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10 Places to Explore Wild Florida: No Sweating Required!

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Love wild Florida but hate to sweat? There’s an adventure for that.

Words by Sara Sheehy
Live Wildly Lead Adventurist

We get it – not everyone likes to work up a sweat just to spend some time in Florida’s beautiful wild places. And that’s ok! We strongly believe that wild Florida is for everyone, regardless of how much you actually desire to be IN nature.

If a no-sweat Florida adventure is right up your alley, here’s where to go and what to do.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

A flamingo standing in water at Homosassa Springs State Park.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park’s wildlife walk is flat, paved, shaded, and full of incredible native animals to see.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

A white road with grass and trees along the edge of a body of water on Biolab Road in Canaveral National Seashore.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Spot wildlife from the comfort of your air-conditioned car on either Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge’s Black Point Wildlife Loop or the Biolab Drive.

Crystal River Archaeological State Park

A set of stairs leads up a ceremonial mound covered with grass. Trees hang overhead and a blue sky peeks through at Crystal River Archaeological State Park.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Wander in the ancient footsteps of Native American at Crystal River Archaeological State Park on a moonlight guided tour.

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

A man in an electric wheelchair wearing a blue shirt sits next to a woman in a blue and white striped collared shirt. They are on the handicap-accessible pontoon boat named "Great Blue Heron" at Wakulla Springs State Park.Photo by George McKenzie Jr

Old Florida is alive at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, where you can take a boat tour through the wilds (this is one of my favorite boat tours in Florida!).

Silver Springs State Park

A green glass-bottomed motorboat is docked near a built up shoreline with trees hanging overhead at Silver Springs State Park.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Hop in a historic glass-bottomed boat at Silver Springs State Park and explore the spring vent and spring run with a gentle breeze in your hair.

Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve

A woman in a Live Wildly shirt sits on a low-hanging tree branch next to the water at GTM Reserve.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Catch a glimpse into wild Florida – above the water and below it – at the air-conditioned Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve nature center.

Fort Matanzas National Monument

The Matanzas River is seen through an old wood-framed window at Fort Matanzas.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Let the free boat across the Matanzas River cool you down before touring a small Spanish-era fort at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Disney Wilderness Preserve

A man walks next to a swamp buggy - a specialized vehicle with an open top deck and oversized wheels, designed to transport visitors. The buggy is parked in a forest of pines at Disney Wilderness Preserve.Photo by George McKenzie Jr

The Nature Conservancy offers swamp buggy tours of Disney Wilderness Preserve, a sprawling and wild landscape in central Florida.

De Leon Springs State Park

A group of people stand on a concrete bridge that spans the springs at De Leon Springs State Park. In the distance, a building with a small water mill sits on the edge of the water. Photo by Sara Sheehy

Cook your own flapjacks while looking out over beautiful and cool De Leon Springs.

Blue Spring State Park

A man and a woman sit on a pontoon boat with a river just to their right, with forest and shrubs beyond at Blue Springs State Park.Photo by Sara Sheehy

Check in on the hundreds of manatees that over-winter in the spring run at Blue Spring State Park, then take a boat ride to see more of wild Florida from the comfort of a pontoon boat.

Looking for even more low-key adventures in wild Florida? Check out Fort Mose State Park, 12 Family Hiking Trails in Wild Florida, and History and Adventure at Koreshan State Park.

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