Sand hill pine trail at Silver River State Park, Ocala

A fact of life – the first one down the trail sees the wildlife, which promptly vanish now that humans have arrived. People who come along later are left saying “What? Did someone see something? What?”

One early morning we saw something quite wonderful – three white-tailed deer came out of the woods about 50 feet ahead of us.

Here’s what happened next: All three bounded into the air at the same time, legs bent, their white tails flashing straight up. With that leap in unison they looked just like Lipizzaner Stallions. Running for a few steps, they crossed the trail and leaped up into the air again all at the same time. I’m thinking they had secret walkie-talkies tucked somewhere and a director giving dance directions.

My dogs sat down to watch the show. The three deer leaped again in unison and disappeared into the trees. I felt like clapping.

It was a “you had to have been there” moment. You only get those moments by venturing into the trees, walking trails in the woods, hanging out in wildlife habitat.

A walk in Silver River State Park can be found in Chapter 26 “Two Rivers Run Through It” in my guide book “50 Great Walks in Florida.”

gnarled trees at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

There are plenty of opportunities to go where the trees are. Florida has 35 state forests , 151 state parks, 11 national parks, 28 national wildlife refuges and three national forests ( Ocala, Apalachicola and Osceola). Add to this city and county parks, Greenways, plus the Florida Trail and the possibilities get really interesting.

Right now forests are in winter mode. Leafy trees are pretty bare, their naked branches opening up sky vistas not seen before. Some late fall color shows in the leaves fallen to the ground.

Pine cones are scattered everywhere. Pine trees show off green needles against a cloudless blue winter sky. A breeze kicks up. Late fall leaves spiral down to the ground. We walk on a carpet of pine needles and leaves.

Ah, big plus coming up – the cooler weather means no deer flies and no mosquitoes. No bugs? That is a reason to lace up your walking shoes and get going.

One warning – national forests and conservation areas allow hunting in certain areas in winter months, always check their Web sites or phone before you go. I do not advise walking in any area open to hunting.

The dogs and I walk all seasons of the year. It never fails to surprise me that you can get just a short way down a forest trail and the thickness of trees blocks out the city sounds of traffic. So quiet at first then the forest sounds take over.

I’ve come to appreciate that forests are a huge part of this simple statement – everything is connected.

At Silver River State Park, for example, all of the park, and the land on which we walk, is a water recharge area for the Silver River. In Ocala National Forest the “jewels of the Ocala” – Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Salt Springs and Silver Glen Springs are vital natural resources protected by being part of a national forest.

Canoes at Horseshoe Lake, Marion County

Forests are diverse ecosystems with diverse recreational activities. Walk, bike, use the OHV trail system, go where there are horse trails, take a canoe to the water’s edge and start paddling, swim, camp, scuba dive, snorkel, picnic, bring your paint box and paint a stately oak tree, fish, sit quietly and commune with nature. Pick one or more.

Whew! What a great way to start 2012.

Florida Favorites
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding treasures worth keeping. Here is Joan Landis, a Florida Audubon member who is just starting out her writing career. Her bio is below with an e-mail address to comment on her contribution to this month’s forest theme:

About Joan:

Joan Landis grew up in Texas spending summers fishing in South Padre Island, exploring the seashore and imagining the adventures the sea and world would bring her. Her career in sales brought much travel and new trails to explore. Fishing, Scuba Diving, Hiking and now Birding, Joan has spent her life enjoying nature and learning from it. Joan has experienced a wide variety of wilderness habitats from living in the Florida Keys to the Inside passage of Alaska. While living in Juneau, Alaska she joined the sisterhood of “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” learning skills that led to wonderful adventures and people that will be forever friends. Camping has been one of her passions and over the years, she has taken multi-day trips in the Alaskan back country where there are more bears than people and paddling trips through the 10,000 islands in the Everglades. Along the way discovering, experiencing and meeting some of the most interesting people and places one can only imagine. Joan’s passion for the wilderness and conservation has been a thread throughout her life and now she’s sharing some of her wonderful and life-changing experiences. You can reach Joan at: JCLandis@hotmail.com

A Symphony in the Woods

Tourists swarm like mosquitoes come January in the Everglades. Craving relief, I decided to try the Pineland Trail. As soon as I ducked through the big gate, I knew I’d found my sanctuary.

I was overtaken by the silence of the woods. An old logging road jutted through the forest, barely visible under a thick carpet of pine needles. The brown needles muted my footfalls and provided a dramatic contrast to the riot of green under story and the tops of the slash pines above. Through the open canopy, I could see the sky gathering clouds.

A few steps in, I entered the world of the forest and the outside world disappeared. Seemingly silent at first, I soon became aware of my surroundings and began to hear the woodland sounds. A giant striped dragonfly skimmed right in front of me, its wings softly fluttering as it worked the tall grasses. The sound of its wings was rhythmic. A crunch and rustle got my attention next and I followed the sound to a small squirrel darting across the forest floor. As it raced away, the skittering sound faded and created a backdrop to the cadence of the dragonfly wings.

Each step further into the forest, I heard more of the melody the forest played for me. The raspy sound of leaves moving across a limestone formation introduced another layer to the riff. Studying its ancient fissures, I wondered what might live there now when so long ago this rock was caressed by the Atlantic. Mesmerized, I stepped further into the enchanted forest.

I saw a standing dead tree and the forest symphony grew louder as it played back the cacophony of a ravaging lightning fire that ripped its bark and threw it in chunks to the ground, gnarling its crown. The rattle of wind through a stand of pines that were leaning but not toppled lent percussion to the verse describing Hurricane Wilma’s blustery visit.

The sounds that the forest gave up were its signature opus. The symphony I heard that day had been evolving over eons, with all the changes in the forest both subtle and grand tuning and refining its chorus. No two-day’s songs are ever the same. So the next time you’re looking for a retreat, go out and listen to the sounds of the forest. It will play for you its newest notes.

UPCOMING IN JANUARY

Jan. 13-15 – Eighth annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival
Jan. 13-15 – 35th annual Art Deco Weekend, Miami. Read about taking an Art Deco walk in North Miami Beach in Chapter 44 “The Delight of Deco” in my book “50 Great Walks in Florida” available on my Web site.
Jan. 14 - Edison Day of Discovery 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast University, free, Fort Myers
Jan. 28 – Gasparilla Pirate Festival, Tampa

Coming in SMM in February – Travel with Fido

Did you know? My new book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild” is available on my Web site with an option to contribute $2 towards one of two non-profits – Audubon of Florida and the Ocala Public Library. Go for it!

