Lovely Local Area, Great for Visitors
Written: Sep 03 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No place else like it. Not to be missed!
Cons: Watch out for gators and take a buddy.
The Bottom Line: Ocala National Forest offers a worry-free day of getting back to nature. A good day trip from Orlando for visitors. Words can't do justice to its beauty.
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| soulkissed2003's Full Review: Ocala National Forest |
The Ocala National Forest is a wide expanse of nature at its finest. Locals love it, because it adds a place of tranquility and beauty to our area, where we live our otherwise hectic daily lives. It's a place to stop the clock for awhile, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy the wildlife as it was intended to be.
I admit when I first moved to the nearby area, I was skeptical that swampy land could be beautiful. One visit changed my mind! I grew up in Pennsylvania, among woods and creeks abundant in deer, groundhogs and other creatures. Surely, I thought, there couldn't be much more to these "woods" than gators! I was so wrong.
A visitor to the Ocala National Forest will first be struck by how GREEN everything is! Moss grows across the trees and along the surface of the water in a beautiful blanket. Many of the trees are cypress, and their "knees" peek out of the water so the trees can breathe -- this is such a neat thing to see and I have not seen it yet anywhere else. The kids just love spotting new "cypress knees".
Yes, you should watch out for gators, but for the most part as long as you don't plan a swim in the swamp, you'll be just fine. There is a colorful array of birds to watch for, so take along a guidebook. Our boys are Cub Scouts and they have earned a few belt loops out in the forest.
Hiking through these woods with my children takes me back to childhood adventures I had with my friends, walking stick in hand, trekking through new sections of woods we hadn't explored before. I love watching their eyes light up at a new discovery, and ole Mom learns a thing or two every time as well.
If you are heading to the Ocala area, you should make the Ocala National Forest a stop on your itinerary, whether you have kids or not. It's a romantic walk-through for a couple, or a fun hike for singles and their friends. Because there are gators, and a few folks who live in there year-round in their tents, I don't recommend going in by yourself, and you should take your cell phone.
Also, if nature is your thing, enjoy the Silver River State Park, also in Ocala, which has a Cracker homestead with rebuilt housing, a museum of local history, marked trails for walking and bicycling, and a playground and roofed picnic area.
If you have a little more pocket money, nearby that park is Silver Springs attraction, a nature theme park where you can enjoy glass-bottom boat rides over the crystal-clear springs. View artifacts underwater from old movies like the Tarzan films, and see where The Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed! A jeep ride shows you local wildlife, and later on you can watch workers feed the gators, or watch endangered manatees swim happily, out of danger of boats.
Ocala is a little-known town, but there is so much to offer here. It's about an hour and a half to two hours north of Orlando, so Disney fans can take a day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the parks to reconnect with the great outdoors. Hope y'all will come on by!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
soulkissed2003
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Member: Mary
Reviews written: 123
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Busy wife & mom who loves to write (when I have spare time)!
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