Outdoors & Nature

Day 1

Head to Lake Kissimmee State Park, home to over 50 special-concern animals. The park’s 1876 Cow Camp offers a living history demonstration on weekends and holidays. (863-696-1112)

Have lunch at the Cherry Pocket Steak & Seafood Shak in Lake Wales and feast on fresh seafood, homemade desserts and even gator. (863-439-2031)
Walk the Caloosa Nature Trail at the Ridge Audubon’s Babson Park Nature Center. This desert-like ecosystem contains plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. (863-638-1355)

End the day with dinner in historic Lake Wales.

Day 2

Rent a boat from Camp Mack’s River Resort (863-696-1108) near Lake Wales and spend the afternoon on the water. Or, drive west of Winter Haven to Circle B-Bar Reserve, where trails offer great views of ospreys, blue herons and eagles. The reserve’s Lake Hancock is home to large numbers of alligators. (863-534-7377)