Got crabs? The Peace River Seafood Market & Restaurant in Punta Gorda does. Lots of them. Stone crab claws in season along with whole blue crabs that turn from blue to an outrageous shade of orange when they’re steamed.

Waiter Chris Molinet serves a container of blue crabs at Peace River Seafood

Ah, to me a meal in this old cracker house turned restaurant is heaven unfolding. A bucket of steamed blue crabs arrives. Let the serious eating begin.

From the water to your plate, the seafood here is that fresh. After dinner, surrounded by blue crab shells, blissfully full and impressed with a friendly, efficient staff (they keep the crabs coming) – I realized this meal inside an off the beaten path restaurant spoke volumes for the city of Punta Gorda itself – a vibrant, energetic, off the beaten path place that hums with friendly people who care about their community plus, and this is a big plus, Punta Gorda has a full catch of delights from waterfront walks and gallery walks to serious fishing, elegant places to stay and fresh seafood.

Historic Downtown Punta Gorda has this motto: “It’s happening on the Harbor.”

Indeed it is happening on Charlotte Harbor. Devastated by Hurricane Charlie in 2004 that caused $3.2 billion worth of damage in Punta Gorda and Charlotte County, the spirit to rebuild includes the theme of connectivity.

One result: The Punta Gorda Harborwalk is a long walkable/bikable connection. It goes from the west end of Gilchrist Park next to Fishermen’s Village east about 2.3 miles and ends near a medical center.

Punta Gorda Harborwalk

What a great promenade – the Harborwalk has winding wide sidewalks, trees, benches, overlooks. On some parts you can walk your dog, other parts are a no-no. Watch for signs.

Plans are to eventually have a Ring Around the City, about 18 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trains and paths connecting Punta Gorda’s neighborhoods, parks and commercial areas. Super!

While cars whiz by overhead on two bridges (US 41 going north and south) walkers, joggers, and bikers can go under the bridges in style. For those who like a bit of uphill, there are walkways on the bridges. Left your bike at home? Not to fret. There are free canary yellow bicycle loans with three locations on this walkway – Fishermen’s Village, Four Points by Sheraton and Dockmaster’s building at Laishley Park.

Punta Gorda has a free bike loaner program

I stayed at Four Points by Sheraton and literally walked right out the front door, turned left, and there was the bike rack and the Harborwalk. Perfect.

Everyone I passed on my early morning stroll, walkers, joggers and bikers, said “Hello” or “Good morning”. What a great way to start the day. A crabber had a full bucket of crabs. Wading birds worked the shoreline. Dolphins swam in the Harbor.

breakfast at Elena's, Punta Gorda

Later I had breakfast at Elena’s, 615 Cross Street, phone (941) 575-1888, a friendly, family place with funky turquoise and purple booths. Located in the Cross Trails Shopping Center, it came recommended by locals and I can now add my two thumbs up, especially the hash browns.

Punta Gorda is the kind of place where you come across it by accident or design, take a look around, and end up staying for the next 20 years or more.

“I sailed into Charlotte Harbor 20 years ago to see my brother and stayed,” said Charles Peck, a fine artist who turned his talents to murals. He has just finished a mural of the old hotel in downtown Punta Gorda, and has others to his credit.
“We are in a transient society,” Peck said. “These murals create a sense of social continuity.”

Charles Peck, artist, with hotel mural, Punta Gorda

All murals, 22 and counting, have a historic theme and are presented by the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society that has its office at 715 Monaco Drive, Punta Gorda, phone (941) 575-0785.

Cattle Drive down Marion Avenue mural section, Punta Gorda

In a different vein, for a look at wildlife rescue, visit Peace River Wildlife Center at 3400 West Marion Avenue, phone (941) 637-3830, inside Ponce de Leon Park.

With each new find it became obvious that Punta Gorda can’t be seen and experienced in a day or overnight, give yourself several days to soak up the vibes and the smiles.

Note: Many thanks to the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau for coordinating our trip and to the Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside for providing accommodations.

Jennifer Huber, Tourism Public Relations Manger for the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau sums it up well:
“There are lots of reasons to be here, very active in the wintertime from November to Easter. People here care about conservation. They care about each other. People have specifically chosen to live here and they bring their values with them.”

Upcoming in Punta Gorda:

Annual Christmas Light Canal Tours, Friday, Dec. 2-Saturday, Dec. 31, call (941) 639-0969.

Annual Peace River Lighted Boat Parade (941) 639-3720, begins at dusk on Sunday, Dec. 11, free. Location: Charlotte Harbor.

Festival of Lights, Fishermen’s Village, through Dec. 31

COMING IN JANUARY SATURDAY MORNING MAGAZINE – “Where the Trees Are . . .”

by Lucy Beebe Tobias

Susan Becker is a Street Concierge in Naples, Florida. Say what? Naples may be the only place in the country to have Street Concierges, located at the Third Street Concierge, an outdoor kiosk on Third Street South – part of an historic area also called the birthplace of Old Naples.

Planter on Third Street South, Naples

The concierge service is open seven days a week from 10-6 and Thursday and Fridays hours are extended from 10-9 p.m. Thursday is Becker’s day to work. She answers question, hands out maps, brochures and restaurant menus and loves every minute of her 12-hour shift.

“I came from a helping profession, a college professor, I was used to helping several hundred people a day, this continues that,” said Becker.

With the holidays coming on Becker grandparents who have family coming want to know what there is to do with children of all ages.

“The best thing is free – the beach!” Becker laughed. “They can run, play, build sandcastles, swim, ride boogie boards.”

The beaches, and the historic Naples Pier, are just a few blocks from Third Street South. Walk or ride a bike to any free access point to the beach. Within the city limits every avenue (streets that go east and west) ends in a public beach walkover access. Arriving by car to the beach means feeding parking meters or having an annual beach-parking sticker.

One access point to the beach is the historic Naples Pier. There is no admission fee to the Pier. I found free parking lots just off Third Street South then took an easy walk for two blocks down tree-lined streets past old homes to the Historic Pier, a delightful walk with a great sunset view.

Open 24 hours a day, no fishing license is required. Fishermen come equipped

with food and chairs for a long stay on the long pier.

On the beach, stretching left and right of the pier, a parade of umbrellas in bright colors testify to beach popularity. Other signs of sun and fun: blankets, outdoor chairs, sunbathers, Frisbee throwers, surf swimmers and sand castle builders.

Who could have imagined all this back in the 1800s? Back then General John S. Williams and Water N. Halderman sailed into the bay. Williams thought it looked like the Bay of Naples in Italy and thus Naples was named. The two men brought families from Ohio and Kentucky. The first two homes were built in 1887 and the first pier, a freight pier with railroad ties, was built in 1889.

