Heritage - Recreation

Recreation IconThere is a Florida out there beyond the strip malls, the theme parks, and the endless box stores. It is a Florida of wilderness and hope, and it calls to us through open windows and open souls. Connecting to wild places through outdoor adventure and recreation not only is essential to the human spirit, but it grounds us in the Florida our grandparents knew and that we want to pass on to our grandchildren.

Still Room for Exploration

The Nature Coast provides some of the best, and most diverse nature based recreation opportunities anywhere in Florida. The region offers opportunities for world class hiking, birding, wildlife viewing, paddling, sailing, snorkeling, hunting, fishing, scalloping, and photography. Thousands of acres of coastline and uplands offer free and continuous opportunities to get wet, dirty, and out there. Miles of spring fed and blackwater rivers offer some of the best paddling in Florida. Paddling down a crystal clear spring fed river is like flying as the river's sandy bottom passes below.

The Nature Coast offers the remedy for what some call “Nature Deficit Disorder.” The next generation needs nature, needs recreation, needs play in the woods and on the rivers. Families can find low cost and high quality family adventure as they point their canoe's bow down river.

The Nature Coast is our backyard and our passage way to a Florida that few get to see on a daily basis. Seeing a Florida Black Bear ambling down a game trail, seeing an eagle soaring overhead, feeling the rumble of a bull gator bellowing during mating season….these opportunities lie just beyond the next bend in the river or trail. When the paved road turns to dirt, true adventure begins.

Preserving and protecting the Nature Coast is critical for wild Florida, and for human Florida. Recreation that leaves no footprint and values conservation for future generations is one essential element of the Nature Coast's allure. Grab that pack, pick up the fishing rod, and clean out that canoe: The Nature Coast is ready and waiting for you.

Resources

  • Resource One
  • Resource Two [PDF]
  • Resource Three (fourth paragraph down)
A man and daughter walk the nature coast shoreline. If we are vigilant and wise, our children’s children may experience the natural wonders of the Nature Coast.