green Swamp in western Pasco County right past tall buildings in downtown Tampa. The city is the site of historic Ybor City, a Spanish settlement, as well as Mac Dill Air Force Base and theme park Busch Gardens.

Details of your Itinerary:

Saturday, Feb. 1: Arrive at Oak Haven River Retreat (813-988-4580; www.oakhavenriverretreat.com), which offers cottages on the Hillsborough River and guided canoe or kayak tours. (Cottages are $79 to $99 per night; kayak rentals are $10 to $38, depending on the type of kayak you rent and how long you use it, but cottage guests apparently get a discount.) Tell your kayak guide you're interested in seeing birds, and paddle on the river and stay overnight.

Sunday, Feb. 2: Visit nearby Hillsborough River State Park (813-987-6771), a site on the Great Florida Birding Trail, in the town of Thonotosassa. The entrance fee is $3.25. Ask for a park map and bird list when you pay. On this part of the river, you'll see rapids. Cross the swinging bridge to the other side to hike and look for cerulean warblers and other woodland birds, or rent a canoe and paddle downstream to do your birding by water. The canoe rental costs $7. (Sorry, the park doesn't allow paddling over the rapids.) Return to Oak Haven River Retreat for more of that peace and quiet you said you wanted and look for birds on the river again.

Monday, Feb. 3: Leave the Tampa area early and drive to Dunedin, a town just north of Clearwater, to visit Honeymoon Island State Park and Caladesi Island State Park (727-469-5942 for both parks), both of which are part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. The entrance fee to Honeymoon Island State Park is $3.25. Ask for a park map and bird list when you pay. Make your first stop in the park the mud flats on the right after crossing the entrance. Several wading birds should be there. Then head down the road and walk along the osprey trail, where it's usually easy to see osprey and maybe even a great-horned owl. After your short walk here, head back down the road to buy a ticket to ferry across to Caladesi Island State Park. A round-trip ticket is $7 –- and save the ticket for a discount on a dolphin-sightseeing cruise aboard the Clearwater Express (727-442-7433; www.dolphinencounter.org). Once at the marina on Caladesi, you can rent a kayak and paddle around the island. The kayak rental costs $12. Watch for birds along the shore and in the mangrove trees. Return to Oak Haven River Retreat.

Tuesday, Feb. 4: Visit Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary (727-391-6211; www.seabirdsanctuary.org) in Indian Shores south of Clearwater. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Here there are around 500 birds that are being nursed back to health or that are permanently disabled. Then head into St. Petersburg to visit Fort DeSoto County Park (727-582-2267; www.fortdesoto.com), a Gateway spot on the Great Florida Birding Trail that acts as a regional birding center and which offers loaner binoculars. This park has a great beach and a nature trail, both of which can offer birding opportunities. Return home.

Directions:

To reach Oak Haven River Retreat –- your first stop in your itinerary –- take I-75 toward the Tampa area and exit at County Road 582 (Fowler Ave.). Turn west. At Oban Ave., turn north (right). At Riverhills Dr., turn west (left) and look for Oak Haven River Retreat at 12143 Riverhills Dr.

To get to Hillsborough River State Park from Oak Haven River Retreat, go back to Fowler Ave. and head east. After about 2 miles, turn on to US 301 and head northeast. The state park is on the left (north) side of the road about 3 or 4 miles ahead.

To get to Honeymoon Island State Park from Oak Haven River Retreat, go back to Fowler Ave. Turn right and head west for about 3 miles to US 41. Turn left and head south about 5 miles to Hillsboro Ave. Turn left and head west on Hillsboro Ave. In about 6 miles, continue straight on CR 580, Hillsboro Rd. Cross into Pinellas County, and watch for CR 584. Take that road straight about one mile to a fork; take the road on the right, CR 586 (Curlew Rd.). Follow Curlew Rd. east over St. Joseph Sound until it ends at the state park.

To get to Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary from Oak Haven River Retreat, go back to Fowler Ave. Turn right and head west for about 3 miles to I-275. Take I-275 south about 20 miles, crossing Tampa Bay. Take exit #28, CR 694, Gandy Blvd., which turns into Park Blvd. in about 5 miles. The road ends at Gulf Blvd.; turn left (south) and travel about a mile to the sanctuary.

To get to DeSoto County Park from Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, continue south on Gulf Blvd. about 7 miles. Turn left (east) on CR 682. After a mile, turn right (south) on CR 679. Take that road to its end at Anderson Blvd. and turn left (west) to the county park.

EcoFlorida recommends using a map for visual reference in addition to the above directions.

Resources:

St. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau (727-464-7200; www.floridasbeach.com) can provide you with brochures and other information to help you plan your trip. If you call, ask if there are any discounts or specials that you can take advantage of.

Great Florida Birding Trail (850-922-0664; www.floridabirdingtrail.com) is a program that identifies the best bird-watching spots in Florida. Currently, the eastern and western portions of the Florida peninsula are official in the GFBT; the Panhandle of Florida is being developed right now, and southern Florida will be next. You can download maps of the eastern and western sections of the trail at the GFBT Web site shown above.

EcoFlorida Magazine (www.ecofloridamag.com) is a great resource for finding out about Florida's natural areas. Be sure to check out the Florida Nature Travel Guide available only online.

Travel dates: Feb. 1 through Feb. 4

Itinerary Central Location: Titusville

About the Area: Titusville is a medium-sized city in central-eastern Florida in Brevard County, on the edge of the Indian River. The area is famous for the Kennedy Space Center, where space shuttles launch, and so it's appropriate that the area is called the "Space Coast." It is also the site of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the southern end of Canaveral National Seashore, 2 national treasures.