Walking tours of Naples Historic District are popular. Design your own with help from the Third Street Concierge or visit Palm Cottage, built by Halderman, and take one of their walking tours, $16 for non-members, on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. from November through April. Reservations required.

View of The Norris Gardens through a gate at Palm Cottage

For ardent fans of GPS, Out’nBack Nature Tours has a walking tour of Naples using hand-help GPS and clues along the way. They also offer bicycle tours.

Bicycling is another popular way to see Old Naples.

“I am a citizen of Old Naples, live just a few blocks from Third Street South and I ride my bike to and from work,” said Becker. “Bicycling is very popular. The roads are all flat.”

Sculpture on Third Street South, Naples

For strolling along, and thinking of food, Third Street South has small, unique boutiques and off-the-usual-beaten path restaurants including Jane’s Café with organic and natural food and Sea Salt where Chef Fabrizio Aielli uses organic and local produce along with wild caught seafood.

Being addicted to coffee, I soon found Bad Ass Coffee, a shop whose name raises eyebr

ows. But it is all good – Bad Ass was founded in Hawaii and serves Hawaiian coffees. Really super coffee.

The day of the week matters on Third Street South and also along Fifth Avenue South, an upscale shopping and dining area along with places to stay like the boutique Inn on Fifth Street.

Live entertainment throbs on Thursday evenings at Third Street South from January through May. Called Thursday on Third, stores stay open, you can dance in the street, have dinner, enjoy all kinds of music. During the summer, June through December, the music happens every third Thursday.

Along Fifth Avenue South enjoy Evenings on Fifth the second Thursday of each month. And in November Fifth Avenue South has added a special Evening on Nov. 25 during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Walking along Fifth Avenue South, Naples

On Saturdays check out the Third Street Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Grownups, children and well-behaved dogs are all welcome. The market happens all year long.

Shop-till-you-droppers will appreciate that you are not done yet. Tin City in the Naples Waterfront district has shopping and entertainment. And right across the street is Bayfront with shops that take the word “upscale” to a whole new level.

If you can extract yourself from Old Naples, nearby attractions have plenty of outdoor appeal.

Here are a few: Naples Botanical Garden is breathtaking, with gardens devoted to different areas of the world.

The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens has a boat ride through primate islands on a large lake. Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary features a 2.25-mile long boardwalk through the county’s last old growth bald cypress forest.
Whew! Time to head back to the beach and relax. Need a bathing suit? I’m sure the Third Street Concierge can help with that too.

FLORIDA FAVORITES
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding diamonds. Here is Brian E. Holley, Executive Director of the Naples Botanical Garden telling in his own words how this amazing garden came into bloom:

Creating a new botanical garden requires a remarkable alignment to take place – you need dreamers to create a vision; pragmatists to assemble a viable plan from the vision; artists to create a design that sings to the soul; philanthropists to share and support the vision; land, lots of land; and worker bees – staff, board, volunteers, ecologists, engineers, contractors, plant nerds (I take pride in being one), artisans, educators, gardeners – who can merge their skills and energy into the team that makes it happen.

This amazing alignment has taken place in Naples, Florida and the result is the 170 acre, Naples Botanical Garden. The Garden started as a dream in Naples’ downtown library in 1993 when a group of a dozen or so plant people got together and agreed that it was important for the community to have a botanical garden.

In the ensuing years the group expanded and turned the dream into a plan for a major new garden that would combine urban renewal of Naples’ poorest neighborhood, a dynamic visitor attraction, great design, a venue for the arts, education, extensive documented collections of plants, research and restored natural areas.

The plan was compelling and attracted the attention of philanthropist Harvey Kapnick. Harvey agreed to purchase 170 acres of land in East Naples for $5 million in 2000. The Garden started slowly but with great innovation – they hired a very talented designer Gary Smith to turn a parking lot into a one acre garden so the community could see the potential of this endeavor.

In 2005, what the Miami Herald called “The Dream Team” – noted landscape architects Raymond Jungles, Robert Truskowski, Herb Schaal, Ellin Goetz and Balinese landscape designer Made Wijaya -agreed to join the project and create a new master plan for the Garden. There was a huge risk for the Garden in having five firms work on the plan but the mutual respect and excitement about the opportunity to work on a once in a lifetime project brought these brilliant minds together to work as one cohesive team. Shortly thereafter, Ted Flato of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio, Texas brought his sense of place and passion for sustainable design to the project.

By 2008, the Garden had raised $30 million toward building the project, led by a $10 million gift from Harvey’s son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Kathleen Kapnick, and in June of that year construction began.

In November 2009 Naples Botanical Garden opened its first new gardens – The Vicky C. and David Byron Smith Children’s Garden, The Brazilian Garden, The Kapnick Caribbean Garden and the Mary and Stephen B. Smith Family, River of Grass. In January 2010 another dream of Harvey’s became a reality, The Kapnick Education and Research Center, in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University, opened and gave the Garden excellent facilities for education. The expansion continued with the opening of the Marcia and L. Bates Lea Asian Garden, the Karen and Robert Scott Florida Garden and the Water Garden in November 2010.

Today the Garden welcomes over 100,000 people a year and hosts an extensive array of classes and events. Check us out at www.naplesgarden.org and watch for our free mobile app for iPhones and Androids in January, 2012.

GET OUT AND PLAY

November – Celebrate the Arts month presented by the United Arts Council of Collier County (where Naples is located) see their Celebrate Calendar for events.
Nov. 11-13 – St. Johns River Blues Festival in Palatka with 16 regional blues bands.
Nov. 12 – Second Saturdays at ArtSouth in Homestead. Browse four galleries and open artist studios. Children welcome. Hours: 3-7 p.m.
Nov. 21 – Annual Celebration of Festival of Lights happens from 6-9 p.m. on Third Street South, Naples. Santa arrives, lots of entertainment, and promptly at 7:30 p.m. snow will fall. I am not making this up. Lampposts have snowmaking machines; they all turn on at the same time.
Snow falls at 7:30 p.m. every night that week (except Thanksgiving) and continues on Thursday nights during December.

Built in 1843 by a free black builder named George Proctor the house in 1865 served as a temporary Union headquarters.
On May 20, 1865 Brigadier General Edward McCook stood on the front steps and read the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Day is celebrated every year in May with a reading of the Proclamation from the Knott House steps, live music and a free picnic at Lewis Park.

A roll call of famous people lived in the house over the years including three Supreme Court judges, an attorney, and a physician and finally, in 1928, the state treasurer William Knott and his wife Luella bought the house.

