Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BEST OF ORLANDO OUTDOORS
After a few days of theme-park rides and lines, fried food, loud music, traffic and shop-
ping, a jaunt beyond the pavement can soothe and rejuvenate even the most harried of
spirits.
Wekiwa Springs State Park
OUTDOORS
( 407-884-2008407-884-2008;
www.floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings
;
1800 Wekiwa Circle,
Apopka; admission $6, campsites per person $5, hookups $24; 7am-dusk)
Cool off in the icy spring-fed swimming hole, hike miles of trails and paddle the tranquil,
still waters of the Wekiva River.
Nature Adventures
, inside the park, offers 2½-hour guided
tours, rents kayaks and canoes (two hours $17, per additional hour $3) and supplies
overnight camping supplies. Reserve primitive riverside campsites in advance.
Bok Tower Gardens
GARDENS
child $12/3, house tour $5; 8am-6pm, last admission 5pm; )
Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr and showcasing the meticulously carved 205ft
stone bell tower, this 250-acre National Historic Landmark features beautiful gardens,
twice-daily carillon concerts, the Mediterranean-style Pinewood Estates (circa 1930s)
and a garden cafe. Kids can pick up special paper at the entry and make a treasure hunt
out of looking for the iron rubbing posts, each with a different animal to rub. The gardens
hosts outdoor classical-music concerts ($25).
Bok Tower Gardens sits an hour south of Orlando, close to Legoland. Take I-4 west, exit 55
and proceed south on Hwy 27 for 23 miles.
Kelly Park
SWIMMING
407-254-1902; 400 E Kelly Park Rd, Apopka; per vehicle $5;
8am-7pm Mar-Oct,
to 5pm Nov-Feb; )
Pick up an inner tube ($5) at the bar a half mile before the entrance and float the shallow
1-mile stream formed by Rock Spring.
In the winter, your only company might be the otter swimming beside you, the turtles
lounging and the deer grazing along the creek's edge, but crowds of locals give the park a
