The Real Florida℠ Connection – Start the New Year in a State Park

Discover stories from Florida State Parks.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR It was a great year for Florida State Parks. Rangers, other staff and volunteers welcomed almost 30 million visitors to Florida’s best places. We are proud that Florida State Parks was recognized this year with a National Gold Medal for being America’s best state parks. I want to share a few other successes that helped define our year. First, thanks for your support. Visiting state parks helps us protect beloved park landscapes, wildlife and historic places. We’re also grateful for the investment of over one million hours by our 20,000 volunteers and dozens of friends’ groups. We worked hard to protect natural and cultural resources and saw successes worth celebrating. Silver Springs State Park just earned recognition on the National Register of Historic Places, the shared list of places that define American history. We’re excited about the growing popularity of cultural events like the Florida Folk Festival. Park storytelling resonates and unites people from every walk of life. Preserving and restoring park landscapes depends on skilled, dedicated people. Working in difficult terrain, staff applied prescribed fire to a record area larger than Philadelphia. With help from the Florida Conservation Corps, staff and volunteers fought invasive exotic plants on 40,000 acres of park land, an area almost as big as Washington, D.C. This management has many benefits to wildlife such as gopher tortoises and Florida black bears. We’re also happy to celebrate a successful year for sea turtle nesting. State parks protect 108 miles of sandy beaches where turtle teams conduct surveys every day during nesting season. This has been a great season with over 8,000 nests recorded. This year, we hosted hundreds of Park Fit events including ranger-guided bike rides, yoga classes and 5K runs in partnership with local organizations. We now have 2,200 miles of both unpaved and paved multi-use trails that are favorite destinations for walking, running, cycling and strolling with family. We’re grateful to the Governor’s Office and the Legislature for passing budgets that invest in state parks. Thanks also to our staff who go to work every day thinking about how to do the best for Florida’s best places. Finally, thank you for being a park champion — you can visit and volunteer to help make 2020 even better Celebrate Florida State Parks' 85th Anniversary with us at your local park Eric Draper FEATURED STORIES State Parks Where You Can Get Active for the New Year We picked out some of the best Florida State Parks for fitness, including group classes, exercise trails and other great opportunities to get moving in the outdoors. Outdoor Florida Can Help You Find New Places to Play Outdoor Florida is your source for finding recreational opportunities on Florida’s public lands. With this simple mobile and web app, you can search by activity or location. Teen Runs Seven Marathons in Seven Days for Springs On December 17, Charles Richardson set out to complete a “year-defining” journey by running 184 miles across Florida. Along the way, he visited four Florida State Parks to bring attention to springs protection. State Park Historic Sites Earn National Recognition Silver Springs State Park has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Silver Springs is one of many places in Florida State Parks where you can experience history up-close. FEATURED EVENTS Going Native for the Birds January 9, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park Your yard or apartment patio can be a life-giving wildlife sanctuary. At this event, a park ranger will offer simple suggestions that you can use to create an oasis for plants and animals. Learn more 10th Annual Scrub Jay Race and Festival January 11, Oscar Scherer State Park   Join us for the 20th Annual Scrub Jay Race followed by the 10th Annual Scrub Jay Festival. Run for their survival, stay for their revival! Games, music, food and more. Learn more Shakespeare in the Park January 18, The Barnacle Historic State Park Pack a picnic and relish Florida Shakespeare Theater's production of the bard's shortest but most unremittingly gruesome tragedy, "Macbeth." Gate opens one hour before show time. Learn more The Buzz about Bees January 25, Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area Do you enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Well you can thank honey bees! Join beekeepers Bill and Barry as they share what a beekeeper does and what it takes to make the world better for bees. Learn more Find more Florida State Park events