Naturally there were parties, lots of parties. Luella hosted the social functions and got a chance to show off her flair for writing poetry.

Remember this is the age before e books, Twitter and Facebook, yet Luella came up with a creative way to share her thoughts with others.
All throughout the house she attached poems about the home to its various furnishings – chairs, table legs, lamps and mantles. She is long gone but still the gracious hostess, her sweet creativity reaching out to house visitors.

When the Knott’s son died in 1985 the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board received the home and in 1997 the Knott House was transferred to the Museum of Florida History.

Guided tours are given on Wednesday through Friday and also Saturday. Do check times the museum is open. Admission is free. Trip Advisor rates the Knott House No. 7 out of 32 Tallahassee attractions.

If you like your history up close and personal then visiting historic houses is a good fit, it lets you step back in time and feel connected. Here are more possibilities:

At Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house in Cross Creek where she lived, worked and wrote prize-winning novels, a small manual typewriter similar to the one she used, sits atop a round table on the front porch. It is easy to imagine Marjorie sipping her morning coffee; putting in a piece of paper and writing about this place she loved. Marjorie said: “I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.”

Admission is $3 per group in one vehicle to this state park. You can walk around the house and grounds anytime but the house itself is only open for guided tours and special events. See Web site (above) for times. Tour cost: $3 per adult, $2 for children ages 6 to 12, children 5 and under admitted free.

In Fort Myers, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates have historic buildings, gardens and the Edison Botanic Research Lab and Estates Museum
Inside the homes the rooms are roped off but you can see inside at the slice of life these winter visitors enjoyed.

Guided and self-guided tours with audio wands given. Check times. Admission prices vary by the type of tour chosen. The complete estates tour, for example, includes orientation, audio tour, lab and museum for $20 for adults, $11 for children ages 6-12 and children age 5 and under admitted free.

The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West reflects Hemingway’s life as he lived here for more than ten years. Six-toed cats, some of them descendents of the ones he kept, still live here.

Admission (which includes a 30-minute guided tour) is $12.50 for adults, $6 for children and children under the age of 5 admitted free.
The Orman House Historic State Park in Apalachicola has plenty of stories to tell and park rangers do a vibrant history presentation of the home built in 1838. Admission is $2 per person, museum admission free.

UPCOMING

Lucy’s new eco gardening book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild” is a Kindle and Nook e book and now the book has blossomed into print. This is not your typical gardening “how to” but rather a green primer on discovering the connections between you, me, butterflies and milkweed for starters.

Two upcoming book signing events in Ocala:

Friday, Oct. 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Primary Oven bakery and handmade café, 128 SW Broadway, downtown Ocala. There will be complimentary wine and tapas by Kelley.

Lucy will sign books and everyone who buys a book receives a decorated terra cotta pot of their choice while supplies last.
Sunday, Oct. 23 from noon to 4 p.m., a book signing at Chelsea Coffee Company, 3217 Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served. Demonstration of e book on Nook and Kindle, print books for sale, author signing plus free terra cotta pots for all who buy books.

Questions? Contact Lucy at her e-mail: mailto:greatwalks@gmail.com

Well, buckle up. Have I got a super road trip just for you.

Fernandina Beach, 23 miles north of Jacksonville, combines the gracefulness of yesterday hand in hand with today’s amenities – upscale shopping, awesome seafood and other culinary delights (including fantastic fudge), great places to stay and a slew of things to do both outdoors and indoors.

Tucked on the north end of Amelia Island, this town is all about water. Fernandina Beach touches the Atlantic Ocean on its east side. The Amelia River laps at its north point (you look across the water and see Georgia) and the place to watch sunsets is along the Intracoastal Waterway on its west side. With water on three sides it is no wonder many start their day inhaling salty air by going fishing or taking a walk.

Start your morning walking the Atlantic side beach at low tide. Bend over and do the shoreline shuffle, a slow walk with eyes pealed for shark’s teeth and whole shells.

Look up once in a while. Perhaps a line of pelicans will swoop by low to the water, alert to any fish below. Or you might see a submarine coming out of Kings Bay and headed into the Atlantic. Shrimp boats may be headed out too.

Ah, shrimp. Here in Fernandina Beach, the little crustacean is the stuff of legends. The modern shrimping industry started right here in the early 20th century, and there is no need to remember that because the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, a huge weekend blowout always held the first weekend in May, will do it for you.

Pirates roam the streets and so do visitors. Eight blocks of downtown are closed to traffic so pedestrians have the right of way to view arts and crafts booths, vendors selling, what else? Shrimp, live music, happenings all day long and late into the night.

By comparison, the rest of the year in Fernandina Beach seems positively quiet, but not really. There is always a festival or a happening of some kind going on – a writers festival, music festival, food festival, antique car festival – you get the idea. This is a town that likes to party.

A good place to gather information is the Fernandina Beach Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center inside the old Railroad Depot at 1102 Center Street. Lots of free brochures for the taking and we found a friendly face at the desk to answer questions.

If walking in historic districts is your thing, be sure to pick up the free Fernandina Historic District Tour guide. Fifty blocks are on the National Register of Historic Places. The guide has color pictures.

For a guided tour check with the Amelia Island Museum of History.
If you take one of their private tours of historic homes, it is a chance to see the inside of some historic homes. They also offer museum tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day, Ghost Tours every Friday starting at 6 p.m. and a Pub Crawl (one ticket takes you to four pubs) every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Reservations required.

Just across the railroad tracks from the Train Depot is a stop for the Amelia Island Trolley, a different way to see the sights.

Personally I try to plan my visit so that a Saturday is in the equation. Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the Fernandina Farmers Market located on 7th Street and Centre Street. Small but full of local farmers, organic produce, outstanding plant vendors, fresh foods including a bakery. Yummy.

Here’s a plan for a Saturday. Throw off the shoes, get sand between the toes, and go for a beach walk. That will work up an appetite. Head downtown, have breakfast at Bright Morning Cafe a great breakfast spot with indoor and outdoor seating. They have something called Southern Comfort – a bowl of grits with poached eggs and cheese on top. Over the top but so truly southern comfort.

Be advised to always check hours and days of operation for any place you want to visit. Bright Morning opens early, 8 a.m. on Saturdays, but most of downtown Fernandina does not rise and shine until 11 a.m. It is not unusual to see tourists wandering around downtown early, looking for places that are open.

After breakfast, take a walk uptown and visit the Farmers Market, it is open all morning. Right across the street is Eileen’s Art & Antique Centre full of fun stuff including artwork by the owner, Eileen Shannon Moore.

