Top 10 Nature & Eco Tours

Description:

Educational tours of the facility are offered to introduce visitors to the resident sea turtles and to the hospital's curative programs for loggerhead, green, hawksbill and Kemp's ridley turtles. Moretti credits Dr. Doug Mader, the hospital's current staff veterinarian, for bringing the facility to its present level. In addition to turtle rehabilitation and public education, the Turtle Hospital's goals include conducting and assisting with research that aids sea turtles in conjunction with state universities, and working toward environmental legislation that makes beaches and water safer and cleaner for sea turtles.

Description:

Key West National Wildlife Refuge is located off the western shores of Key West in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida. The refuge includes the islands of the "Lakes" and the "Marquesas, all of which have been designated a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The islands of the refuge contain mostly mangrove habitat, although of primary importance to some species are a few beaches and salt ponds. Red mangrove forests constitute all or part of the vegetation on most of the islands. More than 250 avian species have been recorded in the refuges in the lower Florida Keys including Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge and National Key Deer Refuge.

In addition to providing nesting habitat for a variety of birds, the refuges provide important loafing and feeding areas for magnificent frigates, migrant shorebirds, terns, raptors, and waterfowl like the red-breasted merganser. Extensive beaches are found on a few islands and are an imperative habitat for shore birds and nesting endangered Atlantic green, Loggerhead, and Hawksbill sea turtles.

Salt ponds, impounded from open water by storm created berms, are a particularly important habitat for piping plovers, terns,...

Description:

The National Key Deer Refuge consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes mangrove forests, freshwater and salt marsh wetlands, pine rockland forests and tropical hardwood hammocks, as well as more than 75,000 acres of state waters co-managed to support refuge objectives. Shallow nearshore waters are included as well.

These native habitats sustain the tiny Key deer, a subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer, and 21 other threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Since the refuge was established, the Key deer, once nearing extinction because of over-hunting and habitat loss, has rebounded to a healthy population of between 600 and 700 animals.

The refuge, which is more than 50 years old, is also a stopping point for thousands of migratory birds each year, and a winter home to many North American bird species including the roseate tern and peregrine falcon. Birdwatching is one of the world's largest participatory sports, and the Keys are an ideal location for it, year-round.

Enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels are welcome to walk along the nature trails in the Refuge, and maps are provided at the visitor center. As well as wearing comfortable... read more

Description:

Visit the Dry Tortugas by charter boat, catamaran or (my favorite) high-speed ferry. The trip is a well-spent day and the crew of Yankee Freedom II knows how to show you a good time. Once at the fort, you can camp overnight on its small beach, or snorkel for a while among the nearby corals. The Yankee Freedom II is state-of-the-art comfort, lunch is included, you cannot go wrong! Even among residents of the Keys, this is one of the favorite things to do with family and friends that visit, or to just a wile away a day exploring, away from phones and work. Book before 3p.m. the day before you want to go!

Description:

Located right in the middle of crowded Old Town Key West, this place is an "island in the stream." Owner Nancy Forrester has somehow managed to face down the pressure of development and the tree-tearing fury of hurricanes in order to keep this 30-year-old garden pristine and magnificent. Here you will see the tropics in all its foliage glory with exotics such as orchids nestling in branches, huge ferns, bromeliads, red ginger, pink heliconias and a "sunburn" gumbo-limbo tree. Some plants are rare and endangered; others are extinct in their original habitats. A group of exotic birds resides among the lush foliage.

Bring a picnic lunch and tour the onsite art gallery, as well. Admission fee.

The entrance is on Free School Lane, off the 500 block of Simonton Street between Fleming and Southard streets.

Description:

Bike from one side of historic Old Town Key West to the other on the two-hour Key West Bike Tour. See quaint old cottages and grand old Victorian mansions from a quieter, less hurried time. Your guide will tell you about the times when Key West was the cigar capital of the world, the Civil War, when Harry Truman vacationed here, the days of treasure salvaging, and saving wrecked ships in the 1700 and 1800s.

Visit a one-acre, Private Rain Forest Preserve replete with parrots, orchids, bamboos, stately palms and majestic mahogany trees. It is part of someone's home, and travelers rarely get to visit the grounds of a private residence - even more so, one that looks like a rain forest.

Continue on and bicycle along the beach with Cuba 90 miles to your south. There is a stop with a photo opportunity at the Southernmost Point.

Description:

There's just something awesome about butterflies - they represent rebirth, natural beauty, quiet strength. At the Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, visitors get to walk among hundreds of butterflies in their natural habitats. Stunning, is the best way to describe it. What I did not know was that these butterflies were not gathered from the wild (Key West is as far south as you can get in the US, so it seems we have to get everything shipped in!), but it turns out that the captive breeding of butterflies is best suited for tropical climates like the Keys, and "overage" gets released into the wild to help culture our native trees, plants and shrubs. It's a fascinating place. Hours 9a.m.-5p.m. daily. Admission $12, children 4-12 $8.50, seniors and military $9, children four and under, free.

Description:

This key, named for a hardwood known as the "wood of life," is accessible only by boat. Its undeveloped land includes a variety of plant species and in them birds such as the brown pelican, ospreys and migratory warblers build their nests.

Visitors may access the island by boat, canoe or kayak.

Guided walks that last 1.5 hours are given at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday. The tour fee is $1 per person. Children under 6 are admitted free of charge. Access to the Key for these tours is limited to privately owned boats or charter boats available at nearby marinas. Tour boat departs 30 minutes before listed tour times. Contact the Long Key State Recreation Area in advance for tour information. Tour times are subject to change.

The Matheson House, built in 1919, serves as the park's Visitor Center and offers a glimpse of how island people lived during a 'simpler' time when most of their needs were met by the land and sea around them. The Visitor Center is open Friday through Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Description:

Long Key Canoe Trail winds around a shallow water mangrove-lined lagoon. A smattering of mangrove islands adds interest to the route. The trail is truly an adventure for the nature lover. Before launching your canoe at the launch site located just inside the park entrance, obtain a canoe trail map from the ranger. The brochure details the route, the plant life and wildlife observed during the course of the trip. It is a good place to come upon statuesque wading birds. It is also a good place to fish for young snook that congregate in mangrove shallows.

Other park amenities include canoe rental, campground, primitive chickees (wooden camping platforms), hiking trails and a slender swimming beach.

Description:

One of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys, Crane Point, located at mile marker 50.5 bayside, incorporates the Museum of Natural History of the Florida Keys, the Florida Keys Children's Museum, nature trails, a wild bird rehabilitation center, rainforest, butterfly garden and flight habitat.

The Museum of Natural History is filled with information on the land forms of the region, the environment and how all its parts are interconnected, and the part that mankind has played, both positive and negative, on the fragile ecosystem of the Keys. A shell exhibit is intriguing, and there are dioramas explaining how it all works together. This museum and the Florida Keys Children's Museum are part of a dual attraction called The Museums of Crane Point. Admission fee is minimal and acts as donation to Crane Point.

Marathon Wild Bird Center is located inside, among the hammocks, along with six miles of nature hike trails and shoreline views.