Thanks to Florida’s climate, you can take part in many sports and out-door activities all year round, making the state a top destination for all sports enthusiasts, from golfers and tennis players to canoeists and deep-sea divers; some people even base their entire vacation around the sports opportunities available. Water sports of all kinds are well represented, with wonderful beaches on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Florida also boasts approximately 10 million acres (4 million ha) of protected land, which can be explored
on foot, horseback, bicycle, or boat. For those who prefer to watch rather than take part, Florida has a wide range of spectator sports to offer.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The two best sources of general information are the Florida Sports Foundation and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which can provide information on most outdoor activities. The Florida Vacation Guide, available from Florida tourist board offices abroad, gives useful addresses, or you can contact local tourist offices for information about specific areas. Further sources are given in individual sections.
GOLF
Florida is a golfer’s paradise; with over 1,100 courses, it is the country’s top golfing
destination. Palm Beach offers so many courses (150 total) it claims to be the “golfing capital of the world,” even though Naples boasts the greatest concentration.
Courses in Florida are flat by most standards, but landscaping provides some relief.
Many of the most challenging courses are attached to resort hotels along the coast (some offer vacation pacakges); you’ll find courses inland too, including at Walt Disney World. About two-thirds of courses are open to the public. Golf is a year-round sport,
but winter is the busiest season. If you play in summer, start early in the day to avoid late afternoon thunderstorms and lightning. Greens fees vary from under $20 to over $75 per
person and are highest in the peak winter season.
The Fairways in the Sunshine golf guide, from the Florida Sports Foundation, lists all
public and private courses.
TENNIS
Tennis, like golf, is very popular in Florida. Many hotels have courts, and some resorts offer vacation packages that include lessons. Contact the United States Tennis Association (Florida Section) for information on coaching, clubs, and competitions. The
state’s most famous tennis school is the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which offers weekly training programs for $800 and up, as well as one-day sessions.
DIVING AND SNORKELING
Florida is superb diving and snorkeling territory. The country’s only living coral reef skirts the state’s southeast coast, stretching the length of the Keys, where there is a magnificent variety of coral and fish. The reef lies 3–5 miles (5–8 km) offshore and is easily accessible to amateur snorkelers.
Guided snorkeling trips are available throughout the Keys and are generally excellent.
The state’s estimated 4,000 diving sites have increased, thanks to the artificial reefs program. All over Florida, everything from bridge spans to freighters have been used to
create a habitat for coral and colourful fish; there is even a Rolls Royce off Palm Beach.
Sunken Spanish galleons also provide fascinating dive sites, mainly in south Florida.
If you don’t have a Certified Divers Card you’ll need to take a course. Recognized NAUI or
PADI courses are widely available.
SWIMMING AND WATER SPORTS
Swimming is as natural as breathing to most Floridians.
Many hotels have pools, but the joy of Florida is the chance to swim in the ocean or in the
many lakes, springs, and rivers.
The Atlantic provides the best waves and Florida’s only surfing beaches, including
Cocoa Beach . The warm, gentle swells of the Gulf of Mexico are better for
kids. These western beaches are beautiful, with white sands and dunes in the Panhandle.
Coastal erosion means that the southeastern beaches are often quite narrow, while there
are only a couple of sandy beaches in the Keys.
Beach access is sometimes controlled: many lie within parks, which charge admission.
Some hotels like to give the impression that their beach is for guests only, but they can’t
stop public access. Lifeguards monitor the most popular beaches in high season.
Many inland parks have
freshwater swimming areas, including some beautifully clear spring water holes, such
as in Blue Spring State Park. Another alternative are the water parks, with all kinds of rides and pools, found throughout the state able, and novices can learn in just four days for $300–400.
For more information, the Florida Sports Foundation’s Florida Boating and Diving
Guide is helpful, or you can call the Keys Association of Dive Operators (KADO).
Florida’s numerous lakes and rivers are overflowing with fish, and fishing is not so much
a sport as a way of life for a great many Floridians. The opportunities are endless both
inland and all along the coast.
The Atlantic and Gulf shores are dotted with dedicated fishermen. Fishing right off the pier is popular at many coastal spots, but for those who enjoy angling on a different scale there is plenty of sport fishing for which the state is probably best known.
Deep-sea fishing boats can be chartered at many seaside resorts. The biggest fleets are in the Panhandle, especially around Fort Walton Beach and Destin, and in the Keys. With the Gulf Stream nearby, the The full range of water sports, from windsurfing to jet skiing, is offered at Florida’s resorts; water-skiing can also be enjoyed on freshwater lakes and inland waterways.
waters off the Keys offer the most varied fishing in the state. Organized group
excursions are an excellent option for novices. If you want to take your big fish home, a taxidermist will preserve it for you; the more eco-conscious alternative these days is to
have a model made of your catch. Bait and tackle shops or the charter boat operator
can give you the names of local taxidermists.
Florida has thousands of lakes, as well as rivers and canals, for freshwater fishing.
Boat rentals and fishing guides are available along the larger rivers, such as the Anclote
and the St. Johns, and in other popular fishing areas like Lake Okeechobee. Fishing is also
permitted in many state and other parks. In rural parts, fish camps offer simple accommodations and basic supplies, though some are open only during the summer.