Details of your Itinerary:

Feb. 1: Check into the Best Western Space Shuttle Inn (321-269-9100; www.spaceshuttleinn.com) in Titusville, which offers a special 2-night nature package. This includes breakfast, an Indian River Lagoon nature cruise, a visit to alligator farm Jungle Adventures and nature center Enchanted Forest, an airboat tour of the St. Johns River and a visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore (Great Florida Birding Trail sites); you can see birds on all of these tours. Rates start at $259 and go up based on the number of guests.

Feb. 2: Complete your special package activities as mentioned above.

Feb. 3: Take a kayak tour with A Day Away Kayaking Tours (321-268-2655; www.nbbd.com/kayaktours), or just take a rental, to explore the Indian River. Prices start at $25, no credit cards. Then visit Wuesthoff County Park and Nature Center (321-264-5105; www.brevardcounty.org) to walk the short nature trail, watch for birds and see what the "natural Florida frontier" looked like. Relax back at the hotel.

Feb. 4: Revisit your favorite birding spots in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (321-861-0667; merrittisland.fws.gov) from your Space Shuttle Inn nature package visit. We recommend the 7-mile loop road Blackpoint Wildlife Drive in the refuge. Donations are accepted. This is an excellent birding spot and a Gateway site on the Great Florida Birding Trail, which acts as a regional birding center and offers loaner binoculars. Please note that during shuttle launches, some or all of the refuge may be off limits to visitors. Return home.

Directions:

To get to Best Western Space Shuttle Inn – your first stop in your itinerary – take I-95 to the Titusville area. Take exit #215 (State Road 50/Cheney Highway) and go east. The Space Shuttle Inn is directly ahead on the right at 3455 Cheney Highway.

To get to Wuesthoff County Park from the Space Shuttle Inn, take Cheney Highway east for about a mile and a half to Barna Ave. Turn right (south). The park is just ahead on the right.

To get to the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive from the Space Shuttle Inn, take Cheney Highway east to US 1 and turn left (north). Travel for about 3 miles to CR 406. Turn right (east) and go across Indian River. After reaching the other side, Blackpoint Wildlife Drive is about 4 or 5 miles ahead on the left; don't take the CR 402 fork in the road unless you want to go to the refuge visitor center. The end of the loop road comes out the same side of CR 406 farther to the east.

EcoFlorida recommends using a map for visual reference in addition to the above directions.

Resources:

Florida's Space Coast (800-872-1969; www.space-coast.com) can provide you with brochures and other information to help you plan your trip to the area. If you call, ask if there are any discounts or specials that you can take advantage of.

Great Florida Birding Trail (850-922-0664; www.floridabirdingtrail.com) is a program that identifies the best bird-watching spots in Florida. Currently, the eastern and western portions of the Florida peninsula are official in the GFBT; the Panhandle of Florida is being developed right now, and southern Florida will be next. You can download maps of the eastern and western sections of the trail at the GFBT Web site shown above.

Space Coast Birding Web site: www.spacecoastbirding.com.

EcoFlorida Magazine (www.ecofloridamag.com) is a great resource for finding out about Florida's natural areas. Be sure to check out the Florida Nature Travel Guide available only online.

Recommended Reading:

Exploring Wild Central Florida by Susan D. Jewell

Paddler's Guide to the Sunshine State by Sandy Huff

A Birder's Guide to Florida by Bill Pranty

Florida Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme

Special Tips:

The visitor center is the only place with facilities in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so plan meals and restroom breaks accordingly.

Most of the natural areas listed here use brown road signs to lead the way, so look for them.

When outdoors, wear sunscreen on your face, neck, ears, arms and other exposed areas, and preferably, wear a hat as well. Drink plenty of liquids, preferably water. Where biting insects such as mosquitoes and ticks are present, use a repellent on exposed skin to help prevent disease.

If you are going to be in a backcountry area, tell someone where you are going, the route you plan to take and when you expect to return. Make sure this person is responsible to look for your return and to alert authorities if there's an emergency. Carry a cell phone if possible – turned off – in case of emergency, but be aware that some areas may not have service.

Have a pair of binoculars and a field guide handy when bird-watching. Be aware that some natural areas discourage or prohibit the use of recordings or other sound devices to attract birds for viewing.

Don't forget your camera!

Responsible Use:

Reduce the impact you make on the natural environment by following EcoFlorida's guidelines:

1. Follow directions given by signs and rangers for your protection and for the protection of the natural area you visit.
2. Stay on trails. If you wander off the trail, you could unknowingly disturb habitat, and you could get lost!
3. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Instead of taking plastic forks and paper plates when you go camping or picnicking, use items you can wash and reuse. Don't use more of anything than you need.
4. Put waste where it belongs: in a trash can. If you follow tip #3, you don't have much waste left, but what you do have should go in a trash can. Wherever there's a recyclables can, use it.
5. Never feed wildlife. Animals that get handouts from people learn to associate people with food and can get aggressive. When that happens, wildlife can be relocated or put to death. Animals that associate people with food also lose their fear of humans and can be easy targets for those who may want to hurt wildlife. Plus, "people food" can be bad for animals.
6. Learn as much as you can about the areas you visit. Your knowledge will lead to a greater appreciation and respect for Florida's natural areas, and it could prevent harmful or annoying situations, such as getting lost or arriving when a natural area is closed.
7. As much as possible, explore a park without motorized vehicles by walking, bicycling or paddling.
8. Visit natural areas in their off season when possible. You'll not only avoid crowds on your visit, but you'll make the in-season visitor crowds that much smaller, reducing the overall impact.
9. Take nothing but pictures; leave only footprints. Leave plants, animals, rocks, logs, etc. alone. Wild animals are wild, and they need their space. Give animals plenty of room when viewing them. As for plants, that log or rock you come across may be an animal's meal or home.
10. Be a good example for others; spread the word about responsible visitation in natural areas.