Central Florida Gems! Kayaking with the Manatees and Equestrian Ranches
Who knew?! Disney and The Villages aren’t the only destinations in Central Florida. This area is a hidden backcountry gem full of sprawling horse ranches, beautiful trees swathed in Spanish moss, and miles and miles of pristine natural spring water-fed rivers for manatees to hibernate in over the winter.
While the rest of the United States is experiencing an epic arctic tundra with snowmageddon, we escaped to the Sunshine State to visit friends, where it’s 75 degrees and sunny. We’re currently relaxing in a lanai (screened-in porch), the warm breeze blowing, listening to all the wild birds and animals doing whatever they do.
Silver Springs
According to the Florida Springs Institute (floridasprings.org), Florida has over 1,000 freshwater springs and categorized by the average amount of water that they discharge called magnitudes. The largest magnitude springs, such as Wakulla and Silver Springs, discharge around 65 million gallons of water a day – the equivalent of about 1.3 million bathtubs! “Florida’s springs are the largest by volume in the world, giving birth to and supporting entire river ecosystems like the Suwannee and the Santa Fe. Collectively, Florida’s springs historically discharge over 10 billion gallons of fresh groundwater each day.” Whoa! 🤯
For tens of thousands of years, Florida’s springs have been hotspots of biological diversity. The springs are one of the only natural areas in the state where you can encounter so many of Florida’s resident plants and animals in one geographic area.
Very close to where we are staying is Silver Springs, home to rhesus macaque monkeys, alligators, and a warm-water refuge for the manatees or “sea cows” during the winter. They can’t regulate their body temperature so when the seawater gets cold, they come inland to the constant 70-ish degree spring waters, which makes for great kayaking amongst manatees during this time of year!
World Equestrian Center
Another Central Florida’s best kept secret anchored around Ocala is the World Equestrian Center (https://worldequestriancenter.com/ocala-fl/).
While we didn’t visit the Center, what we do know is that Central Florida is a mecca for equestrian enthusiasts and currently boasts over 1200 horse farms, giving it the statistical designation of being home to more horses than anywhere else in the United States. This 2022 article by Bridget Williams (www.sophisticatedstlouis.com/home/themaneevent) paints a clear picture of the equine industry of Central Florida, explaining “For quite some time, Lexington, Kentucky, and Ocala, Florida, have been engaged in a chess-like series of legal and PR maneuvers to lay claim to the title of being the ‘Horse Capital of the World.’ Ocala declared a definitive ‘checkmate’ two years ago (2020) with the World Equestrian Center (WEC) opening.”
According to our friends who live here, in an effort to preserve the equine way-of-life, the Roberts family buys any horse ranch up for sale, thereby avoiding the encroaching subdivision developments from taking over. As a result, we sure got to enjoy the deeply peaceful and pastoral landscapes surrounding us!
