Goldenrod, FL Outdoor Activities

When French native Joel Martin was young, his family moved to Africa. While there, Joel learned to stalk many jungle creatures including crocodiles with the help of his Malgache friends. Years later, in 1995, Martin packed up his own family and moved them to Florida, where the heat and humidity reminded him of his beloved childhood in Africa. Today he owns and operates Black Hammock Adventures and charters picturesque airboat rides on the gator-infested waters of Lake Jesup. His boat, equipped with Goliath's desk fan, skims earplugged riders past alligators and other lake fauna at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. During rides, experienced guides pilot the vessel safely through narrow creeks and shallow wetlands, and help tourists to spot sunning reptiles. After zooming by a congregation of gators, guests can stop by Black Hammock's wildlife exhibit, enjoy a lively libation at the Lazy Gator Bar, or hand over their cameras as they pose for pictures with Black Hammock's 12-foot-long alligator, Hammy, at his dockside cage or barter for an autograph with hunks of raw meat.

Volcano Island Miniature Golf’s 18 holes wind through an immersive landscape of volcanic crags and life-size dinosaur statues. A towering brachiosaurus welcomes visitors to the complex, its neck extending far above a canopy of palm trees that casts shadows on the course’s emerald corridors, tropical tiki huts, and camped-out dinosaur-rights activists. As golfers putt through the jungle, course-side plaques aim prehistoric factoids into their brains to fill holes in dinosaur trivia. A dazzling eruption spews from a volcano to celebrate holes in one on the final green, sending golfers and stranded hot air balloons on their way home.

At WestWood Farms, hunter horses and ponies roam four grass paddocks, setting a scene so peaceful and bucolic, no one would ever guess the farm is located just 15 minutes from the bustle of Orlando International Airport. That same sense of calm permeates WestWood's riding lessons, where trainers time their students' progress not by a watch, but by whether or not their goals for the day have been accomplished. Open to riders aged 5 and older, the farm's lessons focus on the English style of riding, which involves the letter u more frequently than other styles and emphasizes the hunter-jumper discipline.

The only way to get into Gatorland is to walk straight into an alligator's toothy grin. At the 63-year-old park’s main entrance, a giant alligator mouth provides a classic entrance to 110 acres of marshy wildlife preserve––home to a vast ecosystem populated by thousands of alligators, crocodiles, and birds. Gatorland’s diverse offering of thrilling attractions and exhibits intrigues nature-lovers of all ages with a variety of lively critters, including rare wading birds and American crocodiles found on Alligator Island. More than 130 alligators reside in the park’s breeding marsh, which visitors can view safely from a three-story observation tower or while sitting on the shoulders of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. At the Jungle Croc habitat, guests lock eyes with deadly Nile and saltwater crocodiles, as well as Lucy and Ricardo, a pair of jumping Cuban crocs who can leap out of the water to snatch their prey.

Envoys can also safely experience up-close encounters with snakes and other creepy creatures in the care of experienced handlers, take a stroll through an unspoiled cypress swamp, or cool off at Gator Gully Splash Park. Gatorland is navigable on foot, the Express Railroad, or seven-part Screamin' Gator Zipline excursions over the Jungle Croc and breeding marsh areas.

Sweetwater Golf & Country Club's 18-hole Highlands Course weaves over 6,771 yards of fairways and greens stitched by mature oaks. The player-friendly, par 72 course puts clubbers face to face with the Loch Ness Monster—which is the name bestowed upon the course's signature hole, a 625-yard par five that double-doglegs around a lake. Golfers can prepare for their round with a stint at the club's driving range, where practice balls await to be launched in the stratosphere while commenting on the tense relationship between golf balls and sheets of glass. The club fosters more competitive fun at its tennis complex, which boasts eight lighted, outdoor Har-Tru—green clay—tennis courts.

After a day spent reading putts or thrashing forehands, guests can unwind at one of the club's three dining facilities. The relaxed vibes of the Fife & Drum Pub and the Carnoustie Café welcome casually-clad guests fresh off the course, and the more formal, chandelier-lit confines of the Highlands Dining Room provides an apropos backdrop for dinner parties or a romantic setting for date night for golfers and their caddy.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando was founded to give those who share the Jewish tradition a communal setting in which to exercise, play, and learn with one another. Between them, the two locations boast full fitness facilities, tennis courts, and an outdoor pool. Group exercise classes and a gymnasium aid adults in acquiring fitter bodies, and sports leagues provide a venue for grownups to compete and ceremoniously dump sports drinks on each other. The center also puts on its own full-blown theatrical productions.

The center’s staff tailors certain events to the needs of senior citizens, helping them with exercise regimes such as yoga. Staff members also assist the Senior Nite club in organizing trips to new restaurants or the theater and help pintsize guests by helming a preschool, kids' camps, and extracurricular programs. Staffers can even pick up youngsters from school and ferry them to one of the facilities for afterschool development programs, which, like backyard mazes, are designed by the child’s parents to challenge young ones.