Licenses, costing from $12 to $30, are required for fresh-water and saltwater fishing.
The Fishing Handbook, available from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, gives information on locations and licensing. It also gives details of the entry
dates, fees, regulations, and prizes of Florida’s fishing tournaments; one of the best
known is Destin’s Fishing Rodeo.
For more information on fishing or hunting, contact the Department of Environmental Protection, or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
BOATING
Florida’s waterways attract boats of every description, from state-of-the-art yachts to wooden skiffs. With over 8,000 miles (12,870 km) of tidal coastline and 4,500 sq
miles (11,655 sq km) of inland waters, the state is a paradise for boaters. Having a boat is
as normal as having a car for some Floridians; the state has over 700,000 registered boats,
and this doesn’t include the 300,000 brought in annually from outside Florida.The Intracoastal Waterway, extending 500 miles (800 km) down the east coast to the tip
of the Keys, is very popular. Often sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands, the route runs through rivers, creeks, and dredged canals. Although most of the west coast is open, the most interesting territory for boaters is where the Intracoastal Waterway resumes
among the islands of the Lee Island Coast.
The 135-mile (217-km) Okeechobee Waterway, which cuts through the state, is another popular route, becoming positively busy during the summer. It runs along the St. Lucie Canal from Stuart, across Lake Okeechobee and then on to Sanibel Island via the Caloosahatchee River.
These inland waterways, like many of the state’s 166 rivers, are suitable for small
boats or houseboats. Many of the latter are more like floating apartments, often being
equipped with air conditioning, microwave ovens, and even television. Houseboats can be
rented from several marinas, in Sanford on the St. Johns River, for example, while small to medium-sized boats are available at many fish camps or marinas.
Florida has an astonishing 1,250 marinas. Those along the coast usually have excellent facilities, with accommodations and rental outlets for boats and fishing tackle; inland
marinas tend to be more basic. Florida Boating and Diving, a brochure available from the
Florida Sports Foundation, lists most marinas in the state, with details of their facilities.
BACKCOUNTRY
PURSUITS
Florida’s protected areas vary from popular beaches to much wilder areas like the Everglades. The provision of facilities varies too, but most parks have some kind of
visitors’ center, dispensing maps and other information.
Some also organize guided tours. Winter is the best time to explore, when the summer
rains and mosquitos are over.
Over 110 areas are protected by the state, classified variously as State Parks and State
Preserves. They all charge admission and usually open from 8am to sunset daily. The
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has a free guide, Florida State Parks,
which lists them all plus their facilities, or visit www.floridastateparks.org
Information on the fewer federally run national parks is available from the National
Park Service in Georgia. Many other parks are private, including sanctuaries run by the
Florida Audubon Society; these are particularly good for bird life.
The Florida Trails guide, issued by the national tourist board, has a complete list of private,
state, and national parks.
As a result of the Florida Rails-to-Trails Program, old train tracks have been turned into trails, suitable for hiking, biking, in-line skating, and riding. Best are the 16-mile (26-km) Tallahassee– St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, south of Tallahassee, and the Gainesville–
Hawthorne State Trail in the Northeast. The DEP’s Office of Greenways and Trails has information on these and many other trails.
Outdoor adventure tours are organized by a few companies.
One is Build a Field Trip, which arranges trips all over the state.
BIKING
There is plenty of opportunity for both on-road and off-road biking in Florida, where the
flatness of the landscape makes for easy cycling territory – though avid bikers may find it rather dull. The rolling countryside of the Panhandle is by far the most rewarding area to explore, while the Northeast has some good trails too, for example in Paynes Prairie.
If you don’t bring your own, bicycles can usually be rented on site or from a local source.
For general biking information, contact the State Bicycle Office or the DEP.
WALKING
Florida might not seem ideal walking country, but the variety of habitats makes up for
the flat landscape. Most state parks have hiking trails, and there is a project currently underway to create the National Scenic Trail – starting at the Big Cypress National Preserve
in south Florida and ending near Pensacola. So far, 1,000 miles (1609 km) of the planned 1,292-mile (2,079-km) route have been completed.
The Florida Trail Association is the best place to get information on hiking trails.
CANOEING
There is ample opportunity for canoeing in Florida; the Florida Canoe Trail System is made up of 36 routes along creeks and rivers totaling 950 miles (1,520 km). A number of parks are known for their canoe runs, the most famous being the exhilarating, 99-mile (160-km) Wilderness Waterway in the Everglades National Park.
Some of the best rivers, such as the Backwater River, can be found in the North, while the Hillsborough River on the Gulf Coast is also popular. Always check the water level before setting off, as both high and low levels can be dangerous.
HORSEBACK RIDING
The Ocala National Forest in the Northeast has over 100 miles (160 km) of trails suited to horseback riding. There are 15 state parks with riding trails, including Myakka River (see
p274), Jonathan Dickinson, and the Florida Caverns; about half the parks have facilities
for overnight stays.
Information is available from the Florida Horse Trail Directory, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or from the DEP.
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