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Home > Visitor Information > Nature
You’ve seen the fantasy; now come see the real Florida. Experience what you’ve seen on television. Allow yourself to be touched by nature. Low key and low cost, renourish your soul.
Unspoiled and protected, our beautiful and natural parks are refuges for birds, mammals and humans alike. Brooker Creek Preserve’s 8,500 acres are home to more than 160 bird species, 20 amphibians, 50 reptiles and 40 mammals, many of them rare or listed as protected in Florida and/or the nation. Weedon Island Preserve’s 1,500 island acres offers 9 miles of hiking trails, 4 miles of canoe and kayak trails, a fishing pier, observation platforms and an elevated boardwalk providing an intimate view of the flora and fauna of Florida. New is their Cultural and National Historic Center, a National Historical Register site, which features a creative blend of the Weedon Native American culture with the environment. Guided walks are available at both the state and nature parks.
Florida once was orange trees, cattle ranches and flush with nature. The Starkey’s, original Florida pioneers, have opened their working cattle ranch to visitors to experience areas untouched since the 1800s. Just 45 minutes from Clearwater, J.B. Starkey’s Flatwoods Adventures offers history, amazing scenery and lifelong memories. Wildlife sightings are common. Two tours are offered in a “Range Buggy” or on horseback.
An undisturbed barrier island, Caladesi Island State Park the #1 beach in the United States, is accessible by ferry or boat, and by foot from Clearwater Beach (a three-plus mile walk; no automobile access). The unspoiled island offers natural vegetation, abundant bird life and interpretive programs for Florida nature study. A ferry service to the island departs hourly from Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area marina. Boat berths are available during the day at the marina.
Offering both quality and quantity of species, Clearwater is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Commonly seen birds include osprey, numerous species of egret, heron and gull, white ibis, roseate spoonbill, immature bald eagle, brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, willet and sanderling. Known as the fish hawk, the osprey community is growing on Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area with more than 20 nests showing activity in 2002.
The Gulf of Mexico and our rivers offer watchable wildlife. Approximately 2,600 manatees inhabit our springs, bays and canals, feeding on aquatic plants. North American river otters play in brackish creeks and streams. Everyone’s favorite, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, can be seen cavorting with beauty and grace. Alligators can be found in some freshwater areas of the county. Over 300 species of fish swim in our waters, most of them edible and all of them worthy of study. Remember to "watch" Florida’s wildlife today so that future generations can "see" them in their natural environment. |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Few destinations offer the opportunity to visit five wildlife sanctuaries specifically focused on rescue, rehabilitation and release of these birds and mammals not often see as up close and personal as these refuges allow.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a renowned marine life rescue center, specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured marine life. The aquarium is host to Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine life. With a breadth of activities, one can touch one of the dolphins, watch their world-famous open-air dolphin show, hit the high seas on their popular eco-boat tour, work with the trainers in an interactive session or have a picture taken with a dolphin. Come meet Winter, one of the world’s most famous dolphins, who lost her tail in an accident; she is now healthy and swimming freely. She wears a prosthetic tail, as seen on the NBC Today Show, and is learning how to paint.
| | Moccasin Lake Nature Park is a 51 acre preserve featuring rescued and rehabilitated birds (including two bald eagles, a black vulture, a red tail hawk and horned owl), reptilian, insect and fish displays, plant and energy exhibits, and nature trails through a diversity of natural Florida habitats, allowing viewing of native birds, insects, amphibians, mammals and reptiles. 
| | The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is home to more than 600 birds, representing dozens of species, living and recuperating in the sanctuary; the center breeds permanently disabled birds in hopes of releasing their offspring back into nature. The Sanctuary treats over 10,000 injured birds annually. 
| | The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary cares for more than 70 animals. In addition to orangutan, chimpanzees and various monkeys, the sanctuary also has birds, reptiles, goats and lemurs. One of their more famous primates is Cheetah, one of the chimps who starred in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s. 
Nowhere else but Big Cat Rescue can one be face to face with more than 130 big cats and many of the 20-plus species of exotic and endangered cats which number less than 200 on the planet. Some of the more unusual cats include Fishing, Leopard, Geoffrey, and Bear but also protected are Asian Lions, Siberian Lynx, Clouded Leopards, Servals, Tigers, Caracals and more.
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