Winter Garden has an annual fireworks display at Newton Park by Lake Apopka; we often miss it because we are away, but this year we enjoyed the event – here’s a little video of the night:
And some photos:
Independence Day Fireworks in Winter Garden
Midway Airboat ride
After our hot wetlands walk yesterday we also took an airboat ride on the St Johns river. This trip by Midway had a great commentary from the boat captain with impressive sound quality from the headphones that also silenced the noise from the engine. We again saw lots of birds (including my favorite sandhill cranes) but we also saw some cows(!) grazing in the shallow river water, and a bunch of baby alligators … at the end of the trip everyone got a chance to hold a pretty big small alligator (the skin in much softer than I expected, and unlike a warm blooded animal, it feels cool!):
Orlando Wetlands Park
We drove an hour east to Christmas, to visit Orlando Wetlands Park which is a little like the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, but without cars – it’s all walking, on boardwalks or dirt paths around the water. We saw loads of birds, small and bigger fish (some in their nest!), as well as a few alligators (but it was really hot so most ‘gators were hidden underwater); we did also see [only] one turtle … here’s lots of photos!
It’s a beautiful and quiet place to visit and I think we will return – perhaps when it’s less hot!
M&I / GBMINI 