45-55-minute two-mile loop Wakulla River cruises on a 30-foot-long boat equipped with an overhead roof. Wheelchair accessible vessels are available upon request. Ask about occasional specialty boat tours.
Trapper Nelson lived purposefully off his land and the river he loved largely on his own terms—until his mysterious passing in 1968. After he died, the State of Florida procured his land, which became a preserved and protected part of Johnathan Dickinson State Park. A walking tour of Trapper Nelson’s homestead is a startling jump back in time that helps visitors understand one man’s extraordinary bond with nature. While floating down the glorious Loxahatchee River, you cannot help but imagine who navigated the waterway in former times, and what they found around each sneaky curve of the riverbank. Native Seminole people, local pioneers, shipwrecked survivors like Johnathan Dickinson’s family, and Trapper Nelson himself all influenced the Loxahatchee and surrounding lands in their own individual ways. Now that you know why Johnathan Dickinson’s Loxahatchee River boat tour is a tremendous outing. Are you ready for more good news? The Florida State Park system’s 175 award-winning parks offer plenty of additional water-based tours.
Tickets: Consult the state park website for up-to- date ticket information or reservations.
What to Expect on the Water: You will see grand cypress trees along the shoreline, plus spontaneous appearances by local wildlife. Watch out for skulking alligators, meek-looking manatees, and shorebirds such as gliding grebes and wide-winged anhingas. Flocks of migrating songbirds—such as crimson cardinals, goldfinches, and painted buntings make their rounds through the park from late fall through spring.
Blue Spring State Park Boat Tours Location: Central Florida in Orange City
Fun Fact: Thanks to conservation measures, the manatee population in the spring-fed waters at Blue Springs State Park has increased dramatically, from 14 tracked manatees in 1970 to a record-breaking 729 tracked manatees in 2023. Tour Details: A certified ecotour provider offers two- hour narrated boat cruises on the historic St. John’s River. Wheelchair access with lift onto the vessel is available.
Next up are brief overviews of five other parks’ engaging boat trips.
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park Boat Tours Location: Florida’s North Central region in the town of Wakulla Springs Fun Fact: The brilliant blue waters of Wakulla Springs come from one of the biggest and deepest springs on Planet Earth.
Tickets: Consult the state park website for up-to- date ticket information or reservations.
What to Expect on the Water: Your boat’s ecotour guide focuses on natural surroundings and St. John’s River ecology. Riverbanks are heavily wooded with cypress trees veiled in Spanish moss. Florida oaks, red maples, and slash pines are also prevalent. Eagles might fly high overhead. Wading birds such as herons and tall wood storks are often spotted on the river’s edge. Cavorting otters, splashing turtles, alligators and slow-moving manatees may be seen in the water. Recently, exotic macaque monkeys of unknown origin have been observed climbing and jumping in trees along the St. John’s shoreline. Deer and opossums might also make guest appearances at the edge of the water.
Tour Details: Park rangers lead and narrate
Silver Springs State Park Glass Bottom Boat Tours Location: Central Florida in the town of Silver Springs
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, credit Florida State Parks
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