Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park - Homosassa Springs, Florida

The manatee of the Florida Gulf Coast have become a favorite attraction for visitors to the Sunshine State. They can be found from the Big Bend south to the Keys, but perhaps the best place to see them up close and personal without even getting your feet wet is Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Located 60 miles north of Tampa and 90 miles northwest of Orlando on U.S. Highway 19, the spring has been a tourist attraction for so long that it holds a unique place in Florida history as a result. Beginning in around 1900, trains ran along what is now Fish Bowl Drive, a street that passes through the park. The trains would stop at Homosassa Springs to let passengers rest by the spring. Slowly it developed into a popular attraction.

In the 1930s it was home to a hunting lodge owned by baseball legend Dazzy Vance. In the 1960s a company that trained animals for use in Hollywood movies and television shows located there. Visitors could even meet Buck the Bear, who doubled for "Gentle Ben" in the popular tv show of that name.

Today Homosassa Springs is a state park, noted for its pristine beauty and crystal clear water. Six manatee call the spring home and can be seen there 365 days a year. The park also cares for other manatee that are recuperating from injuries or illness until they can be returned to the wild. Visitors can watch them swimming in the spring or even walk down a stairway into an underwater observation room to see them from a fish eye view.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is also home to Lu the Hippo. He holds the distinction of being the only hippopotamus who has been declared an official resident of the State of Florida. To learn his story and more, please visit www.exploresouthernhsitory.com./homosassa.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge - St. Marks, Florida

One of the most beautiful sections of Florida's coastline is far removed from the white sand beaches and towering condominiums of the popular resorts of the state. The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, near St. Marks south of Tallahassee, is a place of vast marshes, wildlife, birds and butterflies.

Open daily, the National Refuge preserves thousands of acres of coastal land that is rich in both cultural and natural history. The St. Marks Lighthouse, located in the heart of the Refuge, dates back to 1832 and a long walking trail leads to the site of the now vanished town of Port Leon, destroyed by hurricane in the 1840s. Union and Confederate troops battle in what is now the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge during the Natural Bridge expedition in 1865, while Spanish explorers led by Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto explored the marshes during the 1500s.

The refuge today is a popular place for exploring the outdoors. There are walking trails, picnic areas, boat landings, observation decks, a visitor center, the lighthouse and more. To learn more, please visit www.exploreosuthernhistory.com/stmarksnwr1.