If art is calling you do visit the Island Art Association at 18 N. Second Street, downtown. In addition to the co-op gallery a new art education building next door offers all kinds of classes, including walk in adult art classes.

Notice the mosaics on the outside wall. It is a work in progress and future sessions include mosaic “parties” where you can get involved. Ask about the Mosaic Project.

Whew! By now I’d be ready for a good latte at Amelia Island Coffee on Centre Street. If you are feeling electronically deprived, there is free wi fi here.

Fortified by caffeine, I never miss a chance to visit Barnabas New to You at 930 S. 14th Street. It is a car trip from downtown, but not far. It should be on everyone’s trip list. This amazing place is loaded with great high end brands of everything from clothes to furniture to household goods all at prices that will knock your socks off they are so low. And you are helping to fund their charitable work. I easily walk out with a bag full of great finds for under $20 and had fun doing the deed.

Well, you get the drift of how my Saturday in Fernandina is going. I’d like to head to Fort Clinch State Park next, maybe walk or ride a bike and surely take a walk out on the fishing pier. It may be a weekend when they have Civil War reenactments, a real bonus. If so, do take the evening candlelight tour of Fort Clinch.

On our last visit we went to dinner at the Crab Trap downtown at 31 N. Second Street, and had shrimp caught that day! Of course the day is not complete without walking a few blocks over to the waterfront and watching the sunset. You will have lots of company. This is an evening ritual.

What are we waiting for? Start the engines. Fernandina Beach is calling.

Oh, and about that fudge. Fantastic Fudge at the corner of Centre Street and 3rd Street has been making their own fudge for 20 years. And, yes, it is fantastic.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias. All rights reserved.

Time travel is possible in Florida. Seriously. It takes a bit of driving instead of a magic door but then, whoosh, you are descending a tall bridge into Apalachicola – dropping back in time, literally.

Apalach (the locals prefer the short version) is a small town with one blinking light, one zip code. This is a walk able friendly place where people find contentment in a community defined by water, trees, rivers and marshes. Their coastal nature and colorful history are treated like family members to be cherished and celebrated.

And this history heritage is a boon for the visitor. You really are going to experience time travel here. Step into historic Orman House built in 1838 by Thomas Orman. This home was built to impress and it does.

Orman House, Apalachicola.

When Mike Kinnett, 2008 District I Interpreter of the Year, gives his guided tour, speaking in the time of 1838, you found yourself looking closely at the things on Orman’s desk, even listening for footfalls, perhaps someone will visit wearing period costumes.

At the Coombs Inn on Sixth Street, completed in 1905, one of the rooms is James N. Coombs bedroom. The mattress is new but the four-poster bed is over 100 years old and so high there are STEPS you climb to get into the bed. How’s that for time travel?

Coombs Inn

Confession time – first time visitors come for the oysters, then, after a good meal, they often stay for the history. Ninety percent of the oysters in Florida are grown here in Apalachicola Bay and ten percent of the nation’s oysters are grown here.

Until I came here I thought an oyster was an oyster. Not so. These taste different, better than anything you’ve had before. You can see the surprise on my face in a VISIT FLORIDA video on Apalachicola.

Your turn. Try oysters served 17 different ways at Boss Oyster on the waterfront at Apalachicola River Inn. After oysters, give the world’s largest fried fish sandwich a go at Apalachicola Seafood Grill, a dog-friendly restaurant on Market Street.

My advice – park anywhere because walking around Apalach is easy. In fact, if you stay overnight, leave your car wherever you are staying, everything is walking distance.

Cotton display at John Gorrie Museum

Notice how wide Market Street is – one of the widest streets you’ll find in Florida. Back in the 1800s, when Apalach rocked as port town with lots of cargos coming and going, like big loads of cotton, brought from Georgia by river boats, then unloaded, rolled down Market Street towards the docks and lighters that would carry the cargo to tall ships anchored out at sea.

A must-see studio on Market Street is Richard Bickel Photography. He arrived in 1994 after photographing cultures around the world. Bickel took one look at the oystermen working on their boats and decided he had to capture what he calls Florida’s Last Stand.

Trinity Episcopal Spire seen through old live oak tree

Time doesn’t stop in Apalach just because there is only one blinking light and T-shirts for sale with the one zip code proudly displayed. Be prepared to shop till you drop. A nice surprise is the splash of shops nestled in the old buildings, plus new structures built to blend into the ambiance.

Peddlers Alley, Apapachicola

The Grady Market along the waterfront has antiques, art, gifts and clothing and food in a building that used to house foreign counsels.
Clustered with the Market are the Consulate Luxury Suites and the Apalachicola Exchange, all part of a whole city block restored past glory polished for today’s high end use.

For a good overview of Apalach’s historic heritage, stop by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, 122 Commerce Street, and pick up a free brochure “Apalachicola Historic Walking Tour.”

Pomagrante the cat at the Chamber

When tired of walking, get wired (literally) at Café con Leche Internet Café at the High Cotton Market Place on Water Street.

Cow sculpture outside Cafe con Leche

If gardens are your thing, visit the Garden Shop (also called Gardens) on Commerce Street, full of eclectic garden objects and organic herbs and vegetables.

Gardens

Book stores always speak to me and I gravitate to this bookstore that also has fine yarn – Downtown Books & Purl on Commerce Street. They have an excellent section on Florida and yes; they are kind enough to carry my book “50 Great Walks in Florida.”

Speaking of walks, Lafayette Park is delightful. Dedicated in 1832 (you read that right) and refurbished 100 years later, enjoy the landscape then walk out the long pier out into Apalachicola Bay.

Chapman Botanical Gardens, right next to Orman House Historic State Park, has meandering walkways, a butterfly garden and plans to plant some of the species discovered by Dr. Alvin Chapman, a 19th century botanist.

Time travel is possible. Apalach is the proof. Come for the oysters, stay for the history and be there for a sunset. For anyone who has forgotten what a thrill it is to slow down and connect with nature, your neighbors and history, this is the place to come.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias. All Rights Reserved. Photographs by Lucy Beebe Tobias

The City of Cedar Key sits on a large spatter of an island, surrounded by more islands and kissed by the Gulf of Mexico. Get there by going west on State Road 24, a straight shot through the woods. Take the two-lane road to the very end and voila, you’ve arrived.

Could Cedar Key be the funkiest Florida town/city ever? Yep. Could be.

Where else will you find one resident curmudgeon, the best clam chowder in the world and dogs in every block straining on their leashes?

Walking the dog is a popular Cedar Key activity. Photo by Lucy Tobias

Plus Cedar Key has Second Street, just a few blocks long with more art galleries than parking places.

