By Laura Bijnsdorp
As Bart and I would have to travel to Florida for the wedding of a good friend (which you can read all about in the 2018 Wedding Special), we decided to add 10 days to our stay to explore. What I enjoyed most about our trip was the diversity that we encountered.
Citrus County
I really wanted to see manatees, also referred to as sea cows, and Florida is a well-known spot where you can easily find these friendly large animals. Some of the best spots to see them are in the Citrus County area, so we headed there.
I had found a trailer on Airbnb and although Bart was a bit sceptical, I was convinced this was going to be an amazing place to stay. I was right. The trailer was located right on a lake, surrounded by large trees. The word “trailer” might not scream comfort, but it had EVERYTHING a girl could want – a large bed, comfortable armchairs with cup holders (aka wine holders), BBQ-pit and... chickens (fresh eggs galore)!
Water activities were definitely the thing to do here, as Citrus County boasts many rivers and lakes. We went tubing and kayaking, saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed easy evenings barbecuing by our trailer on a quiet lake. Oh and I did see a manatee!
Winter is usually the time to see manatees. In colder months, they find their way to warmer rivers, canals and springs. In Citrus County, one can find dozens of manatees, in one spring alone! The easiness of finding them, combined with their cute faces and friendly demeanour, has actually been bad news for the manatee. Many visitors think it is okay to touch, hug or even hop on manatees. Today, this is illegal and tours are strictly monitored; yet people seem to still want to do anything for a selfie.
The West Indian manatee, Amazonian manatee, and West African manatee are all considered vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This is due to a variety of threats, including boat collisions, hunting, habitat destruction and harmful human interactions. Having read all of this, we decided not to book a manatee boat or snorkelling tour. We jumped on a kayak and hoped for a chance encounter.
We were kayaking for about an hour and had entered a quiet inlet. I slowly scanned the water, hoping to see signs of life. Nothing. “Wait! Did that rock just move?” I thought to myself as I motioned Bart to slowly move towards a large grey, algae-filled round object. IT WAS A MANATEE! We stopped a few metres away from it and it slowly started moving around us! We admired its size, which matched our two-person kayak and I squeaked in excitement when I briefly saw the cute snout emerge from the water. The brief encounter made my day.
Tampa
Tampa quickly made us feel like home. We had a cosy room, people were friendly and the city offered plenty to do, without imposing a rushed feeling, like some cities do. We laughed our faces off at a comedy show, did a self-walking city tour that took us past many highlights, had lunch in a historical warehouse, which was converted into a market, got active for a day in a nearby state park and felt the romance during sunset on waterfront boulevards.
Our lunch at the historical warehouse, which is now called Armature Works, was one of my favourite moments in Tampa. Once known as the TECO streetcar warehouse, the Armature Works structure played a significant role for the City of Tampa as the repair and storage facility for the Tampa Electric Street and Railway Company (formerly known as the Streetcar Barn). The barn was an integral part of Tampa’s development in connecting the surrounding neighbourhoods.
In 1946, the system was abandoned for more modern means of transportation; the automobile. Tampa Armature Works, a phosphate machinery manufacturer, purchased the building from TECO in 1960. Today, Armature Works has been repurposed to its original idea and is now the heart of the Heights neighbourhood as a mixed-use commercial building including a market, eateries and shared workspace.
Another highlight was an impromptu sunset dinner, after we had spent the day walking through one of the city’s parks. A few blogs recommended Bon Appétit restaurant in Clearwater, Tampa, for "the best sunset view". When Bart and I got there, we realized we should have made reservations. We could see that it was packed, but as the hostess was confirming this, the manager interrupted, "I only have one table left but it's not great." He led us away from the crowded restaurant floor to the only private balcony right on the water. We looked at each other confused as the manager once again apologized for the "bad seating". We definitely felt that we had gotten the BEST spot in the restaurant and laughed about it during the rest of our evening.
Everglades
On our long drive back to Miami, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit the Everglades, which we would pass on our way. One thing everyone has to do when visiting Florida? An airboat tour of course!
Everglades National Park encompasses 1.5 million acres of tropical and subtropical habitat with one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. For this very reason, Congress established the Everglades as a National Park in 1934. The park has since been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance and a World Heritage Site. This was definitely needed, as over 50% of the Everglades had already been replaced by urban areas and farms.
Protecting the Everglades is not just important to the numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. It is also a primary source of drinking water for more than 7 million Americans, and is estimated to add financially $67 billion tourism industry, a $13 billion outdoor recreation economy, and $100 billion agriculture sector.
Our airboat tour was everything we had imagined: loud, fast and swampy. Our captain Ron told us stories about the swamp, where he had grown up. You could quickly tell that he was worried his grandchildren did not appreciate his lifestyle – which was intertwined with the nature surrounding us.
I wasn’t sure what impressed me more on our tour – the mother alligator that hissed at us when we got too close to her nest; or the perfect mirror images of the clouds in perfect flat water of the Everglades.
Miami
To end our trip, we indulged in the Miami city-life, staying on the top floor of a high-rise, strolling by the famous ocean drive, drinking coffee in alternative hipster bars and taking in the street art – the latter was easily found in Wynwood. In just a few years, the former warehouse district of Wynwood has become the arts hub of South Florida.
It started with murals, street art, and graffiti – encouraged by the neighbourhoods’ early developers – and resulted in dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of outdoor art. Today, there are more than 70 galleries and museums, dozens of new restaurants and bars, and hundreds of companies, creators, and innovators, all adding to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood.
Miami Beach, where we were staying, was a strange mix of the glamorous and trashy. Ocean Drive was actually more sticky than glitzy, which Bart also literally felt after I spilled my $40 mega-margarita on his lap. In our opinion, the true charm of Miami Beach was actually found off the main tourist streets, where we found elegant restaurants, hidden bars and alternative boutiques.
Our favourite moment in Miami? Just ordering takeout and enjoying the sunset over the cityscape from our hotel balcony!
Our Florida vacation did have it all. I could not have asked for a better 10 days.
