Quick Fix

Q U I C K F I X

NEW RELEASE!

Click Here for more info and to Order Your Copy Now!

Q U I C K F I X is your forum.
Describe in 100 words or less your favorite paddle or trail experience within a half-hour of home.

When you need a breather, where do you get your outdoor mojo?
_________________________________________________

TAMPA BAY'S WEEDON ISLAND PRESERVE

We’ll launch Quick Fix with one of our favorites: Weedon Island Preserve

(http://www.weedonislandcenter.org/), a hidden mangrove maze between Tampa and St. Petersburg. You’ll find several miles of hiking trails, boardwalks and a 45 foot observation tower. There are also two paddling trails, including a four-mile loop that cuts through mangroves with shallow openings. Flush with wildlife, we’ve seen mullet, roseate spoonbills, redfish, stingrays and herons of all sorts. Bring your field guide for a visual feast.

But check the tides first. Otherwise expect to be toting your boat through inches of water or paddling “uphill.”
- Paddle and Path

UPPER TAMPA BAY PARK

The Upper Tampa Bay Park offers a wide variety of natural settings and paddling experiences in a single convenient location. From a canoe / kayak Photo by Lucy Jones, Florida History, LLC

Photo by Lucy Jones, Florida History, LLC

launch near the nature center and classroom building, you can head upstream along narrow creeks or downstream past mangroves to open bay waters. The terrestrial experience is equally varied with trails through hardwood hammocks, marshes, and mudflats. Parking and launching are easy, and restrooms, and picnic shelters are plentiful. Even though this park is popular for group events, family outings, and school trips, it is well designed and maintained and never feels crowded. Conveniently located at 8001 Double Branch Road Tampa, at the very northern tip of Old Tampa Bay; call (813) 855-1765 for more information.
                                                                           - Lucy D. Jones, President
                                                                              Florida History, LLC

ANNA MARIE HISTORICAL PARK

This easily overlooked spot features native plants with the usual educational Anna Maria Historical Park - Photo by Lucy Jones signage. A short path behind a 1920s cottage is at first glance nothing spectacular. Stand still, however, and nature soon reveals itself, with herons perching in mangroves and a shoreline teeming with fish, crabs, and spitting oysters. Courting lizards give each other the eye by a wooden bench under a shade tree. This Native Florida Landscape is a welcome respite after a day at the beach. The park is located behind the Anna Maria Historical Museumat 402 Pine Island Drive.
                                                                           - Lucy D. Jones, President
                                                                              Florida History, LLC

RANDOM FLORIDA HISTORIC MARKERS: