Winter Springs, FL Outdoor Activities

Expedition Florida Adventures’ guided kayak tours explore the placid, pristine backwaters of Blue Spring State Park, less than an hour away from downtown Orlando. As CPR-trained guides describe the complex ecosystems, boaters may witness sand cranes wading in tall grasses, gators soaking up sun, and turtles discussing the housing market. Prior to each kayak outing, adventurers receive equipment such as state-of-the-art kayaks, paddles, and life jackets equipped with whistles or tambourines.

Growing up, Butch Finnigan frequented the Atlantic Ocean with his father and grandfather, reveling in the rush of netting a big catch. Matt Riley found similar solace atop the ocean's seemingly endless bounty, where he and his family enjoyed each other's company as they fished. More than two decades later, the veteran anglers have become captains and co-founders of Xtreme Saltwater Angler. They assemble all necessary components for fishing excursions into the big blue, including signature lures and apparel, portable lighthouses, and the expertise needed to guide fishing charters and eco-tours.

The captains and their staff switch up their charters from brief inshore jaunts into the famed Mosquito Lagoon, Canaveral National Seashore, and Indian River Lagoon system to lengthier saltwater fishing trips into the Atlantic. Close to shore, anglers snap up species such as red and black drum, sea trout, and famished free divers, while deeper waters teem with cobia, kingfish, grouper, and yellowfin tuna. The sailors also nurture relationships with nature on eco-tours that explore more than 2,100 plant species and 2,200 animal species, including some of the U.S.'s most diverse flocks of birds.

Surrounded by 9,000 acres of conservation land, the Wekiva Falls KOA campground immerses visitors in nature and wildlife, and maintains controlled water-recreation areas and modern amenities. Staffers block out sites for large camping trailers, and also reserve tent sites nestled in view of the river and picnic tables that are kept primitive to facilitate a rough wilderness experience or decked out with electric and water hookups. The campground also rents canoes and kayaks so visitors can paddle up and down the adjacent Wekiva River taking in the lush shoreline scenery. In a separate swimming area fed by a large sulfur spring, guests can frolic around a 40-foot waterfall or plunge down dual tube slides, and they can also lounge in a heated outdoor pool in the event of cooler temperatures. Alternative forms of entertainment are also available including a full bar; crafts sessions; themed parties and dinners; and day trips to local golf courses to cartwheel down the fairways.

Most of the CPR-certified instructors at Central Florida Paddleboarding grew up exploring central Florida's myriad bodies of water. They use their firsthand, intimate knowledge of the region to lead group standup-paddleboard excursions through waterways such as Wekiva River and Lake Fairview. As they paddle past banks flush with mangroves or beaches lined with palm trees, the crew points out manatees, turtles, and other various forms of alleged wildlife. Trained in water safety, they also teach paddleboarding with one-on-one personal instruction, rent and sell paddleboards, organize summer camps, and maintain balance during on-the-water birthday parties.

Deep in eastern Seminole County, Three Crowns Farm's prime location next to next to Lake Proctor Wilderness Area affords mounted visitors direct access to miles of scenic trails. Riders can bone up on skills during a lesson in dressage, jumping, or reining, and then head out on the network of well-worn routes for a variety of trail rides. The morning ride sets out at 7 a.m., providing a pleasurable start to the day or cap to a night spent trying to empathize with horses by sleeping standing up. For night owls, the moonlight ride embarks at 7 p.m. and catches the sunset before returning at 8:30 p.m.. The farm recommends that riders wear protective clothing and shoes that cover the feet.

The 18-hole course at Winter Pines Golf Club was first drawn up in 1968, and continues to surround golfers in a Technicolor terrarium marked by brightly flowered landscapes and deep emerald turf as it celebrates its 45th birthday. The front nine presents a traditional, par 36 layout that stretches to 3,026 yards, complete with two par 5s just upwards of 470 yards apiece but still well southwards of the 100,000-yard distance at which holes can apply for statehood. Golfers having trouble with the par 5s will find a respite on a par 31 back nine stocked with five par 3s—including four in a row from holes 14 through 17. Those hoping that these indicate can-of-corn iron shots and no-hands aces will come to a rude awakening, however, when they find themselves staring down tee shots of more than 210 yards on holes 12, 15, and 17.