Florida Outdoor Activities

The only state park with horseback riding on the beach sits 33 miles northeast of Jacksonville at the southern tip of Amelia Island. Within the 200-plus acres of tranquil Amelia Island State Park, Kelly Seahorse Ranch takes up to 12 people at time on one-hour trail rides that pass through hardwood forest to a lovely, open stretch of coastline, where bottlenose dolphins occasionally pop up in the surf. The relaxed tour is good for beginners – no galloping allowed! – but all riders must be at least 13 years old and 4' 6" tall.

Sightings of endangered West Indian manatees, gentle aquatic mammals that average 10 feet in length and weight up to 1,200 pounds, occur statewide, but the best place to see them up close is 70 miles northwest of Tampa around the Crystal River. Birds Underwater runs year-round tours to swim with these easy-going giants in Kings Bay; book at least a month in advance for peak viewing season, from mid-October through Easter, when the water is clearer and the population may reach 400 manatees (up from 30-40 in the summer). Nearby Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park has a manatee observatory, a cost-conscious alternative (tickets are only $9 for adults and $5 for children).

Although not exactly home to Pacific-style curls, the central-eastern Atlantic coast of Florida has worthwhile waves. Surf-centric Cocoa Beach, home of the infamous, 24/7, 52,000-square-foot Ron Jon Surf Shop, is a good place to learn the ropes. Florida Surf Lessons conducts group surf clinics ($99) every other Saturday, weekday workshops ($79), and private,2-hour lessons ($129+) year-round; they cover the coast from Cocoa Beach south to Miami Beach. Reservations required.

High-profile dive sites near reefs and wrecks dot the Florida coast – particularly in the Keys; but for a scuba experience that's off the beaten path, head to Biscayne National Park in Homestead, an hour's drive south of Miami. Thanks to strict limits on boat traffic, gorgeous, healthy reefs support midnight parrotfish, angelfish, schools of sergeant majors, sizable barracuda, and many other tropical fish. The park's concessioner operates two-tank scuba trips on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with possible additional excursions based on demand. Online reservations recommended (book at least a week in advance during the summer and holidays).

With shallow, clear water, schools of fish, and the continental United States’s only living coral barrier reef, the Keys are tailor-made for snorkeling – even for first-timers. Top snorkeling sites include John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo (turn in at mile marker 102.5 off the Overseas Highway; www.pennekamppark.com), and Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary in the Lower Keys (accessible via boat tour from Bahia Honda State Park; www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda). You can charter boats and rent masks, snorkels, and fins from the visitor centers at both parks.

From the Panhandle to the Keys, kayak and canoe rentals are a popular concession in Florida's state parks, as provide the ideal method of exploring mangrove forests, marshy wetlands, and barrier islands. In the prime paddling grounds around St. Petersburg, personal trainer Tim Ganley guides a diverse roster of kayaking trips that include 4-6-hour eco-tours and sunrise or sunset excursions. His high-powered, three-hour Kayakercise boot camps meld paddling with a workout on a white-sand island beach, while Ka-Yoga and Kai-Chi trips incorporate a sandy stop to practice yoga or tai chi. Dolphin sightings are common.

Even non-outdoorsmen enjoy the wealth of wildlife that thrive in the Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. The Shark Valley path through Everglades National Park is one of the best routes for spotting critters. Cars aren't allowed past the visitor center parking lot, but pedaling the park's quiet, flat 15-mile loop trail provides a bird's eye view of the swampy plain, where alligators laze in the sawgrass and wood storks, ibis, and great white herons fish in the brackish water. Catch your breath at the top of the 65-foot observation tower, located at the halfway point through the park – the panoramic views from the top are worth the climb. Bike rentals are available from the visitor center in the park; a guided tram tour traverses the loop as well.Neighborhood: Miami

Where there's shoreline, there's likely a great place to cast a line; but what you reel in varies from site to site. Islamorada in the Florida Keys is known for bonefish; Stuart, 40 miles north of Palm Beach, bills itself as "the sailfish capital of the world"; Panama City attracts cobia, a tasty game fish that puts up a good fight; and the waters around St. Petersburg draw tarpon up to 200 pounds. Freshwater anglers should head to Lake Okeechobee in Central Florida, where largemouth bass congregate. For Florida fishing regulations, visit www.floridaconservation.org; for statewide fishing charters visit www.flafish.com/charters and search based on location and type of charter.

Accessible only via boat, the Dry Tortugas are a seven-island cluster in the Gulf of Mexico with excellent snorkeling and bird watching. The isolated national park is also home to Fort Jefferson, an unfinished 1846 fortress that encompasses half a mile and has 50-foot walls (it’s also one of the largest brick structures in the Western Hemisphere). Two catamarans, the Yankee Freedom ($164) and Fast Cat II ($139), make the five-hour roundtrip – a worthwhile splurge that includes a tour of the fort, snorkeling gear, breakfast, and buffet lunch. To enjoy crowd-free time on the island, reserve one of the limited overnight camping spots; it requires packing all essentials, though, including drinking water.