Sign on Second Street. Photo by Lucy Tobias

Mosaic art at Cedar Key Art Center. Photo by Barbara Fitos

Add on the Island Hotel & Restaurant, with rooms rumored to be haunted, some of them anyway, and a restaurant that serves great dinners. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this building anchors the corner of Second and B Street and has since 1859.

ONE ZIP CODE COVERS EVERYTHING

All this and more located in one zip code – 32625.

Pelicans on Dock Street. Photo by Susan Peters

Cedar Key celebrates stunning sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico, has two fishing piers, hopeful fishermen, more birds than people, two history museums on an island with a census showing 927 people on a good day, great shelling, snorkeling and finally smiling locals who stop visitors like us to ask hopefully “Are you here to stay a few days?”

We began our visit to funky 32625 with food, standing outside in line waiting to get into Tony’s Seafood.

Old doors, entrance to Tony's Seafood. Photo by Barbara Fitos

Hale was a busy guy. In 1880 Henry Hale built a house at the west end of Sixth Street that looked out over a bayou called Goose Cove. In the 1920s St. Clair Whitman bought the house, raised a family and stayed until his death in 1959.

The house stood empty for a long time and we all know what that means. Scheduled for demolition in 1991 the Whitman family offered it for free to anyone who would move it.

Local citizens and elected officials formed a partnership with the Florida Park Service. The small red house with a metal roof was moved to the grounds of Cedar Key Museum State Park.

Table in the Whitman Kitchen, circa 1920s. Photo by Susan Peters

The St.Clair Whitman House. Photo by Susan Peters

You can do a self-guided tour of the home as part of your $2 park visit admission fee. The park also has a sweet museum with displays of Cedar Key’s history timeline. With all the marshes and tidal flats it comes as no surprise that the Timucuan Indians liked this place a lot. Artifacts put them here as early as 1500.

EAT, SHOP AND SOAK UP HISTORY TOO

Back to the food. We waited. Unlike the Timucuans who scooped their seafood out of the water, we wanted ours already harvested and cooked by someone else. After soaking up some sunrays we were ushered inside Tony’s.
Two thumbs up. The clam chowder is seriously wonderful and well worth the wait. Plus I had steamed clams on the side and they were pretty amazing too.

Aquaculture is big here. The demise of mullet fishing (gill nets were banned in 1995) led to retraining fishermen for growing clams in beds in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1997 clam farming produced 100 million clams.
If you like seafood, keep the record numbers going by coming here to eat your share. One opportunity – attend the annual Clamerica Clelebration on the Fourth of July, named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Tony’s sits on a busy intersection.

Colorful sign at 2nd and D streets. Photo by Barbara Fitos

Across the street is Curmudgeonalia with books (a good Florida selection), cards and gifts. The owner is a resident curmudgeon Dick Martens (I am not making this up). This is the only bookstore within 60 miles.

Curmudgeon sign, photo by Susan Peters

On the opposite corner is the Cedar Key Historical Museum housed in the Lutterlogh Building also built around 1880. Cedar Key recycles its buildings and treasures its history.

Just inside the museum door look left to see the arched doorway that once led to the Maddox Theater. The theater is gone but they saved the doors.

A self-guided walking tour has a new color booklet you can purchase with photos and descriptions. The price will be about $10 but the tour guides hadn’t arrived when we were there and the price was still iffy.

By the time we finished lunch and moved next door to plunder a truly eclectic consignment shop called Déjà Vu, we all agreed a day trip to Cedar Key was not enough. The locals are right – stay a few days.

STAY A FEW DAYS

Cedar Key is a small place. The pace is slow and yet you can’t drink it all up in four to five hours. Why would you want to? The laid back atmosphere aches for slowing down, for quality time with friends and family, for long conversations and good browsing through the art galleries, then sitting at the beach or renting a kayak and exploring the islands.

View of the Gulf of Mexico at City Park. Photo by Barbara Fitos

Consider this – if you are going to stay for the sunset show, why not spend the night? Beats the long drive back in the dark on SR 24.

Suggested excursion: a sunset cruise with Captain Doug’s Tidewater Tours, the cost is $25 per person.
The closest island is Atsena Otie Key and it is here that Cedar Key began as an army supply depot, 1836, and hospital, 1840. It is easy to see Atsena Otie Key from the new pier and dream of taking a day cruise over there to seek out the historical remains.

As we walked around we saw lots of rentals for condos, cottages, B&Bs, homes, hotels, apartments and rooms.

If it is view you want Harbour Master Suites on Dock Street all face west towards the Gulf of Mexico and that means splendid gulf views.

The Faraway Inn, a certified Green Lodging Florida, is pet friendly and sits on the site of the 19th Century Eagle Pencil Company Cedar Mill. We saw happy dogs outside when we went by.

There are 10 rooms at the Island Hotel. In keeping with historical ambiance there are no televisions or phones in the rooms of the main hotel.

THE AROMA OF CEDAR

The museums tell the story of all those pencil factories but not a whole lot of cedars to be seen today. They were chopped down before conservation policies. Backack in the 1800′s cedars were a hot item. In 1855 Eberhard Faber set off a timber boom when he bought large tracts of acreage in Levy County and started a pencil factory. You can buy a pencil smelling strongly of cedar at the Cedar Key Historical Museum.

Combine all the timber activity with Dave Yulee’s building of a cross-Florida railroad from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key and it is easy to imagine Cedar Key as a booming port town. The population peaked at 1,887 in 1885.

Now that might not sound like much to someone from Chicago or Miami but Levy County in 1885 only had 5,000 people.

THE VENICE OF AMERICA

A newspaper clipping from the time called Cedar Key “the Venice of America”. Well, why not? When you are living the end of the line, literally, go for it.

Is the Venice of America a city or a town? It doesn’t matter. Cedar Key is a great place. We’re going back soon and stay a few days.

Speaking of small towns, Cedar Key is one of 20 American towns selected by Budget Travel Magazine as America’s coolest small towns. Until February 11 you can vote for Cedar Key by going to their Web site and casting a vote.

Mosaic fisherman at Cedar Key Arts Center. Photo by Susan Peters

Sat. Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. – Historical Society Auction to be held at the Island Hotel. Lively bidding on collectibles including china, art work, antiques and more.

Monday, Feb. 28 at 10:30 a.m. join Refuge Ranger at Cedar Key Library for a program on bats and bat houses. Did you know there is a giant bat house on the Suwannee River that holds 40,000 bats? Learn how to make your own bat house for natural mosquito control.

