Recently on a camping trip, I picked up this great little resource for only $8.51! It is a 188 page spiral bound book that lists all of the state parks in Florida. They are broken up into regions and every listing has contact info, a brief paragraph about the park, and a picture.
My favorite part about this book is that it is actually a passport!! When you visit one of the parks in this book, you can get your “passport” stamped. The kids will enjoy collecting these stamps. You can pick up the passport books at most ranger stations or park entrances. Not all of the parks give out stamps. You will need to check the passport to see where to get the stamp for a particular park. Some parks also have special hours for collecting stamps.
As I was flipping through the passport, I was surprised to note that there are several state parks in our area.
1. Big Lagoon State Park – Located on County Road 292A about 10 miles southwest of Pensacola – Beaches, trails, camping, bird watching, fishing, boating, kayaking
2. Blackwater River – Located 15 miles northeast of Milton off US90 – A beautiful river for canoeing, tubing, and camping
3. Perdido Key – Located 15 miles southwest of Pensacola, off State Road 292 – A barrier island with beautiful beaches to swim in and boardwalks to walk on
4. Tarkiln Bayou Preserve - State Road 293 Pensacola – 4000 acres of land covered in the white -top pitcher plants ( carnivorous plant found only between Apalachicola and the Mississippi Rivers
5. Yellow River Marsh Preserve – Located on County Road 191 – See wet flatwoods, wet prairie, dome swamp and bay gall, pitcher plants
If you are willing to drive an hour or two, there are so many more state parks. According to the book, there are over 30 state parks in Northwest Florida.
