When you think about Central Florida most people think about the Amusement Parks or possibly the beaches around Tampa…..and you should! However, there are some fun and fantastic things to do in between these areas. Years ago, during the Great Recession, Reva and I purchased a vacation home, now our winter home, in Davenport Florida, Polk County. Over the past 5 years we have made this our jumping off point for travel and adventure in the winter and spring. The East Coast and Gulf beaches are both within 100 miles and four major cruise ports are within 200 miles. Orlando International Airport is only 35 miles away and Tampa International is only 65; making this a perfect location to begin or end your travels. Disney, Universal, Sea World, Bush Gardens, Legoland and a plethora of other entertainment venues are all easily accessible.
Yet Polk County offers great opportunities to get out into nature. This has been even more important as the Pandemic has kept us closer (relatively) to our homes.
Polk County is the 4th largest County in the State of Florida and home to over 1,000,000 residents. It lies between Orlando and Tampa but is considered suburban Tampa. I consider this the mountain region of Florida (Davenport is at 138 feet above sea level after all). The county has gently rolling hills with over 500 lakes. Neighboring Lake county has over 1,000 lakes! So getting out around water is easy ….. but not swimmable. 10-14 foot alligators are a common sight along the shores of the lakes. These routinely docile but intimidating creatures are mostly harmless, unless you have a pet, and alligator attacks are very rare. Regardless, you have to respect these massive reptiles with large teeth and intimidating growls.
Polk County has numerous parks and environmental areas which are all free and open to the public. One of our favorite activities is Letterboxing (see previous post). The website: www.friendsoftheparks.net hosts a TrekTenTrails program with maps which highlight trails in 16 areas throughout the county. This is a great way to get out and see some amazing scenery and wildlife. Visit their website and check out all of the great hikes available.
In this blog, I want to highlight just a few of our favorite spots which you should consider checking out next time you visit central Florida.
Circle B-Bar Reserve
When we first moved here we were advised to visit Circle B-Bar Reserve along Lake Hancock. That was amazing advice, and has become a weekly destination for us year-round when we are in Florida. With several miles of trails, thousands of alligators, insane birds, raccoons that wonder the trails, and lots of other wildlife; its a great place to visit and spend an afternoon or morning. The nature center is open daily except Mondays and everything is free. More details can be found at https://polknature.com/explore/circle-b-bar-reserve
Marshall Hampton Reserve/Panther Point Trail
Just across Lake Hancock from Circle B-Bar Reserve you will find Marshall Hampton Reserve and Panther Point trail. Here you will find a nice 3.5 mile trail around a small lake and through a heavy wooded oak, pine and palm forest. This trail is never crowded and very nice on mornings in the summer. The Panther Point trail crosses a cattle farm and continues along the shoreline of Lake Hancock until it reaches the Fort Fraser bike trail which connects to Circle B-Bar Reserve (approximately 3 miles of the Panther Point trail is under construction at the time of this writing but expected to open during 2021). You should expect to see alligators here! This is a multiple use trail and unpaved…..great for bikes.
Bok Tower Gardens
One of the advantages of doing the Trek Ten Trails is that after you have obtained four of the stamps from the identified hikes, your gamecard can be used to give you free access to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Just make sure to have a gamecard for each person in your party. This lets you avoid the $15 admission fee. Children under 5 are free. The gardens and Tower which are located at the highest point in the Peninsula are beautiful. The bells play hourly and there are daily bell concerts. Unfortunately you can’t climb the tower but the children’s garden is a great place to play…..even if you aren’t a kid…but consider bring one or two….you get less strange looks that way. And, don’t forget to hike the trail to find the Letterbox/Geocache.
Mosaic Peace River Park
As a former resident of Carlsbad New Mexico, I was very familiar with Mosaic and their mining activities. However, I didn’t know that they operated mines in Central Florida. So when we passed the sign for Mosaic’s Peace River Park, we had to explore and we were glad we did. Along the wetlands, bordering the Peace River are about a mile of boardwalks out to the Peace River creating a beautiful walk above the swamp. Bring bug spray and enjoy a very unique natural environment.
This is just a sampling of what we consider the best natural places to visit in this section of Florida. Come on down and enjoy some pleasantly warm days in the winter. Hope to see meet you on a trail somewhere.
