Violet Cury Nature Preserve Loop

Located just 10 miles from downtown Tampa right off I-4, this short trail runs through a 31-acre botanical garden.  The park has a variety of exotic plans, ferns, flowers and plants as well as a 0.3 mile boardwalk through cypress, maple and oak trees.  Run by Hillsborough County, there's a $2 fee to park and access the grounds of the park.  It's a short trail and if you go fast, you'll see just...

Start at John B Sargeant State Park--they do have a $2 parking fee. There is a canoe rental and shuttle service on site called Canoe Escape. They do have kayaks as well. If you own your own canoe you can pay for the shuttle service to pick you up at the end if you choose not to paddle out and back.There are a few routes to take:Sargeant Park to Morris Bridge Park: 2 hour paddleSargeant Park to ...

We started near the Bellair Golf Course and went south. When you go along the golf course, watch for pikas, coyotes, and fox.  It is a good idea to head South first, so that the winds propel you forward in the second half of your ride. We went down Indian Rocks Road and rode by the ocean - the neighborhoods are nice to ride through and keep you off the busier streets. When you hit W Bay Dr., yo...

If you find yourself near the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg areas, I highly recommend taking a trip out to Clearwater Beach. On Clearwater Beach, you'll find sand softer than anything your feet have ever felt, lots of places to relax, great food, good people-watching, and best of all some of the most beautiful sunsets you'll ever see.If you go there to capture a beautiful sunset, as I did, I would ...

This 6.5 mile trailhead is actually located outside the main entrance, just north of the river off of US 301 S.  The park charges a $4 entrance fee and it is recommended that you enter the main park to use restrooms and/or refill water bottles as those facilities are nonexistent at the outside-the-park trailhead.  As you start the trail, if looking to complete the whole 6.5 miles, one is best ...

The Weeki Wachee River begins its 7.4-mile journey at the world famous Weeki Wachee spring. Named by the Seminole Indians who inhabited the land around the body of water in the early 1800s, Weeki Wachee means “winding river” or “little spring.” One of Florida’s 33 first magnitude springs, the underwater cave connects to the Floridan aquifer and has been dived to depths greater than 400 feet. Ap...