March 16-20, Levy County Railroad Days (150th anniversary of the completion of the Florida Railroad), events in Bronson, Otter Creek, Cedar Key, see Web site for days and times.

According to George Sresovich with the Historical Society this is going to be a really huge event. From 9-4 p.m. on March 18,19 & 20 the Cedar Key Community Center will have the Ocala Model Railroaders’ Historic Preservation Society Florida Railroad Display.

See the trains. Then go to Tony’s for chowder or get a bowl of crab bisque at the Island Hotel. Want more? You have lots of seafood choices at restaurants lining Dock Street, all with those famous Gulf views.

April 2-3, Cedar Key Arts Center presents the 47th Annual Old Florida Celebration of the Arts. Yes, it is true. Cedar Key is a very small town with limited parking. For festivals, people park their cars on outlying keys and shuttle buses bring them into town.

For an event calendar with contact information see the Cedar Key Chamber’s Web site.

Mosaic bird. Photo by Barbara Fitos

Ah, the choices we’ll have to make, choosing festivals, not to mention a scramble by groups like Save the Manatee to find enough volunteers for both events.

Ready or not, here they are: Saturday January 22 and 23, Saturday and Sunday from 10-3 p.m. is the Orange City Blue Spring Manatee Festival at Valentine Park on West French Avenue off Highway 17-92. This is a fundraiser for the Orange City community including Friends of Blue Spring State Park, scholarships and non-profit groups.

Admission: $8 adult ($10 if you bring your dog), $2 children ages 4-10, under the age of three admitted free. Lots of family friendly things including arts and crafts, presentations by Central Florida Zoo, SPCA Adopt-A-Pet, sand sculpting, food and entertainment.

Sharp-eyed readers, that would be you, have noticed the manatee festival is not held where the manatees are – namely Blue Spring State Park. But they’ve got that covered with a free shuttle bus to Blue Spring State Park to see the manatees.

Note gray log shapes near water's edge - all are manatees at Blue Spring State Park

On a recent visit we took to the state park over 200 manatees, including a number of baby manatees, lounged in water tinted emerald green and dappled with shadow shapes from trees leaning over the water’s edge.

The other festival is January 22-23, Saturday and Sunday, from 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday, when downtown Crystal River has its 24th annual Florida Manatee Festival. A donation of $3 per person is requested, children 12 and under admitted free.

The two-cay event includes an art show, a beer and wine garden with a live band, a manatee education area with continuous movies, children’s activities on the creative playground behind City Hall and boat rides (additional cost) in Kings Bay to see manatees.

Nearby manatee sanctuaries include Three Sisters Springs at Kings Bay in Crystal River   and other manatee sanctuaries set aside in Kings Bay plus Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Why have manatee festivals in January? Because winter months are when manatees come into warmer waters like Kings Bay and Blue Springs and you can see them gathered in groups.

Manatee statue at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Be sure to check out the Save the Manatee Club booth at either festival or visit their Web site or call them at 1-800-432-5646. This non- profit group has been champions for manatees since 1981 when the group was started by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (when he was governor of Florida).

We could take life lessons from these gentle giants who wish harm to no one. Their curiosity leads them to come right up to us, trusting souls that they are.

Manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammals and they are endangered. They’ve been around for millions of years. Gentleness has worked in their favor until now. Human activity – like running boats at full speed and colliding with manatees – could be the death of them.

They don’t need us. We need them. Everything is connected and West Indian manatees, gentle gray blimps in our waterways, are living proof of that. The Save the Manatee Club web site has many resources for students, teachers and everyday folks including a great program called Adopt-A-Manatee.

Feeding a manatee at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Never seen a manatee? Well, welcome to 2011. New year, time to learn new things. Go to a manatee festival or visit a state park with manatees or take a kayak tour in Crystal River to see manatees. Take your children and grandchildren.

By the way the kayak ecotour is a good way to see manatees with a hands off approach (no swimming with them which is stressful to the manatees). The Save the Manatee club is doing kayak tours. Another good choice for a kayak tour of manatees is going with Lars Andersen of Adventure Outpost.

Lucy Beebe Tobias of Ocala writes, blogs and videos Authentic Florida.

GET DOWN AND DIRTY WITH FLORIDA GARDENING

Like to get down and dirty in the garden? So do I, and I look forward to getting “Florida Gardening” loaded with everything you wanted to know about gardening in this tropical paradise. And yes, sometimes I write for them. An article coming out soon on putting rain barrels in your yard.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Time is up. Got your answer?

The correct answer is: Henry DeLand, the baking soda magnate from New York who wanted to build an Athens of Florida in the late 1800s.

Truth be told, Henry didn’t even want to come look at the high ground area covered with pine trees and he definitely whined about the rough trip by horseback, including crossing the St. Johns River, to get there. But his brother-in-law, who wanted to plant orange groves, insisted on the visit so Henry came along.

Surprise! He loved it. Went home to eastern New York and began drawing up city plans for the Athens of Florida. Henry returned bought property near a small village called Persimmon Hallow in 1876 with a simple alluring premise – settlers could buy land from him but if they didn’t like the area he’d buy the property back within two years. The city was incorporated as DeLand in 1882.

Growth ebbed in the face of fires and freezes and grew with exquisite buildings of brick and masonry meant to withstand fire. DeLand Academy, founded by you know who, eventually became Stetson University with buildings so beautiful in the classic tradition that they are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Volusia County Courthouse moved to DeLand in 1886. Rebuilt in 1927 it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful in Florida, surrounded for a full block by a park and walkways. Courthouse business has moved but go inside to see history exhibits, paintings by Jackson Walker and visit the courtrooms.

A piece of a mural on the old DeLand Naval Station in downtown DeLand

And the trees – old oak trees still exist because people then (1800s) are just like people today – they wanted tax breaks. In 1886 you could take 50 cents off your taxes for each oak tree planted that lived for one year. Residents planted so many trees the tax break had to be stopped because there was not enough money from taxes to pay the town marshal. But the tree legacy endures.

If Henry DeLand rode into his city today his jaw would drop. His Athens is alive and well. Downtown DeLand rocks along Woodland Boulevard and the side streets. Stores in historic brick and concrete buildings showcase art galleries, jewelers, restaurants, coffee houses, antique emporiums, the famous Muse Book Shop, the Athens Theatre, a new Florida Museum for Women Artists, a bike shop that wheels in classic bikes – the list goes on.

The entire downtown has been revitalized through a MainStreet program, now 25 years old, with enhancements that invite genteel walking. Wide sidewalks flow past planters overflowing with flowers and partnered with nearby benches. Many restaurants have outdoor seating, perfect for this fine fall weather.

Discover DeLand has a really cool list of 102 things to do in DeLand. Let’s make our own list and start with three theme walks.

You’ll want your walking shoes for three specialized walks.

The DeLand Mural Walk has 15 murals, and counting, that grace the walls of old buildings. Look for an illustrated booklet describing each mural. We found ours at the Muse Book Shop at 112 South Woodland Blvd. Janet Bollum, owner, is a fountain of information on what to do in DeLand.

Still interested in Henry? Mural No. 1 is “Henry’s Vision” at the northeast corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Woodland Blvd. A new mural, not in the booklet, is a sepia-toned historic moment called “A Conversation over Chess in 1929″ by artist Jill Cannady. It is on a wall bordering Chess Park, a walkway next to the old Courthouse that runs between two blocks.

Chess Park has chess. A lovely three-panel waterfall at one end, built in tables with chessboards and even a chessboard built into the sidewalks, are all inviting.

Bring your chess pieces. Bring a brown bag lunch. Trees shade the tables. We liked this spot a lot.

waterfall at Chess Park, DeLand

The Museum of Florida Art has a DeLand Sculpture Walk with 12 pieces positioned in downtown DeLand through 2010 and 2011. The hope is that sculptures will be purchased and remain in place. Brochures with a locator map are free and available at most downtown stores. This is an easy and fun walk.

Two sculptures caught my attention – “Peace” by Joan Baliker of Ormond Beach, a bronze done in 2003, and sits at the north entrance to Chess Park on West Indiana Avenue. “Anniversary Spiral” by Gretchen Lotz of Orlando, a bronze done in 2010 is situated in front of Mainstreet Community Bank at 204 S. Woodland Blvd. and looks like was made exactly for that spot.

The Persimmon Hallow Quest is a River Quest treasure hunt using GPS coordinates. It begins at the northwest corner of Woodland Boulevard and Rich Avenue outside Hunter’s Restaurant. Get a free brochure at West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority at 116 West New York Avenue, off Woodland.

A suggestion that is not a formal walk or quest – wander around Stetson University campus. Beautiful landscaping and buildings plus a nice surprise – the Gillespie Museum of Minerals with its collection of 20,000 mineral, rock and fossil specimens. Hours are limited – Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult admission is $2.

All this wandering will make you hungry. We ended up at Manzano’s where their bread is flown in from New York every day. Trust me, half a sandwich is enough for two meals. They are huge. They are wonderful and the bread is so good they sell it by the loaf.

Manzano’s, 120A North Woodland Avenue, is one of three businesses located inside the old Volusia County Bank build in 1909 with massive Greek columns announcing the front entrance. Manzano’s Facebook page keeps you up on the latest hours and happenings.

Being somewhat addicted to coffee (all right, totally is a better word) we ended up at the Boston Coffee House, 109 E. New York Avenue. We were too stuffed from Manzano’s to stay for a meal but the lunch menu looked most attractive. This coffee house regularly wins the best coffee awards for West Volusia and in Florida Living magazine.

Henry rode here on a horse. You arrive by car today or is a motorcycle your thing? DeLand has Thursday Thunder Night the last Thursday or each month from 6-9 p.m. Stores stay open late. Signs direct you to motorcycle parking and a DJ will spin music.

DeLand loves a festival or two or more. The weekend before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20-21 is the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, each day from 10-5 in the downtown historic shopping district.

A heads up about parking in DeLand. Look closely at the times. You may be wandering around for four hours and your car is in a two-hour spot. Oops. Go onto the side street where times are longer, say three hours.

Enjoy a day in DeLand. This Saturday Morning Magazine story is the first of an ongoing series of stories on authentic Florida towns. When you go, give me your feedback!

walk in peace
Lucy

Lucy Tobias is an author, artist and photographer living in Ocala.

Building levees causes “unintended consequences” as they like to say in political speak. The “unintended consequences” in this case turn out to be good for you and me.

Consider the levee – lots of dirt piled at least six feet high and oh, say eight feet wide or more. The top of the level is flat.
There it is, the “unintended consequence” – turns out that flat, high surface is a great place to walk or ride bikes or watch birds.

Birders love levees because the sight lines are so great. Winter birds come to hang out in the waters impounded by levees. Birders use levees as their own elevated viewing platform, at least six feet about the water.

In the wintertime at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge south of Tallahassee, drive down Lighthouse Road and see all the birding scopes set up on tripods along the levees.

St. Marks levee

St. Marks is a classic levee story. Walk down the Mounds Trail (chapter 7 in my book “50 Great Walks in Florida”) and find Marker No. 2. It is on a tree, about five feet up, showing how high the water rose on Sept. 13, 1843. The Hurricane of 1843 wiped out the nearby towns of St. Marks River, Magnolia, Rock Haven and Port Leon. Today the refuge has a LOT of levees.

A specially designated levee trail starts at the end of Lighthouse Road. It is one-half mile long, with free leaflets at the start. Travel the trail on foot, on bike or by horseback.

Walkers like me like levees because I don’t like surprises, say wildlife crossing the road or a snake sunning itself. I prefer my wildlife viewing from a distance and distance (good sight lines) is exactly what you have on levees.

Levee at Sunnyhill. Note sandill cranes in middle

At Sunnyhill Restoration Area, St. Johns River Water Management District, located in southeast Marion County, sandhill cranes may join you on your levee walk. That happened to me. Their attitude was “What took you so long? We’ve been expecting you.” And so we walked together. Sandhill cranes like this area and tend to stay year round. Ch. 28 in 50 Great Walks is titled “Walking with Friends” about the Sunnyhill Restoration Area.

Sandhill cranes at Sunnyhill

There is one down side to levees – no shade. The tops are mowed. No trees grow here.

That said, now you know to bring a hat with a wide brim and carry lots of water for your levee walk.

Another good place for levee walking is Arthur R. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach. This area is also a gateway for the Great Florida Birding Trail.

The big daddy of levee walks in Florida is the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail with the unfortunate acronym of LOST. Some 113 miles of LOST encircle Lake Okeechobee with gaps where the walker has to come down from the levee, and then get back up at a later point.

This levee is along the 35-foot high Herbert Hoover Dike. Surfaces are crushed gravel, some paved asphalt.
Once a year the Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association hosts the Big O Hike, a week of going around the lake. This year’s dates are Nov. 20-28, 2010.

Springtime is the perfect time for walking levees – cool, sunlit days with lots of breezes and no bugs or humidity. See you on the levee.

©2010 Lucy Beebe Tobias, all rights reserved